[SCCC] Fwd: ARRLDX CW N7VM SOAB LP

[Bill Ralston]

                    ARRL DX Contest, CW - 2026

Call: N7VM
Operator(s): N7VM
Station: N7VM

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: SDG
Operating Time (hrs): 33
OpMode: SO2R

 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:    3     3
   80:   48    18
   40:  282    44
   20:  378    66
   15:  472    66
   10:  297    48
-------------------
Total: 1480   245  Total Score = 1,087,065

Club: Southern California Contest Club

Comments:

I almost gave up on this one after a few hours due to horrible power line
noise
Friday night, but I’m glad I stuck it out as the noise was greatly improved
by
Saturday. Conditions on Saturday were better than I expected given the solar
flux, but the geomagnetic storms made late Saturday through most of Sunday a
slog.  As usual, things ended with fast action to JA on the high bands.

In the past, I’ve would sleep 3-4 hours Fri-Sat and 6-8 hours Sat-Sun, but
this year I tried a different strategy of taking no long breaks and only
several
short 2 hour breaks (enough for a full sleep cycle).  This enabled me to
catch
the Sat EU opening on 20m from 10-12Z (something I learned to watch for from
studying other folks past logs).  This strategy also seemed to help with the
slog on Sunday: when getting on right after a break rates would be really
good
for about 30 minutes before returning to the slow slog.

You can never have too many antennas.  I used the 10m vertical for exactly
one
2nd radio QSO to ZL when the other three antennas were pointed at EU, JA,
and
SA!  Station description on QRZ.com.  Thanks for the Q's!

73 de Bill