[SCCC] ARRL 10 METER TEST

[Steve]

Score: 4,028. 53 QSOs, 16 states and 3 countries, all CW, all LP, 
unassisted, a few hours here, a few there. Nice opening on Saturday 
but mainly to Florida (did everyone move to Florida for the winter??) 
with some NC/SC tossed in, plus a surprise Lousianan later in the 
opening (probably my closest QSO). That was no fluke as I heard 
another LA some 10 minutes later. Heard 9G4HO for several of his east 
coast QSOs before he faded out. Lots and lots of meteor scatter but 
didn't make any MS Qs. Sunday, I and a bunch of others sat on the 
band all late morning/early afternoon wearing out our keyboards 
repeatedly punching up "CQ Test" to little avail, although 3 new XEs 
did appear (I couldn't work any) and CE2ML came through off/on for 
nearly half an hour right around 22Z; never did work him. Heard two 
CXs, a CP4, and HK1 on Sat but couldn't get their attention with my 
pipsqueak; did get a pair of LUs and, surprisingly, VE3EZ and a 
couple Pennsylvanians during the peak of Sat's opening for my 3 
countries (isn't that supposed to be 4 countries, including the 
US??). No W2s, but heard several W1s answering W4s down south.

I didn't try the "activity" times but ran across many other SCCCers 
on the air. Several couldn't hear my pipsqueak calling at all, no 
surprise. Also, at long last, came across a couple of locals. This 
was the first time I've been aware there is anybody else within 10 
miles of me on HF; this whole area is apparently entirely HOA and I 
have yet to even see a 2m vertical sticking up anywhere, let alone a 
(GASP!!!) HF yagi or two. Plenty of sickly, unsightly-looking 
diseased palm and olive trees, not to mention hundreds... nay, 
THOUSANDS, of unused (at least, since San Onofre went down) 
transmission lines and towers, but no beautiful aluminum antlers 8-( 
One of those locals says (on his web page) that he has wires in his 
trees to thwart his own HOA, I dunno what the other has (yet). We've 
GOTTA outlaw and ban those evil HOAs; they're killing off all the HF hams.

Steve, K0XP