W9RM EN52
Single-op high power
113 Q x 55 M
Gear:
DEMI transverter feeding Yaesu FT1000D
600W Beko SSPA
M² 2M5WL at 80'
Finally, a Sprint with decent conditions.
I came into the shack about 3 hours before start time to warm up the
transverter and WA1ZMS/b was 30 db out of the noise. "Great", I thought,
"by the time this starts, all will be dead again". Amazingly the band was
STILL hot to the SE when I sat down 30 minutes before the central time
start. I spent the 15 minutes before 7pm listening to a S9 K1RZ CQ'ing and
working guys and hoping that he would still be there when the clock hit
go-time. With about 3 minutes to go, I couldn't stand it anymore and told
him I would call as soon as the clock hit 0000z and I was sweating bullets
that the band would suddenly close. It was tough listening and hoping all
those signals would still be there when OUR contest started.
Long story, short, they were. There was decent enhancement from about 70
degrees, all the way around to due south the entire 4 hours. 55 grids is
far and away the largest multiplier total I've had in a Sprint above 6M.
Unfortunately, local activity was fair to poor and the QSO total isn't what
it should have been given the enhancement, but the empty band made working
the DX much easier.
Thanks to some of the eastern time guys who stuck around after their test
was done and continued working to the west. Being less then 100 miles from
the time zone line brings some special circumstances. And, a BIG thanks
for all the guys operating CW - you made a bunch of potentially tough QSO's
easy.
Jay W9RM
Keith Morehouse
via Nexus7
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