12/07/2004 | K6EI Saw my daughter in her school play Saturday evening, so my participation in the contest was mostly limited to Friday night. Even so, running 5 watts into a top-loaded vertical here in SCV was adequate to get me a handful of Midwest contacts in OH, IL, KY, and WI -- plus Hawaii. I could hear a few East Coast stations, but they couldnt hear me.

Suggestion for next year: Everyone sends 599 as part of the exchange -- why not update the rules and substitute power level (H for high, L for low, Q for QRP) instead of RST? This would make the contest more interesting for the participants. Working a distant station partially buried in noise would be far more meaningful if I knew he was running 5 watts instead of a kilowatt. -- K6EI