ARRL 160-Meter Contest
Call: W0AH
Operator(s): W0AH
Station: W0AH
Class: M/S HP
QTH: SC
Operating Time (hrs): 13
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 418 Sections = 65 Countries = 10 Total Score = 64,950
Club: Carolina DX Assn
Comments:
My contest was 98% SOLP. Story and poem below.
I was still dragging from the WW, going into this one, but I wanted to test the
third reincarnation of my inverted L at my new SC QTH. I told myself I would
operate both nights only if my Q-rate was competitive knowing that was highly
unlikely with no receive antennas and an inverted L with just 37' vertical
(tower section) plus 100' of wire going up to 52' at my VHF tower. At least, I
now had 18 radials. By 2 PM local Saturday morning with only 332 contacts and
knew a top-10 finish (always one of my goals) was impossible. I went to bed.
I got up gefore sunrise and worked a few 6's and heard a pileup calling a
station in my noise, maybe a JA? Ten minutes later at my sunrise I could hear
KL7RA, but he didn't respond to my low power. Alaska would be my 50th state so
I turned on my 500 watt AL-811 amp and was able to work him. Now I was SOHP! No
motivation to continue. Back to bed. That afternoon I tried to take a nap, but
CW and poetry was dancing in my head (see poem below).
I started calling CQ at sundown and had a fairly good run until someone swiped
my frequency, the final "straw." I went and read a book and watched TV for a
few hours. When I returned I was too bonked to tune the band. I turned on the
spotting and was able to find and work GI0KOW and F6CWN (great ears!) with low
power as well as YV5MBX, ZF2AH, VO1HP, and a few west coasters. I was now HP
M/S having worked 8 stations low power with the help of spotting.
I had been feeling a sense of relief that my HF contesting season was over.
I'm a part time contester who loves operating the WWs, the SSs, and the 160
test, but hurts big time from the lack of sleep. The rest of the year I operate
mainly weak signal VHF (including 3 rather "tame" VHF contests) and
participating in my other hobbies of hiking, running, birding, and writing
poetry- all of which are incompatible with the sleepless nights of HF
contesting or DXing. All my HF antennas are presently FD style. They all come
down this week. My goal is better antennas for HF next fall. Here's the
verse-
Contesting, contesting, it's all over now.
Doug's in recovery, his antennas down.
His bingeing is over, his hangover's done.
The S & P stopped, no running reruns.
Worldwide and Sweepstakes, my favorite- top band-
It's all so addictive.
A grind, but so grand.
But Doug's on the wagon, no more HF band.
Back to the highs and the ultras I go-
Six meters, two meters, nothing below,
Four-thirty-two, and twelve-ninety-six,
No more all-nighter adrenalin fix.
Good-bye HF. I'm glad that its over,
And no more bingeing until next Octoober!
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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