[TVARC] 10 Meter Contest Update II

[K2PS Pete Stafford]

More TVARCers called in: N0SMX, N4FP, WB2YVK, N8RW, and KB8SB.  Frank,
KA1AF, had a written excuse, so I'll accept that, but just this time!  That
makes nine total.  Thanks to all.

 

Saturday wasn't nearly as good as Friday night, but still not too bad.
Didn't make my first QSO until about 815a when the band opened to the
Midwest, and a slow stream of MI, OH, MN, KS called in.  It got really slow
around 930, and I'd shift back and forth to SSB.  Found GA on SSB, which is
a tough multiplier, since it's so close to us.  Still looking for GA on CW
and SC, AL, MS on both modes.

 

1000a saw the sporadic-E cloud shift a bit south, and so all of a sudden the
only stations heard and worked were from TX, AR, and LA.  During that time,
I scanned the band after CQing got too slow, and heard a very weak "..6RAI"
working a pileup.  I recognized the partial callsign as probably that of
DL6RAI, in Germany.  Oh boy, a European opening!  But he was tough to hear
and even with the antenna turned to about 45 degrees I couldn't pull him
through, much less fight the rest of the east coast.  I'll check back later.

 

I then swung the beam south and worked a couple of South Americans on both
modes: Colombia, Argentina, and then - there was DL6RAI!  But he was really
P4/DL6RAI in Aruba. L  So no EU opening.  I should have known better.  With
no sunspots, the likelihood of F2 propagation was pretty nearly nonexistent.
But he was still a multiplier, and a whole lot easier to work.  Picked up
some more Midwestern, mid-Atlantic, and Southwestern stations but it was
pretty slow going.  So I figured I'd take a nap at about 1245p.

 

Woke up an hour later to a lovely Western opening.  Started calling CQ and
was answered by a station in UT, then another, and Alberta and CA, and more
UT, Manitoba, and more UT.  There can't that many stations in that whole
state!  Picked up ID, OR, NV, MT in short order, and with loud signals.
Very nice.  Worked some of them on SSB too.  WA and NM followed, but where
was AZ?  At about 245p they appeared, and had four in a row call in.

 

The South Americans came up too, with Uruguay, Trinidad, Chile worked in
between a bunch of CA.  Jumped over to SSB hoping to grab those SA mults,
and was greeted by Brazil, Peru, Chile, with strong signals.  Back to CW to
finish them off.  13 S/A in a row.  But, sadly, that pretty much finished
the day off, as the band totally died at about 4P.

 

Just as well, since the XYL had dinner plans for us, so I didn't feel as if
I was missing anything.

 

Finished off the day with 348 QSOs:

CW: 277, 29 states/prov, 8 countries

SSB: 71, 29, 7

 

Sunday will probably be slower, since most of the active stations will have
been worked already.  Hoping for an opening to New England, and for the
Eagles to beat Dallas.  I'll record the game if the band is still open at
425p kickoff, but I have a feeling I won't need to do that.

 

73, Pete, K2PS

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