[NLRS] N9DG Sept highlights

[Duane - N9DG]

Another September contest in the log. I wonder when I'll get to write about the super conditions on 2M and up, well, it won't be this time. Too bad we didn't have the tropo during the contest that was in the region a week and half ago.

Right from the start the conditions were flat at best, wasn't hearing much to my SE so I swung around to my NW and worked most of the gang up in EN44, and another in EN35. None of them were what I'd consider “normal” signal strength though. When I did get back around to my SE a half hour or so into the contest I was finding some activity and Q's. But they too were not as strong as they should have been.

Since conditions were generally poor I just didn't work as far out in any of my directions as I normally do. There were a few long-haul teasers, but almost no Qs. Though I did better into IA this time around, at least on 2M, thanks largely to the K0DAS/R effort. I also caught some of the roving activity in southern MN by virtue of seeing / finding them on the 2M display as I was calling CQ and watching / tuning with the sub RX between CQ calls as I was making my rotor sweeps.

Overall I was also able to do a pretty good job of making full 360 degree antenna sweeps close to once an hour like I planned to. I'd call CQ 5-15 kHz away from .200, mostly above, as much as I could while going around the compass. And if I saw or heard nothing I'd drop to .200, though probably called more away from there.

The Numbers:

TX key counts:
50 ~485 (sure can tell there was no E openings this time)
144 ~1530 (which was about 150 more than I did in June)

50 – 50x23
144 – 79x30
222 - 29x17
432 - 39x19

Score should be around 23.5K (SOLP) as long as I don't get dinged on any Qs..

Duane
N9DG
EN53bj