W6XR/2 IARU posting.....Single op all band, both modes and
no packet.
Band Q Z HQ D
160 0
80 0
40 140 10 9 1
20 860 30 15 7
15 454 22 9 2
10 136 9 8 1
Totals 1590 71 41 11
531,320 points in exactly first 16 hours of the contest.
Comments:
Originally, I had plans to make a serious effort for this
one, but as I looked at the rotatable dipole still on the
ground on Friday morning, I knew it was not to be. This
actually is the first time I played in this contest and I
must say it is a real pleasure to be able to switch modes
and have a 24 hour contest period of operation. Even with
the absence of a real 75/80 meter antenna, I had hoped to
use a center fed zepp (last used with a shiny galena) for
75/80, but as midnight approached the body failed once again
and now being old enough to know better -- I went to bed!
Recently, my 12 year old son decided to take up the game of
golf. As I was a pretty good player at one time, I was
delighted that he decided to do this, but I did warn him
that golf is a VERY CRUEL GAME. In retrospect, contesting
is indeed another game that can be very cruel. Just when
your station in life allows you the hardware needed to
compete comfortably at a high level and you finally find the
QTH that used to be but a dream --- you find yourself
physically taxed to work a contest for its entirety! It was
not long ago when I argued with the league about cutting
back the ARRL DX format from 96 hours to 48 hours. Sure am
glad they did not listen!
I was really happy with the results during the time on the
air. As I knew that it was going to be good to attract
casual ops on phone while on 10 and 20, I was using my
friendliest "come talk to me" voice. Several gents
continued to call me for duplicate contacts and one WB5, who
I gently reminded that we did this before, calmly told me
that he "still wanted to work me again and again because I
had a (nice) signal." Yet another gent insisted on having a
conversation with me about his duplicate contact on 20 and
insisted he had only worked me on 20 before. When he
stopped to take a breath, I told him that indeed he only
worked me on 20, but that we are now on 20 meters once
again. He simply said "never mind."
Highlights were seeing the "rate meter" approach 275 during
a stateside phone run on 20 late last night, and of course
the fabulous propogation had to be everyone's highlight. I
am not too sure what the propogation mode was on 10, but
signals from Europe were there most of the day and into the
evening. Big highlight for me was the Yaesu FT1000MP. This
was the first time I contested with this radio, and
superlatives are simply not enough for its performance.
This radio's gestation was certainly looked over by a
responsive marketing/engineering department as the finished
product is a contesters dream.
Lowlights --- only thing not up to the task was me! Its
hell to get old --- how does Fred Luan do it? Of course
living in Ithaca, which has no contest activity is a bummer,
and the absence of a reliable packet cluster does not warm
my self nor make for much contest success. Sure do wish
there was more contest interest in the area. Perhaps some
budding contester will enrole in Cornell this fall. The
local "shack on a belt" crowd does not seem to harbor any
interest in contesting at all.
All in all, I am happy with the IARU and hope the guys in
the WRTC had a good time. The concept of everyone having an
equal station was sure debunked! I made notes on my Alt N
key concerning the stations that were either much louder
than others or much puny weaker than others. It will be
intersting! The guys were a pleasue to work -- you could
get in and out with an exchange in under 5 seconds on CW
with most of the guys. That was a real delight!
My apologies to everyone who's CT file insisted on putting
me in zone 6. I assure you that I am in zone 8 and do not
plan to either change my call or move back to California.
Thanks to everyone who worked me!
73s,
Natan W6XR/2
W6XR/2 is located in Ithaca NY overlooking both Lake Cayuga
and Cornell University.
160---- 1/4 wave vertical ground plane and iverted V at 72'
80---- rotatable dipole (on ground now) and zepp at 75'
40-----2 el yagi at 72'
20/15/10 C3 system at 85'
10-----4 el monobander at 82'
Assorted beaverages and Ewe's abound
Yaesu FT1000MP & Mr. Alphy
Thanks
Natan W6XR/2
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