[PVRCNC] 2022 CQWW CW VP5M (K4QPL) SOAB LP Unassisted

[James Jordan]

Call: VP5M
Operator(s): K4QPL
Station: VP5/K4QPL

Class: SOAB LP
Class Overlay: Classic
QTH: Turks & Caicos   (NA Other)
Operating Time (hrs): 24.4

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:    1     1        1
   80:  171    10       41
   40:  625    14       44
   20: 1293    24       61
   15:  816    18       54
   10:  534    17       57
------------------------------
Total: 3440    84      258  Total Score = 2,801,664
Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
Comments:

What a fun contest! The high bands performed like the olden days with 10M
open to to everywhere for hours on end. Thanksgiving is a family week at
Harbour Rock so we can't do a team effort like the other contests (unless
Thanksgiving comes on a different week once every few years). So I do the
classic SOLP. 24 hours is just the right amount of BIC for me. I knew the
80M inverted V was down from the last storm but didn't know the hoist rope
at the tower had broken requiring bringing the
AB-577 down to a reachable level to thread the pulley. Couldn't do it on
Friday when we arrived so had to take a break during the contest Saturday
afternoon.
The 160M always has to be erected but the jungle was reclaiming the area
around the base and the FCP and there was a lot of the endemic poisonous
weed that is painful if touched and dangerous if the juice gets in your
eyes, so that job was left for the moment. Hence one 160m QSO force loading
the 80m on 160 which made even the cross islands qso with VP5Y hard to do.
The score has not been reduced for the extra 24 minutes I went over the 24
hour so I guess the log people will reduce the Classic portion of my score.
At one point every QSO was a dupe which was getting boring and a waste of
time. I guessed that there was a bad spot and people were calling without
listening. Eventually I figured out the best thing was to QSY so I wouldn't
be under that spot. Problem solved. Amazed at what appears to be the normal
procedure for Assisted must be "Call first, listen later and only if
required (and Morse capable)." I ID at least every third QSO so they can't
blame me!
Otherwise, thanks for the Q's and the fun weekend!
73,
Jim, K4QPL, VP5M