CQWW WPX Contest, SSB - 2021
Call: WX3B
Operator(s): WX3B
Station: WX3B
Class: SOAB HP
QTH: Maryland
Operating Time (hrs): 30.7
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160: 8
80: 328
40: 649
20: 1255
15: 121
10: 6
------------
Total: 2367 Prefixes = 975 Total Score = 6,265,350
Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
Comments:
That WAS a weekend of radio FUN!!
This was my first effort as a semi-competitive single-operator in this contest,
and I had a blast.
The start of the contest was a grind for me on 40 and 80 meters, and my wish to
run many 6 point QSOs was thwarted by a high noise floor. Quit at about 3:00am
and was back in the chair just after 6:00am ready to rock and roll on 20
meters.
Well, that didn't happen. I had a terrible start, a slow rate, and it appeared
the Europeans just ran folks around me and worked each other. Fortunately, this
story began to change just before noon, and I ended up with a great run and 800+
QSOs by the end of the day Saturday. I did try 15 meters and the propagation
was way better than the number of operators on 15 indicated, but a true WPX
competitor wouldn't waste time trying to run 15 meters with these
conditions...however it was a nice break from 20.
20 meters in the afternoon at WX3B is a delight in this contest, and this year
was no exception. The frequency cleared up, I didn't have to ask for many
repeats, and I felt loud on the band.
At some point Saturday afternoon WX3B Cheerleader #1 appeared: it was Tim N3QE
texting me and telling me that AA3B Bud (our new Contest Director, world class
operator, and a heck of a nice guy) was inexplicably close to my score and only
slightly above it. I pulled up the cqcontest.net scoreboard and discovered
indeed it was true, a lot of folks were sitting this contest out (and a few big
guns were not using the scoreboard...other big guns were not in the contest at
all or not giving it much attention) so I knew I had to push. I shut down just
after 8:00pm and took an extended 10 hour break. (KL9A, N6MJ and N3KS will
finally let N4YDU off the hook now).
I was truly late to the party on 20 meters by arriving at 10:00am, and I decided
to start on 15 and try like heck to make that band work. I had a run of 10
Italian stations, worked Germany and figured the band must be WIDE OPEN. As you
can see from my results on 15, the band may have been open for some folks, but
not enough for me to continue at this low rate, so off to 20 it was, just before
noon.
Another great run started, and this time I noticed something I've never
experienced before like I did this weekend. It was as if someone had a dimmer
switch on propagation and was reducing the signals by 40db in less than a
minute. Then it would come back instantly, along with the QRM and splatter. It
was pleasure hearing all that quiet, all except for the no callers part. I was
comfortably positioned with King-Queen-Two-MARY below me and Alpha Charlie ONE
UNITED above me and both of them were tiny signals when this happened. Then
like a magic trick BIG signals calling in small pileups and I heard my Comrades
on either side of me again...and their pileups. This must have happened at least
7 times during my afternoon run. AC1U eventually went to 40 and my run
frequency immediately deteriorated and became a battlefield with nobody above to
protect me. I soldiered on.
Earlier, I took a dinner break and then was sidelined for about 30 minutes by
INTENSE rain static - which rendered me totally deaf. I tuned and worked a few
loud South Americans that were still around on 10 meters at this time.
Fortunately, this didn't last long, and the predicted lightning storms never
materialized.
I couldn't give up the rate on 20 and take a chance on 40 until about 6:30pm
(and EUs and JAs/Asia were coming in simultaneously on 20 STILL at 7:00pm) -
when I jumped over to 40 and got a nice run of many 6-pointers going mixed in
with a flurry of USA stations. That's when WX3B cheerleader #2 showed up and
kept texting me to finish strong. It was Steve NY3A. He was a motivating force
in me trying a single-op instead of a simple casual effort.
At the very end of the contest in the last minute, I asked for DX, and worked a
UK mobile. Then Jamie NS3T called in and I was amazed he was loud enough to
break though the noise floor so close at that time of night. That was a very
memorable QSO. And then it was OVER!!
I really enjoy running into radio friends, many that I have now known for 20
years in some cases and have talked many times to them during contests and in
non-contest rag chews. It is very motivating.
Everything at WX3B worked perfectly, there were no hardware failures or
complaints, and the man-made noise floor was close to perfect. Sunday's rain
took away any chance of my intermittent power line noise from appearing, and I
was grateful!
This is one of the last single-operator events I plan to do...I am hopeful to
return to multi-operator contesting shortly once we are all protected.
Thanks to everyone for the fun and for calling me!!
73,
Jim WX3B
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