CQWW WPX Contest, CW - 2019
Call: NB4N
Operator(s): N9NB
Station: N9NB
Class: SOAB LP
QTH: VA
Operating Time (hrs): 35:58
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160: 1
80: 72
40: 542
20: 905
15: 168
10: 42
------------
Total: 1730 Prefixes = 744 Total Score = 3,246,072
Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
Comments:
The high of Dayton seemed to carry into this contest for me! I had the station
set up early ( got to the station a few days before the contest on the way back
from Dayton), and I was finally going to get the tape recorder and logging
features all set a head of time. All the antennas were in good order, and I was
eager to use the new NB4N call that I received just a few weeks ago (it is sort
of a match with N9NB; and should be good in phone, but I found in this first use
of the new call sign in this contest that there were an unusual number of
call-ins for dupes, and I suspect that many people mis-copied the call as N6VN -
it will be interesting to see if there were any busted Qs or spots with the
wrong call.
-- I wish N1MM could let me put a a partial space in between the B and the 4 in
the logging program when it sends the call -- perhaps a half of a dit or third
of a dit would have helped to bunch the NB before a tiny space before the 4 and
then another tiny space before the final N). Maybe the programmers could add
this to N1MM+, or perhaps it already exists as a feature (the N1MM+ program is
so good, I bet its already in there)?
I was not really doing well at all during the first 10 hours, and felt extremely
weak on the bands. I could not hold any frequency for CQing, and has to S and P
the entire time, and was losing energy, even with the new shiny rare prefix. My
score at the wee hours of Saturday morning was noticeably lower than in past WPX
contests. I went to sleep wondering if this was going to be a grind, and if I
could even be competitive. Then, something happened Saturday afternoon, as if
the bands opened, and all of a sudden conditions became exceptionally good, and
I was able to call CQ. Also, I found the on line scoreboard and saw how I
stacked up, and saw that young ham of the year, Bryant, was gaining on me! This
was a huge motivator, and I really focused in to try and keep the lead all the
rest of the way.
I gained more confidence and familiarity with the NB4N call sign during the
contest, and by the end, people seemed to know it and I began to recognize it as
if it had been mine for years. I like the NB aspect to it.
40 was a huge band, but 20 m, which I usually struggle on, was the worker band
in this one. I didn't get much chance to use my 80/160 m verticals.
Once the bands opened on Saturday afternoon, things seemed to work well, and it
felt as if I was always in the right place at the right time. This was an
unusual feeling, and I didn't suffer the grueling low rate syndrome of past
contests. It was sort of amazing that the QSO rates were steady throughout the
event. What a great contest! There is always someone to work! I love it! Kudos
to the inventors of WPX!! Genius! And the 6 hours of off time every night is
GREAT! I am less delirious so this soapbox wont be as long :)
Things went well, and I even remembered to record the event, but got started
late - missed the first 13 minutes of the contest -while trying to learn how to
use the recorder and trying to donwload the super check partial file(small
details, I had forgotten how to do these!). Was great working several deep asia
countries, as that is always a rough path from Virginia. With 4 seconds left in
the contest, I called GM7V and he came back during regulation, so I was able to
leisurely finish the last qso of the event on 40 m.
Great time in this one. Thanks for all the Qs and my apologies to those who
miscopied NB4N as N6VN. I worked very hard to manually send it alot with spacing
to ensure the robot blast had some accompanying personal touches to make it
easier to copy, and I spent a LOT of time providing corrections when I heard
someone miscopy it (Easy to do at 32 WPM!).
Thanks to CQ and the organizers, and to everyone for the fun! I'll be looking
to work you in the next one!
73 ted n9nb (nb4n in this one)
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