ARRL January VHF Contest - 2021
Call: N6NB/R
Operator(s): N6NB
Station: N6NB
Class: Rover LP
QTH: SJV
Operating Time (hrs):
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
6:
2:
222:
432:
903:
1.2:
2.3:
3.4:
5.7:
10G:
24G:
-------------------
Total: 407 144 Total Score = 296,640
Club: Southern California Contest Club
Comments:
I had almost the same score this year as in last January's VHF contest, but it
was a very different kind of contest. Last January we were still free to shop
and dine indoors and travel almost anywhere. Then the pandemic hit. This year
my rove was contrary to California's voluntary travel restrictions (i.e., we're
supposed to avoid traveling more than 120 miles from home now). I ignored that,
but my doc said no one in my high-risk demographic should stay in a motel or
even visit a public restroom right now. I followed those instructions, driving
an extra 120 miles to stay at my own vacant house in Shell Beach instead of a
motel along I-5.
We all missed Erik Scott, NI6G, who had a fatal heart attack at age 53 a month
after last January's contest (in which he was fourth nationally as a rover). We
also missed having Pat (W6YEP) on Bear Mountain signing W6TV this time. Last
year he worked our four rovers on 10 or 11 bands in six grid squares on his way
to #1 in single op low power nationally. This year he was reluctant to be
inside a building shared by other users of the site. We also missed Arnie
(N6HC) being at my hill house. He, too, was hesitant to be a guest operator in
a house where someone else was living during a pandemic. On the other hand,
Carrie (W6TAI) had her sister Marie (W1TAI) visiting from Boston. Marie flew
out in early December, quarantined for two weeks, shared the holidays with us
and then roved with Carrie in the four L.A. grids, making up for some of the Qs
we missed with Erik, Pat and Arnie. Being on the central coast overnight made
it feasible to outfit Donna (WB6IDK) with a 10-band station in her new Prius
(She lives in CM95). John (K6MI) came down from Fresno to join Donna and me for
CM94 and CM95. John used his own complete 11-band station for the first
time--and it performed flawlessly. In Kettleman City (CM95, CM96, DM05 and
DM06), Allen (WA6IPZ) again met us for a very fast four-grid run. Thanks to
everyone for sharing in this venture.
Another big difference this year was having three transceivers for 122 GHz,
something beyond my wildest dreams a year ago. Carrie and Marie used one unit
under the family rule and John took a second one. I had the third one. We had
about 22 more multipliers this time (12 extra ones from CM94 plus the mults from
122 GHz). Thanks to VK3CV and VK2XAX for putting so many hams worldwide on the
2.5 millimeter band. By the way, I didn't include a band-by-band breakdown
because there's no place to enter Qs and mults on any band higher than 24 GHz.
I've been in touch with Bruce Horn about adding the higher bands to this
reporting form and he says it will be done in time for the June VHF Contest.
When the contest ended at 8 p.m. local time Sunday night, I was in DM07 again
and I faced the same dilemma as in several past years. Should I drive the 275
miles home overnight or should I stay somewhere else? I drove home--again
wondering how much longer I can do this kind of thing with or without a
pandemic.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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