[PVRCNC] SS CW K4QPL Single Op QRP

[Jim K4QPL]

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

Class: Single Op QRP
QTH: NC
Operating Time (hrs): 18
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:  120
   40:  231
   20:  150
   15:   40
   10:    7
------------
Total:  548  Sections = 81  Total Score = 88,776

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

This was the year I should have said no to SSCW. But I didn't. Weekend
started 4:30a.m. on Friday morning, out to the airport RDU-ATL, rental car
to Macon, GA, to meet up with former roommate, K4BAI, and the 50-year
reunion of the Class of '64 at Mercer University. (Yeah, the Mercer Bears
that upset my second favorite Duke in the first round of the NCAA!). Class
dinner plus endless "do you remember?" sessions ending up late in the hotel
bar Friday night. Then breakfast, campus tour and official luncheon for the
"Half-Century Club". Dash back to ATL, arrive RDU 2215, rush home, unpack
the Orion which arrived back from Ten-Tec only on Friday, connect everything
for first QSO at 2341! Exhaustion caught up at 0400, break until 0630 which
kept me going until 0815. Another long break until 1230 and then other
breaks during the day managing to be at least officially on the air for
18hrs. 

As I didn't know if the Orion would arrive in time for the contest, Dan,
N3ND, kindly loaned me an ICOM 7600 to pair up with my TS-480 for SO2R. With
the Orion slotted in, the ICOM was moved to Radio 2 and was a great resource
and more than 25% second radio Q's. Thanks, Dan!

SO2R/QRP is a challenge at the best of times and in my depleted physical and
mental condition I had a few moments of trying to send, listen or log on the
wrong radio and also forgetting to kill the other radio audio to dig for
harder copy QSO's. Not looking forward to the LCR!!

Never heard NT but was frustrated to hear VE2's S&P ahead of me. I kept
trying to guess which way they were moving and jump in front of them with a
CQ but was never successful so missed Qc as well. Are they just too polite
to run? ;-) And they never found me when I was running, or rather as QRP,
"trotting".

Not surprisingly, score was down from last year, but I don't regret "burning
the candle at both ends" this time.

Thanks all the PVRC contacts. Bert, sorry I kept putting your 3's in the
wrong place in the serial and Kaz, jokingly calling me K4PQL was all I
needed!

73/72,

Jim,K4QPL