[GCARC] WB2PJH CQ WPX SSB

[David Mitchell]

 CQ WPX SSB SOAB HP TB-Wires
Operator: WB2PJH
Operating time 18 hours  QTH: NNJ

Band    QSOS    WPX
3.5         4            1
7            63          38
14        173          112
21         232         153
28         110          80

Totals    582         384    Claimed Score 576,384

Station: K4. KPA 500. KAT500. Hexxbeam, Dipoles
Comments:
This was my highest score in any contest I've ever been in, and people who
know me know how much I love SSB <g>. I worked at least four ATNOs,-on any
mode or band- including, E2A, FK8GM (really happy about that one) J44CI,
Oman and Israel (first time on SSB, most on the first and second calls, and
I have a very modest station. I would have added Indonesia, Bangladesh and
Thailand except that some K6 decided to call CQ 1 kHz away from 7D1C, which
ended that and the QRM was too much for S21RC and BY8DX.  The Propagation
Gods were certainly smiling on us this weekend!.

If I can make anything greater than 25% of AB2E's score, I'm rocking it,
and I finished with 15 seconds to spare with 582 Qs, 384 WPX, for 576,384
points in 18 hours, peanuts for most FRC operators, but my personal best
ever score in any contest in 59 years of contesting.

What made things even more "interesting" was the early failure of my Inrad
W1's which have been trouble from Day One, with unsolvable RFI issues with
my K4.  I tried two different adapters, added every snap-on ferrite in my
junk box, tried both the front and rear connections, double and triple
checked the settings on my K4 but no joy.  I had put them on the shelf as
I'm mostly a CW operator but when I fired up the station, the left ear
constantly and intermittently kept cutting out. I tried the FRC SLACK chat
channel but was rebuffed ("intermittent" or "cutting out" was apparently
unclear to the only person who responded).

I dug out my 20 year old Audio Technica BPHS-1 headset with two completely
shot ear cups, but fortuitously had made an XLR to 8 pin adapter for the
day before, and suffered with very uncomfortable ears, sandwiched between
the hard plastic housing of the headset on one side of my ear and my hard
plastic hearing aids on the other.  My back also gets unhappy after 3 hours
of BIC time, so between my back and my ears, I was a hurting dude, but
conditions were incredible and the combination of Ibuprofen and adrenaline
kept me going, although I did take frequent breaks- I'm not a masochist.

I smile when I see all the 7 meg scores- I finally busted a half meg but
went to bed tired but very happy.

73,

Dave WB2PJH

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