CQ 160-Meter Contest, SSB
Call: K3ZM
Operator(s): K3ZM
Station: K3ZM
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Virginia
Operating Time (hrs): 21
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 1012 State/Prov = 55 Countries = 55 Total Score = 374,220
Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
Comments:
I only worked two EU’s before 2400Z Friday evening. Then I worked a couple
more after 0200Z. Started working EU steadily at 0419Z. Conditions were okay.
There was no intolerable noise either night. I did not work as many West Coast
stations this year. Never did work NM or UT. Missed VE5, VO1, VO2. Got
exactly one VE7. At bedtime Saturday morning, I had managed to put 105 EU’s
into the log. It was hard work. At that point, I had 752 QSOs, 49 countries
and 53 states/provinces. I got one KH6, which was worked Friday night. Never
heard VK or ZL.
I only managed to add 33 EU’s on Saturday night for a total of 138, about the
same as last year.
There was lots of open space up the band Saturday night. Maybe activity was a
little down.
I came right back to one Florida station who reported with great enthusiasm
that he was QRP. He was louder than another station I worked down there who
will go unnamed.
I really did not work anything exotic during this affair. The most exciting
part of the contest was watching the UVA-UNC game on my pad while CQing
Saturday evening.
I claimed the WAB award late Friday night, having contacted KK6ZM, VY2ZM and
K2DM. It was fun visiting Patrick last Fall at his Pacific Zooming Missile
QTH.
Many thanks to all who called in.
73,
Peter K3ZM
WORLD CLASS DXer
When I was 11 years old, I was lucky enough to operate as a novice with a DX-40
and my brother’s Drake 2B with Q multiplier (how cool is that?!). He sat me
down in front of the rig and said, “Now, you can just play around working
guys on 40 meters or you can try to do something really neat. There was this
guy once who managed to work DXCC as a novice. You could try to match that
remarkable accomplishment by hitting 15 meters really hard, day after day.”
Jeff then headed back to Germany to continue serving in the U.S. Navy and left
me to call CQ DX.
For the next two years, my permanent address was on 21.105. I called CQ DX
until I was hearing it in my sleep. After many months of this, I think I
managed to get up to about 60 countries worked, largely as a result of generous
hams who came up the band to provide a QSO to a young kid. How incredibly kind.
As the months rolled on, I pondered how it could even be possible that this
unnamed operator had achieved DXCC. And he did it in only one year, while I
had two years available. I was amazed.
After passing my General exam in 1971, I didn’t think much about this DXing
legend. I had not even come close to 100 countries and was now focused on
other things. But 37 years later, I found out by accident who this operator
was. It was none other than our own Topband comrade, Bill, W4ZV. Decades
later, we had more or less ended up in the same place, on 160 meters. And Bill
is still the better DXer.
There is a funny story behind my arrival on 21.105 on 15 meters. I had been
advised to get a crystal for the bottom of the novice band, just above 21.100.
Our father was kind enough to stop in at Harrison Radio in New York on his way
home from work, and I had told him what I needed. I couldn’t wait for him to
get home that evening. When he arrived, he handed me the crystal and said,
“They told me this would fix you up.” I looked at the crystal, which was
one of those modern ones in a metal case. Stamped on the top was 7035kc. My
heart sank. I was inconsolable. I turned to my dad, the disappointment spread
all over my face and said, “Geez, Pop. I needed a crystal for 15 meters, not
40 meters!”
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