[PaQSO] WN3VAW PaQP 2002

[Ron Notarius WN3VAW]

First, my score:

391 QSO's
100 Multipliers
    64 of 67 Counties... missed a sweep again, darn it
    35 Sections + DX
1000 Bonus Points
Net score:  44,400

Personal comments:
Enjoyed myself as always, but I have to admit to feeling a little
disappointed.  I thought I was going to finally get a sweep this year -- I
broke 40 counties a little over an hour after the contest started, and ended
last night with 63 worked.  However, I knew I was going to lose time today
for family obligations, and I ended up losing much more than expected, and
that cost me those last 3 counties (heard all of them on 40 too, but they
weren't holding frequencies and I never could quite catch up with them
before I had to leave... but my nephew had a nice 10th birthday party...).
Thanks to all who were kind enough to stop and let me get a new mult, or
tell me where they'd just found one.  Wish most contests were this polite!

Tried 160 on Saturday night, but my wire just won't load.  Heard a lot of
guys on too.  Oh well, maybe next year!  Couldn't believe how busy 80 CW was
in the last half hour or so Saturday night... worked a bunch right up to the
end, despite having trouble concentrating due to needing sleep!  Incidently,
some of the out of state guys don't seem to realize we have that 8 hour
break -- I had folks calling me for 5-10 minutes after 1 AM, and I'm not
exactly rare!

But where was all the 40 CW activity on Sunday afternoon?

Good running into a lot of old friends (even though The Grump parked 500 Hz
above me on 20 on Sunday and clobbered me and my pileup, but he probably
couldn't hear me, so I forgive him).  This may be the first year when I did
NOT have someone wonder on-air about my license class -- that's only taken,
oh, about 25 years to happen.  Great hearing W3HDH on from IL (we miss you
Doug!) and K3UFG up in CT (what, no W1AW guest op'ing this year?) to name
just a small few.

Great to hear a lot of the WASH club on -- it was very obvious the N3SH,
WA3SH,
and N3ZNI/mobile gangs all had a great time.  (Poor K3ARL/R had his hands
full managing the frenzied  Potter County pileup on 7260, while Ed and
co-pilot Dave KB3GOT were down on 7206 handing them out without nearly the
crowd!)  Sounded like N3IDH & crew at WACOM's WA3COM,
and W3RJM & crew at Steel City ARC's W3KWH did too.  (Why don't more clubs
get their club stations on the air for this contest?  Rhetorical
question...) And it was great hearing & working Jack N3FZ,
who despite his late start probably beat my score.  (It's been a LONG time
since Jack & I were in the Pa QSO Party together... I think the last time
was when we were both operating K3CR, and the contest was still in
September, and neither of us wants to think that far back!)  Anyway...

Congratulations all!

73, ron wn3vaw

"And they give you cash,
which is just as good as money!"
Yogi Berra, AFLAC Commercial, 2002