[RRDXA] DL3YM (@DF2PY) CQWW-DX-CW SOAB HP

[RRDXA Claimed Score Submission]

Claimed score submission: CQWW-DX-CW 2008

Call: DL3YM (@DF2PY)
Operator(s): DL3YM
Mode: CW
Category: SOAB
Active hours: 48.0
Power: HP
Assisted: no
Club:Rhein Ruhr DX Association

Summary: 

 Band	   QSOs	    Mults      

 -------------------------------------
  10m:	      8        7       2 
  15m:	    149       66      21 
  20m:	   1007       85      32 
  40m:	   1173      108      31 
  80m:	    762       81      22 
 160m:	    327       52      16 
 --------------------------------------
 Total:	  3.426      399     124 
 
 Claimed Score:  3.490.502 


Comments: 
 This has been the sixth straight year that I do the CQWW from Wolf’s (DF2PY) place, and even though condx admittedly stank on the higher bands and Murphy declared our QTH as his temporary home, I cherished every moment of it.

Wolf has put a lot of effort and engineering expertise into optimising the station which got ready just in time for the contest weekend. Once setting up the station on Friday night was completed we again enjoined the camaraderie with the DR4A guys during our pre-contest-pizza-dinner. This is becoming a nice tradition and it puts me in the right mood for going 48 hours straight when I see the commendable dedication of this crew.

Started running on 40 using the new 3 el wire yagi fixed NA and was rewarded with much better rates than I was used to. It was actually stunning to hear stations Q5 copy on the new antenna that were totally inaudible on the old 2 el. I knew I was getting in trouble, though,  when I QSYed to 80 and found that the new receive switching matrix quit after just a few minutes, forcing me to operate with the TX antenna (turns out later that we had a sequencing problem which never was on our testing agenda). That probably hurt my performance on 80 and 160 and possibly was the reason why I did not work zone 3 on topband despite excellent condx. Saturday was mostly spent running on 20 while picking up mults on 15. Rates started to accelerate when 20 opened to NA around 1400, unfortunately closing again already 3 hours later. Finished the day alternating between 80 and 40 before changing to 160 around 2230. 

Halfway into the second night the second radio amp fuse blew up, leaving me a very restricted SO1.5R until sunrise on Sunday. Found that 160 was not as hot as the night before, but 80 stayed open long and I continued working into central America with the second radio well over 30 mins after my sunrise. While maintaining a little lead QSO-wise over my target during the day, I started falling behind concerning mults. A short but intense opening on 15 couldn’t compensate for that and 10 remained dead. Unfortunately I ran into tech problems again on Sunday evening when I tried to hit 160 real hard. Kept pretty much alert until 2200, but quickly and intensely crashed thereafter, meditating over the mystery how all those people I was talking to fit into these small boxes on my table.

Thanks all for a weekend that could not have been spent better otherwise. Special thanks to Wolf & family for providing a home rather than just a shack, to my XYL & my boys for letting me go and keeping up with a very tired dad the whole following week. And many congrats to DJ5MW for a great score I was sure I couldn’t beat – turns out I didn’t even come close. Maybe one day I will, hi.



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