[SECC] NAQP SSB AA4LR Single Op LP

[Bill Coleman]

                     North American QSO Party, SSB

Call: AA4LR
Operator(s): AA4LR
Station: AA4LR

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: GA
Operating Time (hrs): 10
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
  Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
   160:   16    10
    80:   63    24
    40:  277    48
    20:  195    44
    15:   47    12
    10:    2    24
-------------------
Total:  600   140  Total Score = 84,000

Club: South East Contest Club

Team: SECC #1

Comments:

Antennas:
A3S/A743 at 15m (40-10m)
Shunt-fed 15m tower (80-160m)
R7000 at 2.5m (40-10m) (second rig)

Equipment:
Elecraft K2/100 w/KAT100 running 100 watts
Kenwood TS-430S / AT-250
Heil BM-10

Comments:

With my wife working all day at the hospital, I got the green light  
to take this effort full-time. I had hoped to post a good score, but  
didn't realise I would set a personal best for a summertime NAQP.

Contest started with absolutely nothing on 10m. Managed to work one  
local, and that was it. Fared much better on 15m, with a pretty good  
run, but felt like I was working the CQP with all the CA stations.  
With 15m already long, dropped down to 20m at 1845z. Although it felt  
really early to be on 20m, the band was just right, and had my best  
hour at 19z with 79 Qs. Flipped between 15, 20 and 40m through the 20  
and 21z hours, with slowly diminishing rates.

At 2145z, I took my first off-time. Cooked the kids some hot-dogs on  
the grill, back on the air 40 minutes later. Usually, I would have  
taken an off-time earlier, sticking with the W4AN philosophy that you  
should avoid off-time in the critical 4-11 window. However, the rates  
were so good in the first four hours, I couldn't bring myself to stop.

At this point, I had thought that 20m would be the money band, and  
I'd end up with a score around 400 Qs or so. But in the 00z hour, 40m  
took off. I managed to run in three different areas of 40m, and it  
became the serious money band. I used the second radio to scan 80m,  
but didn't hear much activity there, so I kept running. I finally  
went to 80m at 0200z, figuring I need to find some mults there to  
round out the score.

Rates weren't good there, so I went back to 40m for another good half- 
hour, and finally settled for 80m and 160m after 0300z. Noise levels  
were very high, and I had trouble being heard. On one funny instance,  
I was calling CQ and had my frequency "stolen" by N4GG. I was calling  
CQ, and not getting answers, and Hal shows up and calls CQ. I shift a  
few hundred hertz and call him. It takes several tries, but I finally  
got through. It was pretty obvious Hal couldn't hear me very well.  
Since I wasn't getting out, I moved on. If I can't be heard in my own  
state on 80m, what I am doing calling CQ?

Had a few funny moments. High on 15m, I found W7ASC calling a general  
CQ for a demo, so I answered. John gave me the exchange, and ask if I  
would talk a minute to a young fellow. I had a brief contact with  
Nathaniel, age 7 years. Frankly, Nathaniel wasn't much of a talker,  
but it made my day.

Ran into W6FB, Jack  on the air. Jack and I have known each other for  
about 20 years, from back when he was in Atlanta. We figure it is the  
first time we've actually made contact on the air.

K9DBV called me on 40m, gave me the exchange and then made a very  
polite request if I would mind him calling a net about 500 Hz higher  
and them moving them to another frequency. I said sure, and stood by  
for the minute it took him to make a few calls. Turns out the guys  
for the net didn't show up, but Terry was thankful.

XE1KK, Ramon was EVERYWHERE. I worked on 10-40m, and I also heard him  
on 80m while S & P.

Ran SO2R, but I don't think I ran the second radio that hard,  
especially in the second half. R7000 isn't a great antenna, but it  
was good enough to spot some of the stronger multipliers.

In short, a great time!


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Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
             -- Wilbur Wright, 1901