K7ED was operated by WA0RJY (who uses K7ED in contests and when calling
VK0IR QRP... thanks K9AJ/VK0IR!)
The Western Washington DX Club had their fourth annual Low Power CW
Challenge during the ARRL CW contest. Each year the winner has his call
inscribed on the plaque (which includes a handsome handkey). The category
has been 20 meter single band and sometimes all-band assisted (so we can
hang out on the packet and exchange taunts and fake spots and such). This
year it was all-band assisted low power.
Your club might consider something like this - it's great for getting
interest up and really improves scores since we all work together and know
that our best efforts are required for victory. Plus, since it's limited
to low power entries the contest newbies are more likely to joing the fun.
Past winners have been WA0RJY (me!), N7RO, and N0AX. The prize is still
unsettled this year. Fortunately for me Ward's, N0AX, parttime
participation might have given me the first "repeat" on the plaque - he
whupped me in mults but I plastered him in Qs... (He said
something about quality over quantity - nonsense!) K7NPN's score still
hasn't been received, so none of the champagne bottles here have been
opened yet...
BAND Raw QSOs Valid QSOs Points Countries
______________________________________________________
160CW 3 3 9 3
80CW 49 49 147 19
40CW 63 63 189 33
20CW 398 394 1182 66
15CW 42 42 126 24
10CW 4 4 12 3
______________________________________________________
Totals 559 555 1665 148
Final Score = 246,420 points.
Some of the highlights included:
After just a couple calls Saturday night, worked V51Z on 40 with 100 watts
and sloper - great ears! Then a few Ks up the band worked ZD8Z on the
first call - great ears again!
6D2X was sending at such a fast pace on Sunday afternoon that if I didn't
recognize the call from other contests, I don't know if I would have
gotten it right. Just for fun I cranked up TR when I replied to him and
he got my call with only one repeat at 50wpm. Someone on packet (yes, I
was "assisted") used their computer (after I posted a comment about the
speed...) to read it and said he was sending at 45wpm.
Real havoc at 2100z when right in the middle of a big pileup on 14048 a
very strong station sent, "QST QST QST de W1AW W1AW QST QST QST de ..."
The pileup came to a halt as everyone sounded like they were struck dumb.
I've never heard a pileup stop like that where everyone step back to take
a breath. Almost like we had all witnessed an accident.
Most amazing busted packet posting, "BY3VA" was posted for 6Y4A (not by
me!). Look it over, it kinda, sorta, makes sense, in a way. Kinda.
Don't know where the "3" came from.
In the middle of a JA run I was called at about 20 wpm - 3 x 3 no less.
My call three times, "K7ED K7ED K7ED de" which made me a bit itchy to get
things going... Until I heard the rest, "de HH2LE HH2LE HH2LE". A new
(relatively rare) mult (off the back of the beam!) with no pileup to
battle! I immediately turned TR down to 20wpm and was very friendly.....
My apologies to JI2UNR who I worked on 20 meters with the 15 meter yagi.
He had to battle to pull my signal out. Thanks!
Worked KL, KH6, and XE on 160 with the 80 meter sloper and no tuner -
about 20 watts on the rigs meter.....
And it's kinda suspicious when the same calls are joining the fight in
"packet spot pileups" all weekend - especially Sunday's 10 meter opening
when the band has been dead all weekend - and they are always entered
"unassisted...".
Great fun, but I sure miss those sunspots...
*****************************************************************
Jack Fleming, WA0RJY oolon@eskimo.com
ex-K7SS/PTI ex-CN2JF ex-CN0A ex-CT1/WA0RJY ex-HS0/WA0RJY ex-HS0AC
Trustee of Paladin Contest Club Callsign - K7ED
Seattle, WA http://www.eskimo.com/~oolon/ DON'T PANIC!
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