[SCCC] FW: ARRLDX CW N5ZO(@WA6TQT) SOAB HP

[marko.n5zo at gmail.com]

                    ARRL DX Contest, CW - 2025

Call: N5ZO
Operator(s): N5ZO
Station: WA6TQT

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: CA
Operating Time (hrs): 45
OpMode: SO2R
Remote Operation

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   16    10
   80:  255    41
   40:  839    81
   20:  570    76
   15:  873    90
   10:  979    86
-------------------
Total: 3532   384  Total Score = 4,019,328

Club: Southern California Contest Club

Comments:

It was only 2nd time ever I operated this contest seriously from CA which is
not very optimal location for it being as far as possible from EU Qs and
multipliers.  (Last year was 1st time.)  I think I'm still figuring out how
to operate this contest and I don't actually do lots of serious DX
contesting from US anyway.  I can see that my multiplier count could have
been better.

I was thinking it would be possible to make new W6 record this year as I
almost got there last year from home and now I had much more antenna
hardware to use remoting to WA6TQT station about 90 min drive away.  But as
contest progressed it became even more clear how extraordinary once in a
cycle conditions we actually had in this same weekend last year.  I fell bit
short even from my last year's score from my home station (where I have
simple no-stack yagis) compared to TQT's superior QTH with monster stacks on
all bands 40-10.  But this is still 3rd highest score ever made from CA.
Remote behaved relatively well, although I had lot more audio pops on
Saturday which with heavy QSB and fluttery conditions caused me to ask lots
of repeats and 2BSIQ did not feel very productive lots of time.  Like Yuri
TO4A wrote, I also completely forgot allowed self-spotting.  I didn't think
about it perhaps because I never quite understood what the benefit would be
on CW when skimmer robots do the spotting all the time anyway.  But reading
Pat N9RV's comments it sounds like there indeed would be difference.  If I
will operate SSB portion of this contest in 10 days I will for sure try it. 
There was some strange times on Sunday when I was CQing on both 10 and 15 in
same time when bands felt like well open and if I would S&P I would always
get through very quick busting pileups but I could just not get answers for
my CQs and it was very slow going.  Then I put another radio on 20 and
called CQ there and I was actually getting much more answers albeit still
slow and signals were way down compared to higher bands.

I tested sleep strategy in this contest and decided to take single 90 min
nap around midnight local time 2nd night.  I felt it was completely
sufficient for me and felt quite OK to operate until end after it.  I did
take another total
60-90 mins non-sleep offtime during the weekend.

Comparing with last year's contest total QSOs were almost same but I had
about
150+ Qs less on 10 m and similar amount 150+ more on 80 m this year.  
150+ And also
in totals I had about 500 Qs less to EU and 300 Qs more to JA this year. 
Overall to me participation felt quite a bit down from last year.

It was fun contest and I guess we need to operate these events now as it
difficult to imagine similar level of activity during next maximum 10 years
from now.  Thanks to John WA6TQT for use of the remote station and tnx for
the QSOs de Marko N5ZO


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