ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW - 2023
Call: K4HQK
Operator(s): K4HQK
Station: K4HQK
Class: Single Op HP
Class Overlay: Limited-Ant
QTH: Alexandria, VA
Operating Time (hrs): 11
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160: 0
80: 0
40: 188
20: 38
15: 38
10: 47
------------
Total: 311 Sections = 80 Total Score = 49,760
Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
Comments:
Apart from a brief solar disturbance Sunday morning that turned 20m signals into
jiggling Jello, conditions were perfectly sufficient for contacting the far
corners of the SS universe. Into my basket went Alaska (AL1G, AL4A, and the
ever-reliable KL7SB), Hawaii (KH6TU and AH6KO0), the USVI (KP2M and WP2AJM), PR
(NP4Y), and the new Canadian top-of-the-world grouping TER (VY1CO). Prince
Edward Island was there, too, thanks to VY2TT, who seemed everywhere I tuned.
Among the rarer states, I offer my kudos for SS participation to NW3Y (DE),
W5GAD (Egad! Louisiana!), N4OGW (MS), NC1CC (RI), WV (K3JT), WY (WY7M—the
perfect callsign), and my final SS QSO, N3HEE (South Carolina) where I grew up
and at age 13 was bitten (hee hee) by the ham radio bug. Thanks to all for being
there for us.
My effort in SS CW was limited to 11 hours. That’s about all I could take,
given that exchange. I cannot fathom spending 24 hours at this. Sunday I threw
up my hands at 1200 (EST), had lunch and went for a pleasant walk with XYL
Sheila amidst a herd of dog-walkers through Alexandria’s surviving Civil War
fort. My head then cleared for a few more QSOs, I returned to the contest at
1600 and held on until QRT at 1900 EST.
Bottom line: 80 Sections in the bag. Missing in action (to me, at least): ENY,
EWA, NL and ONN.
Given the sluggishness of the S&P mode, my prevalent rate was 28-31 QSOs per
hour. My initial 2 hours Saturday were even lower as I struggled to get that
wacky exchange cooking (22 per hour).
With N1MM my QSOs went smoothly enough until the other guy’s Section popped up
wrong from what the Call History File said it should be. I then had to grab the
mouse and plunge the cursor into the N1MM entry box hoping I landed on the right
spot, then frantically type in the correction as the other guy wondered if I’d
gone for a walk, given up and answered a different caller.
No station problems. My vast network of a vertical and two dipoles got me plenty
of QSOs 40-10 meters, but I didn’t hear a thing on 80 meters except hissss.
All operation was S&P.
John K4HQK
Alexandria, VA
Station: Icom 7410, ALS-600 amp, Cushcraft R6000 vertical, and dipoles
(“Single Op Limited-Ant HP”)
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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