California QSO Party
Call: N8II
Operator(s): N8II
Station: N8II
Class: SOFixed HP
QTH: WV
Operating Time (hrs):
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs
--------------------
160: 0 0
80: 0 0
40: 20 2
20: 60 157
15: 54 119
10: 54 161
6:
2:
--------------------
Total: 188 439 Mults = 58 Total Score = 83,810
Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
Comments:
There was an unexpected major running event in Shepherdstown and we sat for 40
minutes waiting for the runners to cross a highway, arrgh! So, with the errands
to run (including going out of business furniture pruchase), I didn't get home
until around 19Z. I didn't fire up in CQP until around 2020Z. 10 was wide open
to CA, but activity up there was not overhwelming. I scoured up what I could
mostly S&P, then did the same on 15 (running was not at a good rate) arriving
on 20 after a dinner break around 2245Z. 20 still was suffering a bit from
absorption and my noise level was high aided by precip static on the yagi. We
set record low high temperatures both Saturday and Sunday with rain most of the
the time.
So, around dark, it was back to 15 for a try and conditions were absolutely
perfect to CA with booming signals lasting until around 0045Z, but activity
could have been better. By the time running and S&P had worked out 20, I was
ready for bed,a busy day!
I started Sunday needing 4 counties and by 1830Z still needed 3, it was looking
like a bad luck mult Sunday. Then at 1845Z, KC6SCH called in on 10 SSB from
Yolo, I found KE6RGB on 20 CW in Mereced at 1929Z (sending me #130), then with
only 90 minutes left WA6OHP called on 15 sending only #67 for Sutter and the
sweep! Amazingly, I made an insurance contact with each in the last 90 minues
even with 40 minutes off to walk the now water logged dog, logging Sutter again
at 2157Z. Conditions, although far from bad, were down a bit on Sunday with very
few 20M CW sigs mid afternoon. 20, 15 and 10 were slower to open than expected,
but 10 and 15 opened nearly the same time both favoring southern Cal.
10 really didn't open fully to northern Cal until 20Z. My best run of the day
was the last 15 minutes on 10 SSB. The casual ops started coming out of the
noise and showing up in numbers the last 2-1/2 hours.
Having 20-10M open at the same time seems to dilute the activity to the point
that running is slow and more CA stations tend to stay in run mode as they can
switch bands and modes to keep it going. As alaways the guys with poor audio
and weak signals were really a challenge to copy. There must be a lot of really
poor antennas on the left coast as W6JTI/QRP was easy to work every time I heard
him and was S9 on 10M beating out 2 other ops. N6YEU/P with a small yagi 12 feet
off the ground was also consistently loud from Lassen. About a hundred of my Q's
were a real struggle to copy, some due to marginal condx, but others weak when
the loud guys were S9+20-30 db.
Thanks for the Q's; I got some running practice in for SS. There were some huge
numbers from out of state and from CA (records falling for sure), congrats. Prop
from here near DC to CA is not as good as FL or TX, needless to say.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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