[PVRCNC] SS CW K4QPL SO QRP

[Jim Jordan, K4QPL]

                  ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW

Call: K4QPL
Operator(s): K4QPL
Station: K4QPL

Class: Single Op QRP
QTH: NC
Operating Time (hrs): 21
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:  142
   40:  202
   20:  140
   15:   79
   10:    7
------------
Total:  570  Sections = 81  Total Score = 92,340

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

Equipment and antennas worked well as predicted. Two watt meters made it 
easy to
monitor power on both radios. (Thanks for loan of one, Bill K4CIA).
However, score and qso's were flat from last year which made it 
disappointing.
Noise on 80M both nights was a killer for QRP. 80 is usually a good band for 
me
but ended up down 50 Q's from 2011. 40 was better with a new antenna but was
hoping those extra Q's would be additional, not as compensation.
With the exception of a good run 1200-1330 Sunday morning on 40, it was 
mostly
SO2R S&P. Other run rates were horrible and the "auto-CQ" was uninterrupted 
for
minutes at a time while S&P'ing on the other radio. Despite having a decent 
QRP
signal (from unsolicited reports) there was virtually no bump from spots 
during
attempted runs. Just as many A,B, and Q callers as U. I wonder if this 
relates
to less sensitive antennas and radios on the scanners and RBN not picking up
and decoding QRP as well (as opposed to manual spotting from actual contacts 
in
the past) and we QRP guys just weren't showing up for the "Click and Pounce"
gang?
With no other way to make rate but aggressive SO2R S&P, it was tiring and I
ended up taking more breaks and quitting early. Could have probably made a 
few
more Q's but just didn't seem worth it. Maybe I'll feel differently next 
year!
As always, big thanks go to all those contesters who take the extra time and
effort to pull QRP signals out of the mud.

73,

Jim, K4QPL