[PaQSO] Doing it Digital

[W3BC]

Now for something completely different...


This year, looking for a new challenge, it seemed like a good idea to
continue my "hard way" tradition. So it was 100% digital for W3BC, only
operating RTTY and PSK, just to see if it could be done.


It was slow going. Only 66 Qs and 39 mults. A grand total of 8-count
'em-8 PA counties worked in 22 hours of operation. Several stations said
mine was their first or only PA digital contact in the contest.


An average of 3 QSOs/hour would have convinced a sane person to grab a
microphone on Sunday and make up for lost time, but nobody ever accused
me of being sane. Tuning the bands with the R-71 while the main rig was
CQ-ing fruitlessly, it was indeed tempting to give up on the lost cause,
plug in the microphone, and join the mainstream.


Or at least plug in the key and do some good old CW. (But there didn't
appear to be a lot of PA QSO CW going on either)


On a side note, apologies to anyone who tried to work me unsuccessfully.
On 80 meters, the power line noise was S9+20dB at this QTH, and it's
highly likely that many QSOs were missed as a result.


Next year you may find me doing it digital again. Anyone care to join?


73!
Joe W3BC