ARRL 10-Meter Contest
Call: W0YK
Operator(s): W0YK
Station: W0YK
Class: SO CW HP
QTH: CA
Operating Time (hrs): 18
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
CW: 972 74
SSB: 0 0
-------------------
Total: 972 74 Total Score = 287,416
Club: Northern California Contest Club
Comments:
This is one of my favorite contests, so I set aside the weekend even though
we're at a cycle low. Unfortunately, due to stalled traffic, I was late
getting home Friday night and started in around 04Z, missing the terrific
Friday night opening. I still got about 90 minutes of amazing conditions all
over the country except for the northeast before the band finally dropped down.
The Saturday and Sunday mid-day openings were wonderful as well, almost
reminiscent of the cycle high. And, the band was incredibly quiet all weekend
here. Most of the time I was able to run with the higher gain pre-amp and
still there was minimal noise.
I was still missing AK, DC, ME and ND on my US mult list on Sunday morning.
Around noon as I was running, a LU moved in on top of me. After trying to
assert myself with CQs, I was about to move when WB0CW called in for the ND.
So, I had second thoughts and decided maybe the LU was good luck! A few QSOs
later ME called in, so I abandoned all thought of QSYing and eventually the LU
moved and two AKs called in. The Alaska stations were as strong as most of the
stations I had worked all weekend. One of them, NL7Z, commented in his 3830
report that conditions were terrible from up there with only 38 QSOs, so we
must have worked at one of those wonderful short 10-meter openings.
It was interesting as always to watch the skip move around the country and be
so focused at times. I hadn't worked a single TX station on Sunday morning
when all of a sudden the next 50 QSOs were 80% TX. OR was the last mult I
worked Saturday and it watery weak. Then, on Sunday the OR stations came in
several bursts all day long with strong signals. Still, there were areas I
never did get propagation to. I missed half of the VE mults: VE4 plus all the
northern provinces and all the Northeastern provinces except NS which called in
Sunday afternoon with a very loud signal. Reading the Packet history after the
contest was also frustrating because DC was spotted frequently with at least
three different stations and it was the only US mult I missed. I didn't see
any of the VEs I missed, but there were many DX stations that I should have
picked up and didn't. I called V31JP all weekend to no avail. He finally
pulled my call sign through once but I was not able to get his exchange. I
don't know how I missed PJ2T, KP4, YV, HI3, HP1, etc. On the other hand both
the Falklands and South Shetlands called in.
My 46 dupes were from a handful of stations that must not have been keeping
logs and a few may have onset Alzheimer's because they worked me every ten
minutes. I also noted several times when two stations would send me their
exchange after I picked one of them up after my CQ. The call signs were
entirely dissimilar but they both sent my call sign so I'm in more logs than my
QSO total. Wish I could have figured out a way to work them all in parallel.
That would help boost the rate.
No JAs until Sunday afternoon when the first one called in, very weak. I
worked six in 30 minutes, then no more until just at the end when two very loud
ones called in succession. More evidence of quick, strong openings that you
miss if not there CQing when they occur. The band scope is very helpful in
this contest to monitor the openings coming and going. Often, a very active
band opening would decrease to nothing in just a few minutes. Many times when
the band was seemingly dead with no US signals other than immediate locals, the
ZLs and VKs were still coming in pretty good. The upside of the band closings,
though, was plenty of opportunity for comfort breaks.
Thanks to all for the QSOs ... I really enjoyed the weekend.
Happy Holidays,
Ed - W0YK
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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