[PVRCNC] VP2ME ARRL CW M/2

[Roberts, Will]

Just getting back home from "Volcano Island" and decompressing...
Looks like we have a photo finish with TI5W for the lead in the M/2 class as we are 5 QSOs ahead and they have 1 more mult. That's amazingly close after 48 hours and 9100 QSOs! Good job from PVRC's own N3KS,NI1N,KL9A, and sick/absent team member WX3B @ TI5W. I hope everyone had fun in the contest.

I have always operated SO or MS in this contest, and it has always been a rate fest. In M/2 class, there is an upper limit and it can get S-L-O-W. I now know how many QSOs are available - 9147! I don't think we could rustle up a single extra one at the end. It becomes like Sweepstakes on Sunday afternoon - begging for contacts.

Had fun and enjoyed a little warm (but very windy) weather. Ready to go back as it's 36 here now! Only thing that broke was the memory buttons on my K3 that are intermittent for some strange reason. I don't think we even used them in the contest or afterwards. Anyone have experience with this problem?

73,

Will AA4NC / VP2ME


Here's the breakdown from 3830:




                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: VP2ME
Operator(s): W9RE, N5OT, AA4NC, N4GG, W6DR
Station: VP2ME

Class: M/2 HP
QTH: Montserrat
Operating Time (hrs): 48.0

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:  501    55
   80: 1105    58
   40: 1657    58
   20: 1762    59
   15: 1913    59
   10: 2209    59
-------------------
Total: 9147   348  Total Score = 9,549,468

Club:

Comments:

Another fun contest for our M/2 operating team.  Congratulations to the TI5W
crew for their great M/2 effort and with only three ops!  Log checking will
tell the story.

Conditions were excellent and it was a real thrill to break through the
existing NA and world M/2 records.  We ran the legal limit for VP2M which is
1000W, although at times a smaller amp was used at 500W.  10M had sounded poor
for the preceding week and turned out to be a pleasant surprise.  Saturday 10
and 15 were bottomless pits and Sunday was nearly as good.  Our problems
centered on 160 and to a lesser degree 80.  Accurate signals reports indicated
we were not loud on 160 and our low band receive antenna wound up not working,
with no time to make it right.  Our missing mult compared to the competition
was VE4 on 160.  At least twice, the radios somehow went into split and we had
5-10 minutes of no callers! If you were calling us then, sorry about
that!

A BIG thank you to George Briggs K2DM, who founded the station and allowed us
free run and use of the place, and David and Clover Lea, the proprietors of
Gingerbread Hill.  Montserrat and Gingerbread Hill are a perfect QTH - friendly
people, fantastic weather and a view to the ocean that could make you look away
from your radio.

73,
AA4NC, N4GG, N5OT, W6DR, W9RE