[SCCC] N7VM - WPX - SSB

[Bill Ralston]

     CallSign Used : N7VM
      Operator(s) : N7VM
Category : SINGLE-OP, NON-ASSISTED, ALL, LOW

        Band     QSOs     Pts  WPX  Pt/Q
         3.5       6      17    2   2.8
           7     178     472   82   2.7
          14     333     660  191   2.0
          21     328     645  142   2.0
          28     568    1278  265   2.3
       Total    1413    3072  682   2.2

            Score : 2,095,104
              Op Time : 35.5

I wasn't sure if I was up for a long SSB contest, but the only multi-op
invite I could wrangle on short notice required a 40+ hour trip 7Q6M (and,
yes, I did look to see if there was any way I could pull it off).  So I
braced myself (the memories of the long slog of ARRL DX SSB are still
fresh), cranked up the towers, strung out the vees, and strapped in for
another couple of days of abuse running LP-SSB.  "The pessimist is never
disappointed."

Wow - is this contest always that much fun, or were conditions spectacular
excellent?  I see I have been missing out, this being my first serious
effort in a WPX in over 25 years (yes, I've been around a while... is there
a 'Half Century Operating Club Yet" or do I have to be happy with sharing
numbers in SS?).  Except for a few hours after the solar flare and
intermittent rain static, local lightning, and QSB on Sunday, conditions
were fantastic. I worked several ATNOs and even had rare DX stations call
me... that rarely happens!  I missed having the high 15m antenna (Murphy
struck - you can see the impact in band totals), but having several ATNO
and rare DX stations answer CQs on 10m and 20m is an amazing
analgesic/euphoric.

I might be a little punchy. Thanks for reading, and thanks for the Q's!

73 de N7VM (Fallbrook)