CQWW SSB VP5M 2025 Farewell Tour

[James Jordan]

Call: VP5M
Operator(s): K4QPL KU4V NR4O WT3K
Station: VP5/K4QPL

Class: M/S HP
QTH: VP5
Operating Time (hrs): 48

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:    0     0        0
   80:  194    12       32
   40:  651    23       82
   20: 1112    27       97
   15: 1497    29       99
   10: 3197    31      117
------------------------------
Total: 6651   122      427  Total Score = 8,765,883

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

This was the last event in the VP5M 2025 Farewell Tour! It's been a great
run here at Harbour Rock in the Turks & Caicos Islands for almost ten years.
We've had great fun with a lot of different ops and guests here but all
things end sometime. I had hoped we could also squeeze in the 2025 CQWW CW test,
but it's not to be.
Because we were already handicapped with the SteppIR and 160M antennas being out
of action leaving only the A3S and a couple wires, we chose high power as the
class although it HP only meant having 500W on the run station and 100 for
mults. But the objective was fun for the last roundup and fun it was!
How about Ten Meters, guys and gals? The band that just kept on giving and
giving and giving right to the very end. We couldn't resist the great run
rates which held up throughout and made it hard to choose to move to other bands
to fight QRM and other issues. Hard to believe we had an estimated run rate of
over 200/hour for many hours on 10M.  With no 160M antenna and having nothing
but a 40M OCF at about 20' (7M) and 100 watts, we were still proud of the
final mults and zones achieved by persistence to surprisingly work some
difficult ones like A44A and AH2R back to back in about ten minutes.  Difficulty
definitely builds character for the team getting through the massive pileups
that had not been such a problem before LP with gain antennas.
The endless supply of Brits was also welcome to keep our spirits up.
Thanks to all for joining us in this final effort and especially to the great
ops at the rare mults who were able to hear our limited mult station.
No plaque this year, but it has been a wonderful experience for our various
teams who helped build an amazing record of wins in our traditional M/S LP
class.
While it may be a while before you hear VP5M again as a contest call, the gang
is already scheming on what will be our next challenge.
73,
Jim, K4QPL
Wayne, KU4V
Eric, NR4O
Daryl, WT3k