[OKDXA] QRP

[N5PA]

I ran QRP, also, "Quite Respectable Power", HiHi!  I did notice a good
number of people running 100 watts or less and they had good signals.  Most
of the people from Europe were running a KW and of course the Brits were
running 400 and the Italians 500.  Most of the Caribbean stations and South
America were running 100 watts or less.  I only worked one station running
005 watts and I would have thought he was running a KW.  He was running a
frequency and had a very strong signal.  I worked Ron St. Laurent, ND5S,
that used to live in OKC on several bands from St. Maarten as PJ7/ND5S.  He
was running 99 and seemed to have a good pileup going.  What little bit I
got to operate was fun.  Conditions were fairly good on Sunday afternoon but
I do not know about the rest of the contest.  There was strong aurora late
Sunday and it hurt the Scandinavians.  I received e-mails from a few that
worked me on 80 meters before the aurora blanked them out.  There were not
many stations on the low bands last night after the contest, though.  Jim
did a great job on QRP.  I guess I will start working QRP when I am in a
nursing home and that is all they will let me do, HiHi!  No, one of these
days I will try it and see how it works out.  With my antenna structure I
should be able to do ok.  I just got another e-mail from Rag, LA5HE, and he
was talking about his Titanex that he runs on 160 through 30 meters.  He
said he worked 3D2RR on 30 this morning and has 151 confirmed on 160 and 200
plus on 80.  I still have a long way to go on those bands and that is where
I want to concentrate.  You guys did great in the contest.  I have not heard
about anyone else from MS operating but I sure there were.  Rag said that MS
is a rare state in contests and much more so in CW tests.  He said the
lowering of the CW qualifications has really hurt the future of CW operators
in his country, also.  Again, you guys did a great job, I just wish I would
have had time to operate.  By the way Jerry, I still have to work every day
and I am pretty wiped out when I get home.  As one of the retired guys says
around here, "I need my contributors out there paying for my retirement."  I
guess that is what I am doing for you guys, too, HiHi!

73
Alan, N5PA