My thoughts from the ARRL SSB:
I operated 15M from W3LPL, with K3NA, and it felt like 20 meters in the low
sunpsot years - the band was open almost 24 hours, the EU opening started at
about 0900, there were EU stations from 0900 to 0100, and the JA openings were
not so hot. We ended up with a little over 2100 Qs and 147 multipliers on 15,
well over our previous totals in Qs, but below the 153 mults we had before.
Looks like K1DG beat us on 15, 2200 Qs and I didn't hear the multipliers. On 15
LPL has 5 over 5 at 100' and 50', and 6 el at 180' all rotatable. We used CT on
all stations, including some "utility" positions that we moved around to
multiplier stations! Version 7.18 has a bug with the schedule function that
crashed a lot of the computers until we figured it out.
We started a trend, that I believe N2NT and N5AU copied. Multi-multis (good
ones, anyway) always pass multipliers between bands, but we started passing
*contacts* - when you enter a call and hit F9 you can see if you have worked a
station on the other bands. Using the ALT G gab function all bands running
stations would post their run frequencies, and we would ask stations to work us
on 21.217 or 28.477, etc. We did this mainly on Sunday when rates were lower,
and easily 1/3 to 1/4 of the stations did move, many of them to all three
high bands (the wonders of transistorized radios and tribanders). After we were
doing this for a while we heard AU and NT start to do the same thing. Might
slow your individual band rate down a bit, but for a multi-multi the overall
effect is a higher score.
Weirdest call: XE21.
Loudest DX: I3MAU (of course), GW3YDX, and GW4BLE.
Nicest surprise - V51JM working us on four bands.
Lotta fun, but glad there aren't any more "real" contests for US for many
months.
73 JOhn WB2EKK
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