[NLRS] June Contest report from EN37

[Bill K0AWU]

K0AWU SOHP  EN37ed 
----------------------------------------- 
Band    QSO's    Mults    Pts/Q   QSO Pts 
-----       ------   -------   -----   ------- 
  50      110        59        1     110 
 144       85        41        1      85 
 222       28        13        2      56 
 432       34        14        2      68 
1296        9          6        3      27 
10Gig       1         1         4       4 
-----       ------     -------   -----   ------- 
Total    267       134        x     350   =  46,900 


  What an INTERESTING contest! It started so odd.. almost a  non-
contest feel to it and conditions were as flat as they  have been all 
spring, will we ever get any decent tropo?  Activity seemed to be flat 
as the conditions and the the rain/  T Storms didn't help ... 

    On Saturday, 6 meters tried to provide a few "E" contacts,  but very 
few. Only about ten "E Qs, mostly around Texas. K0HGP  and N0VZJ 
were reporting the band being wide open! Oh well,  XE2OR looked 
neat in the log. Brock W6GMT pounded 6m HARD and  worked only a 
few more Saturday than I did, but the "Es" were  just not HERE at all. 

   Tracking my progress, until Sunday afternoon, it looked  like it was 
going to be a very AVERAGE contest and maybe even  fall short, this 
was going to be a bummer ... General numbers  were not that bad, 
slow and steady was the nature of this  contest and that is not what I 
have considered "normal". Then  BOOM! AU on 6m exploded and the 
log changed very quickly.  

   At first, I was going to just stay with 6m, 2m AU was not  all that 
strong and mostly stations that I had already worked.  I tried to call 
Jim KB0CIM on the phone to get him on, after a  halfdozen rings, I 
gave up. Started working a steady stream on  50.152.6Mhz with quick 
checks of 2 and 222AU every chance I  got. I kept expecting the AU to 
go away, but it didn't. I was  really bummed because I wanted to be 
trying to work the rovers  and when I left the AU to look for them, they 
were hard to  find. Man I wanted a new grid on 1296. 

  In the end, the AU accounted for 68-6 meter contacts and  
22- 2 meter contacts. 33% of my contest contest was AU  related!  36 
contacts were via Rovers for 13% of my contacts,  THANK YOU to all 
the rovers. 


  My contest low point was not being able to complete with  K0MHC/R 
in EN16 on 222 and 6m in the final 20min. I had calls  and grid from 
Jim on both bands, but no "rogers" could be  exchanged :>( Thanks 
Jim for the effort. You were loud on  2meters! 

  The contest high point of course had to be the AU, but HUGE  
signals on 1296 from W0ZQ/R EN25, KI0LE EN36 and K0JC. Sure a  
shame that 1296 isn't used more often, some nice signals out  there. 
Bryce KI0LE has a new antenna up and a preamp at the  antenna 70ft 
up with 7/8 hardline. He will be a easy Q for  many of you!  
   
  This contest ended up being my best contest ever and I set  new 
personal highs for number of 2meter grids and contacts.  Thank You 
to all of you that looked north.  

  Hope the see you on the bands ... Bill  K0AWU  EN37ed