[OKDXA] NAQP - CW

[Jeff Martin]

Nice totals Mark!
73,
Jeff - K5WE


------ Original Message ------
>From "Mark Beckwith" <dad at megansfamily.net>
To "Oklahoma DX Association" <okdxa at mailman.qth.net>
Date 8/7/2022 8:05:23 AM
Subject Re: [OKDXA] NAQP - CW

>/> Anyone work the NAQP-CW test yesterday? ... How did you do? /
>
>That contest can definitely keep you off the street and out of trouble.
>
>Thanks to pressure from the DFW club, I got on full-bore for the first time in ... I can't remember.  I had an absolute BLAST.  They wanted to make a "team" (which is popular in NAQP) and asked if I could help.  I was one of the "DFW Pentodes."
>
>[nostalgia /ON]
>
>I cut my teeth in the ARRL CD Parties back when they were 30 hours long and you operated your choice of 20 hours, with minimum breaks of 15 minutes.  Then ARRL cut them back to the current 12 hour format where you operate 10 hours, with breaks a minimum of 30 minutes.  Then they passed them off to the NCJ, who developed them into the fine thing they are today.  3 out of the 4 annual CD Parties used to be "closed" to ARRL Appointees only, with the one in July "open" to everyone.  NCJ made all of them open to everyone. Then ARRL bought out the NCJ (if such a thing is possible with something that is all volunteer and has no assets).
>
>[nostalgia /OFF]
>
>I know that comment was out of place since some of you guys have been a ham since before I was born.
>
>Anyway, I never got the hang of real good two-radio operating back in those days [oops, nostalgia /ON again] where you CQ'd on one band, and used another radio on another band to go up and down and pick off other guys calling CQ and hopefully some were great multipliers you needed since you can work them ALL on EVERY band (nostalgia /OFF] then some wise guys decided they should try CQing on two bands at the same time as long as they could interleave the resulting QSOs to where ... well you know.
>
>When my station was vandalized (2009) and guys were starting to CQ on two radios interleaved, I got off the bus and went back to curmudgeon "boy and his radio" mode.
>
>That said, ever since two radios has been a thing, guys have been holding a rate of over 100/hour for the 10 hours.  So I dusted off a second radio, and pushed my meger antennas to the limit (verticals and a tribander at 45'), and made my goal to break 1000 QSOs for the first time.
>
>Mission accomplished.
>
>It was a total RUSH.
>
>1037 QSOs in 237 multipliers.
>
>I bet I can do better once I have more stuff again.  Don't tell my wife.
>
>73 Mark N5OT
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