[Elecraft] SS CW from N0SS

[Tom Hammond]

Well, I didn't do was well as I'd hoped, but it's not the fault of 
the radio (K3).
The operator's getting a bit long in the tooth and was feeling the 
effects of our
local radio club's Halloween Special Event operation from Frankenstein (MO) as
W0O.  Even though I didn't stay the night (Friday night), I didn't 
get much sleep
before the SS and I crapped out an hour before the end of the contest.

I was hoping to break the 100k point barrier this year, but just 
didn't have the
stamina to get there.

I missed three sections: ND, MD, and NWT... to my chagrin. Was really hoping
for a Clean Sweep... one of the ARRL SS Brooms would have certainly looked nice
on the wall of my shack (IF you could find it).

Congratulations to KR2Q and several others who beat me quite handily 
in class Q.

Station: N0SS
Class: Single Op QRP
QTH: MO
Operating Time (hrs): 21

Summary:
  Band  QSOs
------------
   160:
    80:  161
    40:  227
    20:  146
    15:   12
    10:
------------
Total:  546  Sections = 77  Total Score = 84,084

Man... I hears a BUNCH of K3s in this year's SS... a number of folks took the
time to say, "Great Signal... RIG???"  When I replied "K3", I very frequently
got the same response in reply...

I had no severe problems with my K3... the only one problem I did have was
self-inflicted in that I failed to set a CONFIG parameter to allow the K3 to
NOT disable RIT every time I change bands... there IS a CONFIG parm to allow
RIT to remain enables across band changes and I'd managed to forget that fact.

Well... I did have one other problem... the K3's filtering...

The filtering was so darn good that I tended to forget that I can't slide my
QRP signal up against a big QRO station (calling CQ) and then expect anyone
else to hear me when _I_ start to CQ as well... I seldom heard the other guy,
regardless of how strong he was, but his big signal overshadowed mine on the
far end almost every time I tried CQing.

Sometimes having great filtering might not be the best thing to have... heheh!

95% of my contacts were from operating S&P as opposed to CQing... I 
just started
at the bottom of a band and worked (almost) every station I called as I tuned
up the band. Then, I'd either go back down for another pass, or I'd 
just to 
another band and repeat the process.  I'd guess that 80% of 
my calls were
answered on the first call, even when I wasn't the only station calling.

I must thank (LOUDLY) all those who worked me and especially those who took
the time and effort to work me when I wasn't the strongest signal on the band,
and I'm certain there were many of those times.

Congratulations to Elecraft... from where I'm sitting, my K3 KICKS BUTT!

73,

Tom  N0SS