Topband: ARRL 160M contest condx comments

[K4LDR]

Ahoy readers:

I'm located 65 miles North of Tampa, FL airport near Crystal River in Citrus
County.  Running 100 watts and a single antenna; a 1/4 wl inverted "L".

Fri nite 229 QSOs; cudn't hear any new stations for long, long periods.
After struggling to snag a west coaster, K6SE, (natch!), I got bored and
abandoned the radio at 0821Z/0321R(EST).

Sat nite, made a few more QSOs but again, long periods of no QSOs.  I lasted
about an hour more for 8 QSOs, then abandoned the 160M ship.  Total: 237 Qs
and 50 mults (unaudited).  Last year: 326 Qs, 61 mults, over both nites, on
same 100W and same antenna.

The band noise was not bad.  Wks all the 1s but Maine.  Few 7s, Az, and
another.

Interestingly enough, I worked, without much difficulty, almost everyone I
called even though sigs were pretty much S4 or less.  I cudn't crack
Herbie's (KV4FV) pileup or the FS pileup and I am closer to them than u guys
up the road.

I listened to the thumpingly strong sig of W8JI-Tom 200 miles North of me
work stuff that was not even an immaginable whisper to me.  Gud for Tom! Gud
for his antenna systems!

CU guys (and guyettes) in the CQWW160 (maybe) and the S Perry challenge for
sure.  The SP is clever and was fun in my first effort last year.

73,  Pete  K4LDR  Citrus County, FL


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