[SCCC] K6NA IARU-HF, 2015

[Glenn Rattmann]

                IARU HF World Championship

Call: K6NA

Class: SOABCW HP
QTH: SoCal
Operating Time (hrs): 22.75

Summary:
  Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Zones  HQ Mults
-------------------------------------
   160:    32    0       7        3
    80:   138    0      14        9
    40:   445    0      32       32
    20:   519    0      35       42
    15:   146    0      25       21
    10:     7    0       5        1
-------------------------------------
Total:  1287    0     118      108  Total Score = 973,834

Club: Southern California Contest Club

Comments for SCCCers:
In 2014 I was a referee at WRTC.  In 2013 I was on the road 
someplace, working, and couldn't do the contest.  In 2012, my last 
serious entry in this one, I had well over a million points on CW, so 
I think it's fair to assume our propagation conditions were down 
considerably compared with three years ago.

I didn't do any real preparation for the contest, even forgetting 
until very late Friday afternoon that I needed to have a 160m 
antenna.  My 160m wire vertical array is usually unavailable in 
spring-summer mowing season, because I roll up all the surface 
radials and coaxial feeders.  So, at sunset I managed to roll out 
seven radials for just one of the verticals, and connected the main 
feeder directly to the antenna (bypassing the switchbox).  The band 
was actually quite usable, in spite of major QRN, so I'm glad I 
hooked up the antenna.  I had no separate receive antenna.

During mid-afternoon on Saturday I took a 15-minute break, which 
inexplicably morphed into a 75-minute break including a brief nap 
after eating a snack.  "I'll just stretch out over here on the couch 
for ten minutes...."  Oops.

In general, I mostly S&P'd the first 12 hours, as I was just having 
fun finding the stuff, cracking the piles, and avoiding the intensity 
of CQ runs.  But in the second 12 hours I CQ'd much more, and that 
was fun, too.  The late afternoon-early evening 20m opening was 
incredible.  40m was nearly as good to Europe, but for far fewer 
hours due to so much daylight in the northern latitudes.  The 
summertime conditions make for an interesting contest.

I like the interesting combination multiplier of ITU zones and the HQ 
rabbits, too.  That hook, plus the 24-hour 'sprint' format with no 
off time, makes this contest a blast to operate.

Thanks to our Bruce for his score-reporting tools.

73,
Glenn K6NA