ARRL 10-Meter Contest
Call: KQ2M
Operator(s): KQ2M
Station: KQ2M
Class: SO Mixed HP
QTH: CT
Operating Time (hrs): 30.4
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
CW: 1600 154
SSB: 1580 151
-------------------
Total: 3180 305 Total Score = 2,915,800
Club: Frankford Radio Club
Comments:
With all the preparation and antenna and station rebuilding that I needed to get
done between CQWWSSB and CQWWCW it was inevitable that some tasks would not be
completed. The most important one left was replacing the broken elements on my
low Hygain 5L 10 and hauling it up the tower and reinstalling it. I also needed
to get another DOS computer working so that I could use CT to network them and
use the DVP.
The weather had been brutal �" two ice storms and then a snow storm in
the two weeks before the 10 meter contest and all my antenna work was going to
have to get done with “breezy” conditions and daytime high temps between 15
�" 20 degrees, with wind chills well below zero. It was so cold that on
Thursday before the contest (high temp 17 degrees), it took me almost 30
minutes with a utility knife to poorly scrape and gouge off the ice on the
elements, the element clamp nuts and bolts and the boom. The ice kept breaking
off pieces off the razor blade. Having done that, I replaced the elements which
had broken in the 2011 CQWWCW blizzard when we got 20” of wet heavy snow.
Since my 10 meter stackmaster, which had been sent in for repair, came back
with a non-working antenna port 2, I would not be able to use my 4-stack with
it. That meant that I would have to swap all the cables and phasing lines
between my 10 and 15 meter stackmasters (and then swap them back again after
the 10 meter stackmaster was repaired again and then reinstalled) and then
lengthen one of the coaxial cables so that it would reach. I did that and then
set up the climbing straps and carabiners with the thick haul rope, preparing
for tomorrows tower climb. After two hours in the cold and wind I was done.
When I came in at 2 PM it was 13 degrees �" actually getting colder
rather than warmer. The hard part would the next day. On Friday of the
contest, while I waited for the temps to warm up from the 6 degree overnight
low, I successfully rewired an old DVK for use with computer/radio 1. I also
swapped DVP boards between computers so that I would have a working DVP and DVK
and then have a working backup. Finally the sun came out and the temp rose into
the teens and I spent the next 2 hours on the tower first hauling up the heavy
5L 10 (made heavier by the all the ice on it) and then installing it on the
tower. This was TOUGH in the 15 �" 20 mph wind as the antenna did not
want to stay still and I had no leverage. Because of a succession of dangerous
long-term illnesses, it had been 6 years since I was up on my tower. I was
pleased that I was able to do the work by myself, but it was quite a fight and
in very unpleasant conditions! There is no protection on my hill from the
wind, and, being the tallest object around for at least 8 miles, the below zero
wind chill quickly makes your fingers and toes numb. Two hours of continuous
exposure simply ensures that the fine muscle coordination virtually disappears.
I actually had a major problem unhooking my climbing belt from where I had been
working on the tower because I didn’t have enough feeling in my left hand to
press both sides of the belt clip simultaneously.
Whew! Eventually I was able to do it and finished the job. At 3 PM on Friday,
4 hours before the contest, I had a working 4-stack on 10 for the first time
since 2006. I was ready.
After sunset in mid-December in Western CT, the MUF plunges and long-haul paths
on 10 meters rapidly disappear. So the fact that I was hearing some JA’s did
not mean that I would hear them at the start of the contest. But if I did hear
them, I would need to work them immediately before they disappeared, especially
since the cndx were supposed to deteriorate Friday into Sunday with the
geomagnetic field going from quiet to active to minor storm cndx. Accordingly,
when the contest started, I did not try to run, but rather to tune quickly for
JA/UA0, and work what I could in the few minutes available. At 0002 I found a
very weak RM0F who faded out as I worked him. There were no JA’s. At 0003z,
the Asian opening was over! I turned the top antenna South and in the next 13
minutes I worked KH7Y, CW5W and a few PY’s and then they disappeared. By
0017z all I heard were a few weak groundwave stations. That’s normal here in
CT even at the top of the cycle, and pretty disappointing. I settled in to work
the close in stations, CT, NY, NJ and MA, all within ~ 100 miles, but then had a
brief bit of excitement working K1LT in Ohio and PY4FQ. At 0041z cndx started
to improve with an occasional W4/W9 station.
The rate was slow and I needed to continually switch between CW and SSB and
then repeat the process. Finally at ~ 0145z the band opened a little longer
with an occasional MN station or AL station. But they were very weak and the
qsb was rapid. At 03z, the band opened a bit better, now I could hear an
occasional GA or MO station. A loud W0SD surprised me at 0315z but nothing
else was loud except for W0AIH in WI. There was no volume and few stations
calling cq that I could hear. This was the typical spotlight propagation that
10 is known for. However, the 10 meter contest is also known for meteor shower
“ping” propagation, but it was virtually non-existent. Top of the cycle or
not, cndx were dismal.
I had been checking the HF Radio page for propagation info and was unhappy to
see that the BZ (the measure of the polarity and magnitude of the Earth’s
field) was unstable and rapidly shifting between extreme positive and negative
values of -12 to +8 and then back again. The Bz becomes negative when the
Earth’s magnetic field flips, allowing the solar wind to directly interact
with our ionosphere and often will cause aurora. A -2 Bz is enough to
deteriorate propagation and here I was seeing values of up to -12! Then I
noticed that the solar wind, instead of having the usual 1 or 2 protons, was up
to 8! No wonder cndx were poor at the start �" it also meant that cndx
would likely get worse and they did.
10 meters has always been a fascinating band to me with some of the most
bizarre and unpredictable and wonderful propagation. This is easier to see
when the whole world is operating on the same band at the same time. Having
operated this contest seriously for 3 years at the top of the last cycle
(1999-2001), I remembered that often the stations you work at night are worked
with antennas NOT pointed at them. I was quickly reminded of this as I would
hear a weak New England station, point an antenna at him and then watch him
disappear. Likewise with MD, PA, OH, etc. You just couldn’t tell which
direction the antenna needed to be for them to be heard. So I pointed my
various antennas W, NE and South. It was fascinating to work someone and then
quickly switch antennas to see which one they were loudest on. The New England
and NY stations were loudest on the 37’ antenna pointed SOUTH, and the
MD/VA/PA stations were generally loudest on the low 10 at 22’ pointed NE. It
was guesswork which antenna would be best for the 8 and 9 land stations.
Sometimes it was not one antenna but a combination of them. Propagation sure
kept me guessing! The 0 stations were strongest with the top antenna at 100’
pointed West. But not right at them. By now the solar wind was up to 17.0
protons �" a level that I had never seen in more than 20 years of
watching these numbers! That was sure ugly and then the auroral oval spiked
up to 7 with a BZ at -10. UGH! The K was now up to 3. Cndx were
deteriorating FAST. I qrt’d at 0351z with a disappointing 209 q’s and very
few mults.
At the top of the cycle with quiet geomagnetic cndx, I would be able to hear
and start working EU by 1030z, maybe even running shortly after. I knew that
was not going to happen this year. So I set my alarm for 5:15 AM and was
making coffee and sandwiches at 10:30z. The band was still dead. At just
before 11z, I started hearing some EU. The Southern EU stations were coming in
almost direct path as was CN8KD, but the central EU stations were peaking at ~
120 degrees and further North the stations were in EU, the further South you
had to beam for them. Classic 10 meters!
At 1115z I had worked a few stations and I got fooled, thinking that 10 was
about to open. NOT! At 1130z all I could work was Southern EU and EA8’s
with an occasional SA station. Cndx started to become less scatter path by
1145z but it wasn’t until 1155z that the band was finally runnable. And then
someone flipped the switch and signals jumped 2 s-units all at once and the
scatter path disappeared and became direct path. Seeing how weak I had been in
EU, I decided to cq high in the band where I might be heard more easily. R9FT
was one of the first callers. I wondered if I would hear UA9 again during the
weekend. By 1205z the band had become direct path and the rate exploded! I
took a 10 second listen on SSB to see what I might be hearing, worked UX4U and
went back to cw. I found a good spot low in the band and the rate climbed
more. Notable callers were 8P8T, 4X6FR and a very loud 9K2/SP4R along with
RT9A and R9AE. The 12z hour ended with 246/186 for the last 10/100 rate and 169
q’s. 13z continued with UA9BA and RA9AP calling in at 1301z along with some
other European Russians. When RT9S and R9GM called in followed by RX9FB, I
turned the top antenna South to possibly work some Asian stations longpath, but
that was a waste. The brief UA9 opening disappeared. MU0FAL called in at 1321z
followed by 4J6RP at 1335z and TA1DX and 4X0A at 1344/1347z but little else of
note with the hour providing another 173 q’s. By 14z, the propagation had
shifted with the middle two antennas best and then the 37’ by itself. The
rate was dropping as Russia started to disappear and the BZ went negative
again. The solar wind speed also began climbing from the mid 300’s to 462,
another bad sign. (As the solar wind rises from quiet levels (low �" mid
300’s) into the high 400’s or higher, cndx deteriorate). Z33Z and JW2US
were notable callers at 1442 and 1447z but after that it was a typical
distribution of EU callers �" mostly zero beat with each other making it
almost impossible to pick out a call. Even worse, I would say G3F and UX5, SN9
and IZ8 would all call and bury him. I would say G3F again and then the UX5 and
IZ8 would call, AGAIN. I would say G3F a third time and then someone would send
“Call?” and bury him again. The same thing would happen when I would say
ask for a fill of the qso number and send 138? Instead of hearing the G3 send
the number, two stations would then send THEIR call and then some impatient op
would call cq on the freq. Inevitably I would have to remove the qso from the
log and then fight off the inconsiderate cq’er, and in the process lose the
UX5 and IZ8 who would qsy and the rate would plummet. At times it gets so
frustrating you almost want to tear the remaining hair out of your head! The
14z hour ended with 147 q’s. The noise level began to pick up from the snow
static of a large storm that was starting. Fortunately the rate of snowfall
was slow and steady and the static eventually disappeared.
One of the greatest difficulties of a Mixed mode effort is determining when to
be on CW and when to be on SSB. Even though cw q’s are worth twice as much
as SSB, (4 points for CW vs. 2 points for SSB), that doesn’t help you with
your mult totals. You need to get the same mult on BOTH modes. With some of
the marginal band openings of 30 minutes or even less, and propagation being
different from one day to the next, and the fact that some countries only have
ONE station on who may or may not be on both modes, it is a real guessing game
where to operate and when. You can second guess yourself forever!
I decided to qsy to SSB at 15z and hope that I could still work some Russian
stations. Again, I went high in the band and the rate rocketed up to 330/230
last 10/last 100. But there was a lot of qrm and splatter which immediately
halved the rate. So I went further up the band and the rate soared again
With 4O3A and MW8T calling in for new mults. Northern Europe was almost
non-existent and Eu stations were getting weaker. I noticed that EU was
loudest on the lowest antenna and the W4 stations were loudest on that one too
�" apparently on a stranger scatter path. Now having the right antenna
for the propagation, at 1649z the rate spiked top 405 /171 for the last 10/100.
LX3PM an OY9JD were the most interesting callers at 1608 and 1622z. I noticed
that EU was beginning to disappear, much too early. I went low in the band and
settled in; until TM7XX decided than 2 kc away was too close. He complained
that my operating on 28300.5 was too close to him on 28302.5; this was
interesting because I did not even hear him in my passband. But he also
didn’t like it when I moved to 28304.5; apparently he was not satisfied with
FOUR kc of clear freq. at the bottom of the band. That was ridiculous and I
told him so. Eventually he moved down to the band edge and I stayed 3 kc above
him. Unfortunately cndx continued to deteriorate with the solar wind now up to
536, the BZ -4 and aurora back to 6. The 15z hour was my best hour with 210
q’s followed by 178 q’s at 16z and 143 q’s at 17z as I switched back to
CW with more than half of the stations now US. An occasional SM or OH station
called in along with CT9/R9DX and the surprise of the hour was ES5QA at 1750z
�" I had not heard a Russian station for almost 2 hours. Hearing the ES5
and the few SM/OH stations could only mean one thing: AURORA WAS COMING! Sure
enough, by 1830z some of the EU stations started sounding very auroral. ZS4TX
gave me number 1 at 1759z. What a fun way to end the hour! By now it had
dawned on me that XE stations counted as more than just the XE mult. The last
time I had operated in the 10 meter contest was in the previous cycle, before
the change to count XE states as mults. I felt foolish that I had operated
almost half the contest without knowing this important fact. I moved my top 10
to the Southwest so that an XE stations might call in, and sure enough, some
did! The 18z hour was a mix of EU, US and smattering of KH6, EA8 and
Caribbean. With antennas pointed at SW, SE and two on the NE, I had almost
everything covered. This was fun and the variety of stations added up to 111
q’s.
ZR9C called in @ 1906z along with 5T0JL @ 1915z with an EA7 and EA8 surprising
me at 1925z. I realized that I needed so many mults on SSB so I decided to
qsy. The mixture of callers was quite different on SSB than CW �" with
almost all US and a few XE’s and PY’s. ZL4CZ and 8P8T were welcome @
1942-3z and OG6N quite a surprise at 1948z and then a group of PY’s and 19z
ended with 128 q’s. 20z continued with the US callers, a welcome G3YQA/MM in
R1 and TI5KD at 2009z. VK4ATH was pretty loud at 2023z and a few Carib/SA
stations continued to call in. CU5AQ was a big surprise at 2039z. I had
forgotten that I had an antenna on the NE. Actually, I kept the low 10
(pointing NE) in the stack because I heard the W4 and New England stations best
with it, but the band was still open to CU5 direct path and he heard me and
called in. After that it was all US with an occasional SA station. 20z
ended with 167 stations and 21z with 100 stations. The rate dropped
significantly toward the end of the hour as I tuned for mults but I picked up
OA4SS, CE3PCG, ZF1A, PJ4DX, and quite a few VK/ZL and SA stations. The band
was long and I was not able to hear the XE stations that I assumed were running
on SSB and would likely be mults. With marginal cndx, I knew any Pacific/Asian
openings would be short so I qsy’ed to cw where I quickly found NH2T, NP3CW,
OA1F, NP2N, KL7RA and JI3MJK for mults. Tuning further I picked up CX2BR,
RT0F, HC2SL, T48LT, VP5CW, XE1MM, XE2X. Hearing the XE stations well on CW, I
figured that I could now hear them on SSB too and a quick qsy to SSB provided
XE2K. I could not find any others though, and so I went back to cw for a run.
The 22z hour produced only 53 q’s but 12 mults. I had sacrificed rate for
mults, a good tradeoff in the Mixed mode category for this contest.
With the BZ now a +8, but the K index at 4, I knew that JA/Asia would disappear
quickly and I needed both JA and UA0 on SSB. No luck though so back to cw to
run at 2237z. A few JA’s, VK’s and XE called in. Back to SSB for a few
JA’s but no UA0; darn. I find a good run freq. and a few JA’s and SA and
VK stations call in mixed with US. In the 23z hour I make 65 q’s and only 1
mult before Asia quickly disappears. I end the first 24 hours with 1890 q’s
and 243 mults. I had hoped to be at least be at 2000 q’s and 250 mults but
cndx were quite very marginal compared to where they should have been.
I stay on SSB where a few ZL and VK stations call in along with SA stations but
the main activity is the greyline path in the US. At 0030z, I have an amazing
run of AZ stations, 14 out of my next 16 stations broken up only by a VK and a
MA station! However, the AZ run doesn’t last because apparently nothing
other than AZ is hearing me to the West. I qsy to cw to pick up the few
remaining SA stations and 00z ends with 80 q’s. I took a break from an
almost dead band and checked again at 0130z. I picked up three SA stations,
including mults PZ5RA and 3G3W. With the A=16 and k=3 and solar wind of 588 @
6.0 protons and an aurora of 5, cndx are LOUSY at best and are continuing to
worsen. I qrt at 0139z and spend some time with my family and then get a good
night’s sleep.
I set the alarm later for 5:30 AM (10:30z) and make my coffee and sandwiches.
There is no rush because I know that the band will be dead. And it is, but
then I notice that the K index has fallen from 3 to 1 and the solar wind and
protons have fallen to 471 @ 4.0 and the BZ is +5. This is a big positive
change! Sure enough, I hear and work LZ4TX and a few other stations starting
at 1047z, but then the band quickly dies. I tune and look around and turn my
antennas South and Southeast. No help. A pattern begins �" cndx get
better for 5 �" 10 minutes and then signals disappear again. I try cqing
on the next wave of signal increases �" but to no avail. Suckered again!
15 minutes later, same nonsense. I feel pretty silly. At 1120z, the band dies
again. Nothing even to the South. Then 10 minutes later it comes back, a
little, and now I find FM5CD and 9L1A for mults. The band improves and I
probably should be cqing but I decide to hunt mults because my totals are so
low. This is a good decision as I find C4Z, 5A1AL and 4L8A way up in the cw
band after 12z starts. I only made a pitiful 16 q’s in the 11z hour but you
can’t manufacture propagation. As I am trying to work 4L8A, someone flips
the switch and I suddenly hear the Northern EU callers on the scatter path from
the SE and the SW Eu callers direct path. When I phase both antennas, the
Northern EU callers disappear and the SW Eu callers drop 2-3 s units! reminding
me that part of the charm of 10 meters is its weird and rapidly changing
propagation. I quickly find a clear spot, call cq and it is off to the races!
I have about 25 mults less on SSB than CW so I am going to have to sacrifice
some valuable CW run time and hope that I get those mults to call me on SSB.
There is certainly no guarantee of that! 4K9W calls @ 1222z. I ask about SSB
but he says that he is CW only. A smattering of Russians call in but Northern
EU is strangely absent and there are no UA9’s either, unlike yesterday.
I realize that when I go to SSB I will not be able to work a lot of the Russian
and Central Asian mults that I need �" apparently yesterday was my only
chance for that but I couldn’t pass up the great CW rate. Today I am willing
to do so and after a 122 hour at 12z, when 4K6FO calls in, I ask him to please
qsy to SSB and he does. I work him on SSB at 1310z and then work some of the
Russian mults that I need as well as 4Z4DX, TA2ANL, ER3CT, and OD5ZZ ending
with 162 q’s. However, it is obvious that signals are weak with rapid QSB
and they are not improving. It seems like the MUF is struggling to make it
from 28.0 up to 28.3. I have seen that happen before with marginal conditions
�" where you can have a great run with decent sigs near 28.3 Mhz. but at
28.6 there is no run and almost no one is audible. As the qrm and splatter
intensifies, I leave my run freq. of 28307 and move to 28596 so that I can
hear, and the stations get much weaker. With the Eu stations loudest on the
top 2 antennas, I decide to turn the 37’ to the Caribbean so that I can
entice some Caribbean/SA callers as well as hear any W4’s calling me. Almost
immediately FM5AN and YY6DFF call in for mults as well as XE2JS. Just as I
feared, EU begins to disappear by 1440z. I quickly try CW but can’t find a
good spot and immediately go back to SSB where I end the 14z hour with 149
q’s as the propagation changes yet again and now the lowest 2 antennas are
best to EU. SV9FBG calls in @ 1506z and T40HE and ZR9C @ 1530z. A
surprisingly loud TF8GX calls in at 1540z and he kindly qsy’s to cw for
another mult. I passed him to 28175 assuming that that freq. would be clear.
WRONG! Activity was so intense on CW, than I copy cw stations all the way up
to 28.2 WOW �" I have never seen that before! Feeling luckly, I
decide to turn my top antenna South and look for SA mults. on SSB and find
PZ5RA, V55V and XE3N ending the 15z hour with 115 q’ s but 7 mults. Activity
is now all the way up to 28.9 on SSB! I call cq in a quiet spot but there are
no answers. It almost seems like the MUF has still not really made it up this
far. I try a bit lower in the band and have more success with ZS6RHL and
ZS6FDX calling in at 1605/1607z. I have so few Carib/SA mults that I know
that tuning should be productive. With the antennas pointed SE, SW and NE, I
find HP1/IZ6BRN and YN5Z, XE1B, CN3A, CR6K and D4C for mults. Back to running
at 1631z with ZS6BRZ calling in at 1634z. 1646z-1647z sees GJ2A and J66CA call
in for mults. With EU disappearing rapidly, I have a lot of mults to get on
both modes and not much time to find them. I forgo the rate on SSB and tune cw
finding MU0FAL, HD2A and C6ANM, completing the 16z hour with 103 q’s and 7
mults.
I start running on cw with the antennas pointed all over because the band is
open all over, at least for the rest of the 17z hour as darkness spreads toward
Northern and Western Europe and the G, EI and F stations get loud as the band
opens better to the US. I run on cw, quickly try SSB (waste of time) and then
almost immediately go back to cw where I run until 1747z. I tune and find
VP2VGG and VO1QU for mults. but little else. In retrospect I heard ZF1A on cw
and thought that I already worked him, only to discover after the contest that
I did not! The 17z hour ends with 92 q’s and 3 mults.
I continue to run on cw in the 18z hour and the Western US gets loud as EU
fades away. ZL3TE and ZS1EL call in at 1837/1838z and then from 1845 �"
1852z KL2R, AL7L, WL7BDO and KL7USX call in from Alaska. Not only is this 4
Alaska stations in 7 minutes, it is about double the number of Alaska stations
I usually work on cw in the entire contest! And they are fairly loud, off the
side of my beam! 18z ends with 95 q’s and 1 mult and is followed by 19z with
82 q’s and 3 mults. ZS2NF calls in at 1906z followed by several more Alaskan
stations!, ZL1BYZ and LW5HR. Late in the hour my run dies and I qsy to SSB. I
quickly find HI3K for another mult and then call cq. SIX Alaskan stations call
me in the next 15 minutes, again, off the side of the beam! Along with a few
South Americans, a VK, a ZL and another XE mult. I am really enjoying the
variety of this run and continue into the 20z hour.
The band is apparently still open to South Africa as ZS6NEB and ZS6RHL call in
at 2004 and 2014z. PJ2T is a new mult at 2017z and I nearly fall off my chair
in surprise when a loud C91T calls in at 2024z! The rate suddenly drops and
I decide to tune up the band. I find and work a lot of loud VK and SA
stations, even a few XE’s. New mults are XE3/K5ENS, CX1DZ, J79WTA, and
VP2VGG. 20z ends with 96 q’s and 6 mults. and I am in tune mode at the
beginning of the 21z hour. I alternate tuning/running for the next 15 minutes
but there is no rate for me so I qsy to cw where I alternate tuning and cqing.
K1VSJ from RI calls in and he kindly agrees to qsy to SSB. Back to SSB and I
find TG9ANF and XE2CQ. There are other XE stations that I can hear but I
cannot break the pileup. XE is an “in-between” distance for me on 10
meters so if I do not find the XE stations in the brief intervals when they are
loud, then I likely will not be able to work them on SSB. The 21z hour ends
with only 61 q’s but there are 3 mults. At 2200z I am back on cw hoping for
an opening to JA and I get it! Some surprisingly LOUD JA’s call in along
with a really loud VK6DXI! I run until ~ 23z when JA disappears ending a 68
hour with no new mults. At the peak of the JA opening, I checked SSB several
times but could not find a UA0. I try running on SSB at 2310z with little
success. Back to cw and I start running up the band working surprisingly loud
CA, AZ and WA stations, all of whom are probably getting that Sunset grey-line
enhancement. The band fades fast and the contest ends with 42 q’s and 0
mults. At the end of the contest I note that the Aurora is down to 1, the A=7
and the K=1 with the solar wind at 439 and 1.0 proton with BZ+2. All very good
numbers. No wonder there was a solid, if brief, JA opening. If we had had
those cndx during the EU opening, I would have worked many more mults on SSB
including UA9/0 and some other “goodies”. Oh well.
It was quite nice to operate while watching the snow fall all day Saturday and
most of Sunday. We wound up with about 7” of snow followed by heavy sleet
and, of course, freezing rain.
I really had not planned a major operation this weekend and on several
occasions I was about to QRT, but then the rate would pick up or an interesting
mult would call and then I would stay on. Before I knew it the contest was
over! Here are my numbers:
CW 1600 q’s 69 Sections 85 Countries (154 mult)
SSB 1580 67 84 (151 mult)
3180 q’s 136 sections 169 countries (305 mult) = 2,915,800 in 30.4 hours
At the peak of the previous cycle, I operated with one radio on SSB and one on
CW. I split my antennas so that I had three on one radio and one on the other.
This allowed me to pick off occasional q’s and mults on one mode while
running on the other mode. Although the cross-mod and intermod was a big
problem in hearing on the 2nd radio, it probably added another 100 q’s and
10-15 mults and effectively allowed me to be in “two places at once”. This
year I decided to keep all the antennas on one radio for maximum stacking
flexibility and forego the 2nd radio. After some reflection, I realize that
with the marginal propagation, but using one antenna on the 2nd radio and
listening on both modes, I probably would have found another 10 �" 20
mults (especially with all the XE activity) but lost 100 or so q’s. Hard to
tell what the net difference would have been. Certainly it would have been
less nerve-wracking because when I am on one mode I am always wondering what I
am missing on the other!
On another note, my best run rates and qso totals have increased substantially
in the DX contests from the last cycle to this one as EU activity has continued
to expand. Based on that I would have expected my overall qso total to increase
substantially as well, but it did not. Actually it was considerably less with
only 3180 q’s vs the consistent 3350+ qso’s I made at the top of the last
cycle. That tells me that propagation was definitely poorer this year
�" which would be consistent with the fact that the EU and JA openings
were shorter (opening later and closing earlier) than I remember at the top of
the last cycle.
I did however work 85 countries on CW and 290 countries without counting the XE
states, which matched my best totals from last cycle, but those should have been
higher as well and likely would have been with more typical top of the cycle
propagation.
I was truly astounded at the number of Alaskan stations that called me.
Probably more in this contest than in all the other 10 meter contests combined!
Yet, the EU activity seemed to be less than usual and I worked practically no
one in the 4th call area and none louder than S5 all weekend. Kentucky was the
only state that I did not work and I did not get it on either mode. Also I had
very surprisingly few q’s with the high volume states of Texas and
California. I also missed all the Easternmost VE sections on SSB
(but got them on cw). I attribute all of this to unusual and marginal US
propagation with an almost complete absence of meteor scatter q’s and very
little sporadic E prop.
My qso total shows an almost even split between US and EU with 45.0% US, 45.5%
EU, 3.9% SA and 2.3% Asia.
I had a lot of fun and it was really nice to see my 4-stack work again after
all of these years. Thank you for all of the qso and mults!
73 and Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Bob KQ2M
kq2m@kq2m.com
www.rlsfinancialgroup.com
www.kq2m.com
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