Just for the heck of it here are the last 3 years Q numbers from K7BG:
NUMBERS DEPARTMENT:
Band 1996 1997 1998 Equipment: TS940/TS930
------ ------ ------ ------
160 0 0 0
80 279 95 95 slopers (SE and SW)
40 410 451 368 402CD @ 95 feet
20 347 462 346 205 @ 83ft/TH3 @ 32ft
15 109 181 176 15-3 @ 65ft (fixed SE)/1015DB @ 88
ft/TH3 @ 32 ft.
10 0 0 37 105 @ 45ft(fixed SE)/1015DB @ 88 ft/TH3
@ 32 ft.
------ ------ ------
1145 1189 1022 x 79 = 161,476
EXCUSE DEPARTMENT:
I studied rate sheets in the days leading up to the contest and it became
apparent to me that the first seven hours of operation are crucial. I set
goals of how many Q's I should have in the log during this timeframe. Well,
son-of-a-gun if some old friends who we hadn't seen in years were in the
area and they dropped by several hours into the contest. My good wife held
them at bay upstairs while I tried to mantain some kinda decent rate down
in the dungeon where the shack is. With the bands begining to suffer the
effects of the storm I could see that my preset goals were not being
reached. This coupled with my "guilt" about ignoring our company caused me
to take an hour off 4 hours into the contest. I was relying on conditions
being better (yeah right) on Sunday. Well anyway, we had a good visit and
our guests pretended to understand what it was I was doing in the basement.
We all had a good laugh about my insanity. Anyway, they now know that the
first weekend of November is not a good time to see me. I went back to the
shack and had three 60 plus hours on 40m before things really got slow. I
went to bed at 0515 which was the earliest I've ever shut down on the first
day. Again, I tossed the dice thinking I might make some hay on 10 and 15
on Sunday. You know the rest of the story.
HALLUCINATION DEPARTMENT:
Who is sponsoring the plaque for most QSO's made on 10m on Sunday? Yessir,
I actually made one at about 2100z. Fifteen was so sluggish I shifted into
my contrarian mode and scanned 10 and heard one signal CQing away in and
out of the noise floor. It was K2ACW. Hmmm, I thought, a 2? Sure enough, he
was in SFL. Went back to 15m and begin to get frustrated at the slow rate.
Then I hear a week signal with a 7 call. Oh flip, it's Fred KE7X 200 miles
south of me in Bozeman. I wonder how he's doing? We work and he's 30 Q's
ahead of me! I get pumped again. I now have something to shoot for, trying
to catch 'ol Fred. Looks like I only gained 2 Q's on him in the last six
hours. Congrats Fred, I hereby challenge you to a showdown every year.
HUMILITY DEPARTMENT:
So with Fred showing me who the boss is I now have 51 weeks to relish in
going from 2nd in the nation in "A" category to 2nd in the state of
Montana. I love this stuff!
LAST MINUTE ACCESSORY DEPARTMENT:
I was more prepared hardware wise for this contest than I've ever been. I
had 2 decent rigs (albeit not computer controlled) and lots of antennas. I
decided I needed to do something to make it all work better for me so I
stopped at RadShack on the way home from work Friday and bought a bunch of
parts to throw together a neanderthal 2-radio swithbox. It worked great. I
could essentially CQ on 2 bands by waiting for F1 to stop on one radio and
then throwing the switch (if no answer) and F1ing on the other radio. It
ain't pretty but it worked and added to the fun.
EPILOGUE:
After not hearing a VE4 all weekend I dialed up 3550 or so, called one CQ
and VE4GV came right back for the sweep. Thanks Rob. VY1A came back to me
while I CQ'd on 40m. The last Q I made on 40m on Sunday morning was at
1741Z! Who'd a thunk it? Busted a pileup for VE2AWR on 20m later on only,
of course, to work a couple more VE2's soon thereafter. VO1MP was strong on
20m and it was sure nice to tune across that pile and snag him. Can't
believe I never worked K7FR. It was nice to get K7MM qrp on 80 (?) for my
only EWA. Looks like lotsa "A" scores in the 1000-1050 range. It'll be
interesting to see how things turn out if ARRL scrutinizes the logs like
they did last year.
And as I said to myself when I got my first keyer back in the early '80's,
"Thanks for the memories."
Matt--K7BG
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