[SJDXA] CQWW CW 2024 SOA LP 10 meters

[Anthony DeBiasi]

                  CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW - 2024

K2SG

Class: SO(A)SB10 LP
QTH: NFL
Operating Time (hrs): 27

Summary:
Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
 10: 1207    36      132
------------------------------
Total: 1207    36      132  Total Score = 585,816

Club: Florida Contest Group

Comments:

Conditions on 10 meters have been so good in this cycle and especially the past several weeks I decided to try a SOA SB10M LP for the first time. When conditions are this good it’s tough on us old guys to put in the extra hours needed to work all bands. My rotator is broken and stuck at due North which worked fairly well for Europe and great for JA & BY most of the time.  I had a feeling at times signals were coming in crooked path anyway so maybe it was good I didn’t have a rotator to point in the wrong direction.   I usually keep my tower at 50’ for everyday operating but for this contest I put it up all the way which put my JK-MID-TRI with 5el's on 10m at 90+ feet.  I wasn’t disappointed, conditions were amazing.  I had a plan to run run run on the first evening. The plan went out the window fairly quick when the runs were too slow so I decided to shift to chasing multipliers and cluster spots which was much more productive. The cluster spots (often busted) were most times fairly easy to work.  On Saturday some very strange noise developed that my Elecraft K4D just wouldn’t take out that made Saturday afternoon difficult and tiring. Early evening went well, the noise disappeared and the JA’s along with other Far East stations were plentiful. I just couldn’t work any SA stations and struggled with everything to the South. Sunday was a better day, the runs picked up and the multipliers seemed to be easier to work. I didn't work any mult's on the first call but staying slightly off frequency always seemed to help. Late Sunday the SA stations were so strong I thought my JK-MID antenna had turned but it was just the skip changing.  In the last hours JA and BY stations were 20 over along with a few aurora OH and SM stations.  It was just a fun contest!   73, Tony K2SG

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