[PVRCNC] Re: [PVRC] SS CW W4KAZ SO Unlimited LP

[Jim Jordan, K4QPL]

Outstanding job, Keith. You were like the "Energizer Bunny". Everywhere I 
listened I heard you running. Low power IS  being qso-challenged in SS. We 
can't bust the pileups and we don't have "Ed McMahon" aka VY1IE calling at 
OUR door! I missed the same ones you did. As to VO1HP, even with my TH7 
aimed his way, and trying all the DX tricks of calling "split" with Tx 
frequency slightly up or down, he still didn't hear me. Power rules for 
those situations, but I'm gonna stay LP anyway.

Don't worry too much about SO2R. Activity was pretty good this year and 
after losing a good run frequency while trying to grab a qso on the other 
radio, I was much more careful and ended up not actually making many qso's 
that way. Again, life is hard if you're low power.

I found that after a break and giving up run frequency, an aggressive S&P up 
and down the bands got most of them quickly before finding a frequency and 
resuming the run worked just as well.

73,

Jim, K4QPL

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "W4KAZ" <kazeringue at aol.com>
To: <pvrc at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 12:32 AM
Subject: [PVRC] SS CW W4KAZ SO Unlimited LP


> Heh...Even when I "cheat", I miss the sweep.  No cheap genuine imitation 
> crystal memento for me.  But I see there are scores a lot larger than mine 
> with only 79 mults.  Such is life.
>
> I "cheated" this year by hooking up the shack computer to the LAN router, 
> and operated unlimited so I could use packet spots for the very first time 
> from the home QTH.  Down with the Dread NCCC chair-hoppers! Go PVRC!
>
> The great big silver lining is the best number of Q's to ever be nabbed at 
> the W4KAZ all-wires-no-towers-no-amps antenna farm.  The raw score is 
> almost double last years' CW contribution, and is my best ever Sweeps 
> score in either mode.  (Do NOT expect the SSB score to improve that much!)
>
> It is still mundane by big gun standards, but huge for the home front.
>
> The spots definitely helped me get to 78 sections, but NL could not hear 
> me in the pileups, and I never even got a wiff of NT.  For me, OK was a 
> hold out until late Sunday afternoon. But I found that it pays to use the 
> tuning knob.  There were a lot of Q's in the gaps.  Also, I had 6 land all 
> locked up two hours into the contest.  Dang the Dread NCCC.
>
> Conditions seemed very quiet Saturday evening on 80m.  I dropped from 20m 
> directly down to 80m at 2300z Saturday.  Figured 40m to go long early. 
> That idea seemed effective, as I was able to hold a run on 80m for several 
> hours.  Running on 20m with just a dipole is fruitless.  40m was saved for 
> Sunday daytime, with some 20m S&P thrown in.  No 15m found, but some of 
> that was due to operator error.
>
> My plan to try out SO2R was delayed by not finishing the required 
> switching and filter projects.  I expect SO2R to be worthwhile, because 
> the run rates with low power are - well, low. The extra radio will fill 
> the gaps. (Plus, I'd rather S&P anyway.  I know.  Heresy, right?)
>
> I needed and received lots of fills.  Thanks!  It got sloppy towards the 
> end.  Now its time to blow the dust off the My-Crow-Fonie for some 
> not-so-Continuous Wave.
>
>
>
> Call: W4KAZ
> Operator(s): W4KAZ
> Station: W4KAZ
>
> Class: SO Unlimited LP
> QTH: NC
> Operating Time (hrs):
>
> Summary:
>  Band  QSOs
> ------------
>   160:    0
>    80:  315
>    40:  166
>    20:  123
>    15:    4
>    10:    0
> ------------
> Total:  608  Sections = 78  Total Score = 94,848
>
> Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
>
> Comments:
>
> Lots of fun.  I'm sure my poor accuracy will destroy the score, but it is 
> a personal best for the number of QSO's in a contest.  The low wires are 
> not so good for DX, but they work fairly well for the domestic.
>
> I "cheated", and got the cat5 run into the shack to partake of spots, but 
> I was still 2 sections short(NT, NL).  (Insert colorful invective -here-). 
> One could not hear me, and I never found the other.  "OK" also proved 
> elusive.
>
> 73 de w4kaz
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