[PVRCNC] Re: [PVRC] FW: SS CW K4CZ SO Unlimited HP
Jim Jordan, K4QPL
k4qpl at nc.rr.com
Tue Nov 6 21:23:02 EST 2007
Hi Barry,
What a great report--and a great job. If the ranks of us "old fogies" (to
use the polite term) can be filled by newcomers like you and your family,
contesting has a bright future.
Actually, I'm not sure you didn't get it right anyway. Running at the start
is much more difficult and easing into it later when your low number still
makes you "fresh meat" gives you an advantage for running and makes everyone
more patient since there aren't that many stations unworked. As you gain
experience you can bring that forward and increase your totals. Then you'll
have the dubious pleasure of running at the end of the contest when your
rate again drops down to <30 and you'll be straining your ears to work every
S1 QRP guy in Michigan who calls you.
Keep up the good work and don't let Jeanne or Jordan bump you off your run
frequency! Better still, go FM ("family-multi") class for phone SS and give
KA1ARB some competition.
73,
Jim, K4QPL
----- Original Message -----
From: "Barry Baker, K4CZ" <K4CZusa at attglobal.net>
To: <pvrc at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 11:34 AM
Subject: [PVRC] FW: SS CW K4CZ SO Unlimited HP
ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW
Call: K4CZ
Operator(s): K4CZ
Station: K4CZ
Class: SO Unlimited HP
Exchange : # U 04 NC
Operating Time (hrs): 18
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160: 0
80: 189
40: 164
20: 164
15: 0
10: 0
------------
Total: 517 Sections = 79 Total Score = 81,686
Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
The Summary:
This was my third SS CW. I had 123 Qs in 2005 and 229 Qs in 2006. I set a
goal of 400 Qs for 2007. During the PVRC NC-East strategy session, three
rules were emphasized: 1) get plenty of rest before the contest and don't
work on last minute antenna or station projects, 2) keep your "butt in the
chair", and 3) it is better to run than to S&P. Within a few hours of the
start of the contest, I had flagrantly violated every rule. Nevertheless, I
exceeded my goal by finishing with 517 Qs. The station worked
flawlessly...no antenna problems, software snafus, or blown amps. The
family was supportive. It was a long but ultimately enjoyable weekend. I
was disappointed that the Colts lost.
The Gory Details and Lessons Learned:
I set a goal of 400 Qs for 2007 but prior to the contest started to feel
that I may have been too optimistic. I missed the first hour of the contest
due to a last minute attempt to erect a low dipole for 40m (a long story)
and the fulfillment of a promise to play basketball with my daughter. My
doubts about achieving my goal were confirmed at 22:02...I sent #1 and K5NZ
sent #79.
I settled into S&P mode but progress was slow. CW at 30-35 wpm with a long
exchange is incredibly challenging for an op whose comfort level is 20-25
wpm (on a good day). By 01:22 I only had 73 Qs in the log (average of
22/hr.). Those first three hours felt like ten...it was a tough slog and I
wasn't sure whether I could do another 15 hours at that pace. So what did I
do next? I took a break, of course, and watched TV with my family for a
couple of hours.
I returned to the shack and logged #74 at 03:06. I stayed in the shack for
another four hours, adding 114 Qs to the log (29/hr.). After over 7 hours
in the chair, I only had 187 Qs in the log. For me, there is no adrenaline
rush doing S&P...it's actually quite the opposite so I was ready to get some
sleep.
I "reluctantly" returned to the shack after 5 hours of very restful sleep
and put #188 into the log at 12:23. During the next 2.5 hours, I added
another 55 Qs (22/hr.) for a total of 242. I looked out the window at the
clear blue Carolina sky and great weather. The thought of another 6-7 hours
sitting in the shack eking out Qs (to achieve my goal and fulfill my
self-imposed commitment to PVRC) did not make me feel hungry for breakfast
or lunch but I "forced" myself to take an R&R break anyway at 14:52. During
this 30 minute break, I tried to summon the energy to continue (I'm only
slightly exaggerating here). I knew the only way I could improve my rate
was by switching from S&P to running. However, although I started running
for the first time in major CW contests early this year, I really didn't
believe I could run in SS given the fast speeds and long exchange.
I returned to the shack and put #243 in the log at 15:25. So far, I had my
"butt in the chair" for almost 10 of the past 18 hours and I still needed
157 more Qs to achieve my goal. I worked a few more stations and continued
moving up the band. I found a nice gap between stations and convinced
myself to at least try running. At 15:34, I started calling CQ at 22wpm.
In less than a minute, #247 was in the log. I had three short runs with a
total of 30 Qs and by 16:22 I had #281 in the log. I went back to S&P for
more than an hour but found a good run frequency at 18:16 and never looked
back. I had runs with 61, 18 and 45 Qs (average of 40+/hr.) and put #438 in
the log at 20:34. Mission accomplished, I took a 3 hour break to watch the
Colts and Patriots.
I returned to the shack at 00:20 (feeling good about SS but not so good
about the Colts) and put #439 in the log. During the next two hours, after
some S&P to find a good frequency, I called CQ at 22wpm (maybe 24wpm at
times) and had two runs with a total of 78 Qs (average of 50+/hr.). I
turned the rig off at 02:19 with 521 Qs in the log (517 excluding dupes)...I
didn't want to run up the score and put too much pressure on myself to
improve on it next year ;-)
Lessons learned:
1) Rules do NOT exist to be broken...I could have achieved my goal more
easily and quickly if I had followed the advice of my much more experienced
PVRC brethren.
2) Running is easier than S&P (at least in some ways)...most ops
voluntarily QRS for ops calling CQ in the 20-25wpm range and are patient
with fill requests (I know this for certain because I had to ask for lots of
fills...some ops are probably still shaking their heads in disbelief). Even
for a speed-challenged op like me, running provides an adrenaline rush (and
ego boost!) that is rarely provided by S&P (with the exception of busting a
large pile-up).
3) There are no extra points for pulling very weak callers out of the mud.
Unless your rate is very slow, ignore the very weak signals (an exception
can be made for rare mults, a good friend or a relative that you like). I
participate in QRP sprints and enjoy Dxing so this is a tough rule for me
since I take pride in working the weak ones. However, almost every time I
tried working a very weak one, I got into trouble...QRM, QRN, QSB, poorly
sent code, frequency thieves and/or my less than optimal operating skills
conspired against me. Surprisingly, one of the best weapons I had to fight
temptation was the attenuator knob on my rig...when rate was good and
signals loud, I simply turned the attenuator to 10db or 20db and ignored the
din...maybe not polite but better than increasing the errors in my log or
the other ops, losing my run frequency, or slowing my rate.
4) Sweeps are nice but good runs are better...in the last few hours of SS,
I usually scramble to find missing mults. This year, I was so excited about
my score and having so much fun running that I forgot about the sweep and
missed NWT...I regret that somewhat but not much.
5) Never trust DX spots (or history files)...I got spotted twice as K4YZ
rather than K4CZ. I sent my callsign at least twice during every QSO but
some ops didn't seem to be listening...they sent it back to me incorrectly
and probably have it wrong in their logs...maybe I should have been more
emphatic...hope I don't get penalized.
6) Encourage family members to get ham radio licenses and/or bring them to
a PVRC meeting...my wife (KI4ZWQ) and daughter (KI4GUO) were incredibly
supportive throughout the weekend. Both attended the PVRC-NC SS strategy
meeting and now have a much better appreciation of what contesting is all
about. They kept asking for updates regarding my QSO count and (with good
humor) teased me about my late start and kept reminding me about the
importance of "BIC" (butt in chair) time during every one of my seemingly
countless breaks.
My last runs at 50+/hr. were a great way to end the contest...hopefully I
was both fast (by my standards) and accurate. I'm looking forward to SS SSB
in two weeks and hope to make a comparable contribution to PVRC. My
daughter may also get on the air Sunday to give out some points and get some
pile-up experience so please listen for her call (KI4GUO) in the General
portion of the bands.
Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Thanks for the Qs.
73, Barry K4CZ
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