Call Used: K0OB (Sure was nice not saying Alpha Alpha Zero!)
Op: K0OB
Category: Single op, low power unassisted
Section: Minnesota
hours: 24
Equipment: 1000D 150 watts, NA version 10.06
Exchange: A K0OB 77 MN
Band Q's Ant's
80 95 dipole at 26 feet
40 227 sloper on roof tower at 30 feet
20 393 Explorer 14 tribander on roof tower at 33 feet
15 151 ""
10 0 ""
------
866 x 78 mults= 135,096
The Battle of the Cheesecake!
As in any contest, there are competitions for certificates and
plaques but, for the majority of SS participants these prizes are
out of reach. Here in Minnesota winning A power is certainly out of
reach if the legendary N0AT is in there. His top 10 places in CW &
phone last year again showed us who want to be big guns
that he is a contesting machine! Since my friend Jeff, K0MX previously
AA0SQ, and I wanted to compete for some sort of prize, we decided to
compete for something tasty! You see, Jeff whipped me in last August's
NA QSO Party phone contest. Still stinging from that I wanted some
revenge during this year's SS contests! We decided that if I won CW
SS, his wife would make one of her homemade cheesecakes for my family.
If he won, my wife would make some of her famous chocalate chip cookies
for his family. (And since my last name is Fields, they would be Mrs.
Fields Cookies!) Jeff has the same tridander as me at 50 feet with
a rotable 40 meter dipole on top at 60 feet. He has a dipole for 80
at 36 feet and also loads the tower for 80. All in all, our setups
are pretty even for little pistols. Well, it was Jeff's first CW SS
and I beat him easily. It was a hollow victory since it was his
first CW SS and Jeff thinks of himself as a better phone op than CW.
We decided to go double or nothing for the phone contest. I had done
QRP phone the last 3 years and never had tried A, so it was uncharted
territory for both of us. But, this was my chance to prove that NA was
a fluke and get some tasty cheesecake at the same time!
2100: Contest starts off with a 60 hour S&P between 20 and 15 meters.
Wonder how Jeff is doing? Certainly my opening hour will demoralize
him! I can already taste that cheesecake!
2337: Finally work Jeff. He's at 118 Q's, I'm at 124 but, he has 10 more
mults than me! How did he do that? The thought occurs to me that
this might not be as easy as I first thought.
0700: I turn off the rig in disgust to take my 5 hour sleep break. When
I was forced to go to 40 at 0100, my rates dropped into the cellar.
It was so bad, I thought I was doing QRP again. Had two hours with
a rate of 10 Q's. 80 meters was incredibly noisy with the rain and
thunderstorms that were be in the area. I havn't heard Jeff since
we last worked each other. Has he given up in despair like I want
to? The only good thing is that I knock off 69 mults with all my
S&P. Only tuff mult left is MAR so I begin to think sweep.
1200: Go to 80 meters after my sleep break and immediantly run into
Jeff. He mistakenly took off 6.5 hours but, his first hour on
he has a run of 60. He is now 37 ahead of me and I must take one
more hour off! The only good news is that I'm 10 ahead in mults
but, I knew that wouldn't last. I reason that fatique will slow
Jeff later in the day and that will be my only chance to catch him.
1407: Jeff catches me on 20. His lead is now 29 Q's. I know I can't slack
off on any of the hours remaining. I still reason that with my two
half hour breaks that I take later will return me refreashed and
able to take a lead that a breakless Jeff won't be able to catch.
I'm having fairly good luck holding a freqeuncy on 20 even though
I'm surrounded by the thrashing signals of the B boys. I know I
must continue to try to run stations to get ahead in the Q total.
1544: I hear Jeff, he's now 47 ahead of me! The sickening memory of talking
to him during NA and being told everytime that he was further ahead
comes back to me.
1606: Sweep!! Work MAR for the last one and my first sweep ever. I laugh
hysterically knowing Jeff will start looking for those mults he
is missing trying to get his first sweep. This is my chance to pull
ahead in Q's! My wife comes down stairs with some lunch. She looks
a little concerned seeing the wild look in my face.
1734: Talk to Jeff on 20. He is now 60 ahead! My God, what is he doing
that I'm not! I start to panic, I must find a good run frequency.
I go to 40 and for a half hour the rate meter hovers around 100!
I have a 61 hour. I know I need more of these. Jeff still needs
several more mults.
1900: I have a 79 hour on 20 and I'm in the middle of the mess in the
General portion of the band! I've dreamed of hours like these
since my first SS as a teenager. Will it be enough though
to catch Jeff?
2230: After a half hour off I come back to a 59 hour on 15. I run into
Jeff again. I'm 27 Q's ahead now! Jeff still needs KL7. He has
been searching for mults and has had two 25 hours. I tell Jeff that
I had worked a KL7 in the last hour on 20. I must assume he will
find one and it will be all up to the Q count. I have one more
half hour to take off. Can Jeff make up those 27 Q's late in the
contest with this half hour?
0100: Unknown to me, Jeff has become demoralized knowing that am ahead
in Q's now. His two year old is upstairs screaming and turning
on and off the lights in the basement. He considers calling it quits
with two hours to go thinking I'm probably really pulling ahead
now. But, then he hears me on 40. I had just taken one more half
hour break and now Jeff was nearly even with me in Q's. He knows
it will go down to the wire now and he continues on.
0208: I hear Jeff on 80 S&P. He is 5 Q's ahead of me now! My heart starts
to pound and I break out in a cold sweat. Did Jeff get KL7? Can I
make up the last 5 Q's with 45 minutes left? CQing never works for
me in the last hour of this contest, I decide to continue to S&P.
I frantically jump between 80 and 40 looking for new ones. They are
far and few between. The last 52 minutes of the contest are a blur.
I've never looked so fast for new ones. I jump into a couple of
contacts to move a unworked station up frequency. The adrenline
pumps throughout my body. The thrill of competition! This is why
I contest! I work my last one with a minute to go.
0300: I connect on the cluster to talk to Jeff. We exchange scores.
Me:866 x 78, Jeff:872 x 78 Oh my! It doesn't get any closer
than this! We talk on 15 meters for nearly a half hour sharing
our stories and excitment. I lost but, I've never had so much
fun loosing! And it was so close! We decide that we both deserve
our treats from each others wives because of the thrill of
competing against each. Jeff is a hell of a phone op and he brought
out the best in me too. This story will live in our
memories for years to come and our wives and children will get
tired of hearing us relive it, hi! There is nothing like SS!
You can bet we will be back next year for another "Battle of the
Cheesecake"!
Greg Fields K0OB (Previously AA0OB)
aa0ob@skypoint.com
Minneapolis, Minnesota
U.S.A.
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