[SCCC] RTTY WPX WU6CC(N6ERD) SOAB HP

[Daniel Severance]

Noted score was 1.3M at 24 hour point, ~19 hours worked
Band   QSOs    Pts    WPX
3.5    124     438     61
7      689     2816    316
14     429     977     115
21     599     1664    215
28     38      85      23
Total 	1879    5980    730
Score:	4,365,400

Station Tribander at  97 feet, 5 Element 15Meter stack currently fixed on EU, 2 element 40M XM240 at 91 feet, 80M inverted V and inverted Ls.  K3 into AL-1200 fed so only running about 700W. Grid square FN41AJ, Ledyard, CT.


20M was an afterthought until 15M died early today so I was “forced” 
to move to 20M (which prompted to my move to the station with the 
working rotor) – I am actually much more comfortable on the FT-1000MP as I used that during the LDC last year.
I tried to copy what I could into the new N1MM install which led the 
log window to be full screen or nothing (meant it was always 
minimized/closed) and the Check window was somewhere off screen for the 
first evening/night – very tough to keep track that the data got saved 
correctly (log) and check the calls (check window).  Took the time to 
fix all before starting in on Saturday morning
Never get used to working EU and being able to work all of US off the back of the beams (even the 5 Element 15s!  Likely missed a lot of US, but they count much less in this contest so it's a fair trade :)  Worked Jim, K6ZH that way :)


                    CQ WW RTTY WPX Contest

Call: WU6CC
Operator(s): N6ERD
Station: W1AN

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: CT
Operating Time (hrs): 39.5

Summary:
Band  QSOs
------------
   80:  124
   40:  689
   20:  429
   15:  599
   10:   38
------------
Total: 1879  Prefixes = 730  Total Score = 4,365,400

Club: CT RI Contest Group

Comments:

My first time running this contest in a competitive station other than small S&P
efforts.

Scrambling as the Multi-op became a single op due to the storm.  The version of
N1MM on the main computer hung when started so finally had to uninstall and
reinstall and was scrambling to get it going before the contest.  Spent too
much time trying to set it for multi-op in case some ended up making it, should
have just focused on getting it going for single op.
   Started 15 mins late and then took naps both nights for a total of 8 hours
off - might have rethought that if I had thought I would do this well - at
least and earlier start both days would have been in order.

Thanks to John, W1AN for suggesting I come Thursday night to beat the storm -
had a lot of fun - main issue was running on 15M and suddenly a number of
stations were calling me N1IBM - little did I know an N1 (likely too close for
me to hear) had set up shop on my frequency.  Realized I may have worked a
number of people who instead logged me as N1IBM (they were responding to me),
meaning I have no idea which mults I lost, etc. - Stopped there, ate and
regrouped and had to find a new run frequency.  I did notice later I had been
spotted twice, the second noting QRG with N1IBM.  That wasn't a long time but
it will affect my score depending on how many QSOs/Mults are affected.  It
explains why one of my mults came back right away trying to get my number after
we'd worked - he must have realized that he needed me (WU6 - very rare) more
than the N1!  From my view at the time we had just worked...

Other than that - A great learning experience - it's a big difference having a
4 hour run with a rate over 80 QSOs/hour versus the leisurely S&P.  In total 12
hours running at rates over 68 QSOs/hour!  In kluding the station together I
didn't have time to perfect the call stacking but late in the contest realized
I could do it using the delay between ESM enter and the message finishing...

Last issue was the rotor would not go past 100 degrees, meaning I had to work
EU off the skew of the tribander, not an issue on 15M as I could use the
stacked 5 Element 15s which were fixed on EU.  Last few hours of the contest it
dawned on me I could move (moved, not SO2R) to the other station (as I had N1MM
networked) and use the tribander there with the working rotor.

The good news is I learned things by the end of the contest so I'll do better
next time - usually I have John, W1AN to bail me out when things go wrong so it
was interesting fending for myself!

At the beginning of the contest power dropped in and out twice which is why I
operated with the K3 (where the 15M stack is AND the computer on a UPS).  It
never went off permanently, but did mess with me for the first hour as it
happened twice - first time I went upstairs to see what was going on and John's
wife gave me some candles just in case.  Second time I just waited for it to
stabilize and got going again.

A lot of time spent asking for numbers the first night as 40 late and 80 were
pretty noisy, so getting any number was tough and often a different number
appeared every pass...

I look forward to doing it again - next time I'll try to power through the full
48 hours, or choose better and shorter off times - I had researched nothing
about running an single OP as I thought I was going to be the least experienced
member of a multi-2!

When it was clear it was likely to be a single OP, I decided Pat would want to
use his call (NG1G) to operate from home, so I chose the club call WU6CC used
by myself and WA6L, recently SK - a nice way for me to remember him.  Check the
WU6CC QRZ site for a classic example of WA6L's humor!

73
Dan
N6ERD
WU6CC


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