I'm back!  Freshly "retired", I know can play Nov SS with some real effort again!!! 

This is the first year since 2004 that I could schedule in the time to work my favorite contest.....and this year was great for several big reasons......

First, I operated from my new "dog house" (dedicated shack) - see more on my page at www.qrz.com; second, while there was nil for propagation on 10M here for me, the remaining bands were open....signals were very good, and it still amazes me what a wire dipole and 106 watts of RF can do!  40 meters was open the entire contest and produced great Q's.  Third.....I got a sweep!!!!   I got 78 of the sections before I went to bed at 3:30 am (local) leaving only SC and PR.....and SC has been a challenge for me in the past (but not PR....always several around with great signals Sunday on 15 and 20 meters).   Yeah, what a surpirse on Sunday....I easily worked a SC station early on, and by afternoon I was REALLY worried about PR as I never heard one on any of the bands, and inquires to folks indicated THEY needed PR too!!!!  But as luck would have it, mid-afternoon I switched bands from 40M to 20M and there was NP4G...booming in on the radio, and I didn't even have to move the radio dial.  I grabbed a QSO with him and got the sweep.  (My wife thought I got shocked or something from the howl I let loose with in the dog house....).

Another great contest....and next year I'll be back with a tower and beam!  Thanks to all that "played"  and  made it fun.

73 and Happy Holidays to all.

Steve WB4OMM