[VHFcontesting] W9SZ CQWW VHF contest

[Zack Widup]

CQ Worldwide VHF Contest

Call: W9SZ
Operator(s): W9SZ
Station: W9SZ

Class: Hilltopper QRP
QTH: Illinois
Operating Time (hrs): 5.5

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
    6:  52     33
    2:  14     11
-------------------
Total:  66     44  Total Score = 3,520

Comments:

I entered the Hilltopper category once again, which means I am limited to 6
consecutive hours in it. I chose to operate from contest start to 7 pm
yesterday at latest. As it was, I didn't stay for quite the whole 6
hours.

Operating in the Hilltopper category is always a challenge and a
gamble. Out of the 18 hours or so (realistically) that you get to
operate, picking the right 6 hour window is a guess and a hope as to
whether the bands will be in decent shape during those 6 hours. It
looks like I picked a good 6 hours this hear. I'm not sure what
conditions were like today.

I operated once again from the hill in EN50rl.This is the best score
I've had yet as a Hilltopper in this contest. 144  MHz had a tropo
opening before contest started. I worked a station on 144 SSB who was
in EN32 just before the contest started. Then after it started, the
opening suddenly disappeared like someone throwing a switch. It
figures! 2m never picked up again like it was before the start.

However, 6m was open to the west/southwest and I heard numerous
beacons before the contest started. After it started, I spent most of
my time on 6 meters. I worked a lot of W5's and numerous W6's in DM03
and DM04 (Los Angeles area). I was pretty impressed by that opening. I
don't work California too often with 10 watts.

About 2300Z I didn't hear a whole lot of activity on 6m which puzzled
me. I was still hearing beacons all over the place to the west and
southwest but very few live signals on the band.  Maybe everyone out
there decided to QSY to 2m? I then concentrated on 2m but there wasn't
a whole lot of activity there, either, so I called it quits at 2330Z.

All in all, I had a blast. It was great fun!

73, Zack W9SZ