12/01/2011 | N1XIH/7

Well another HF SSB Sweepstakes.  With a good chance of using 10m.  

Last year a snow storm during the contest resulted in snow depths up to the bottom of my waist and me helping dig vehicles out and escort people to safe accommodation.  This year there was little snow but a landslide had taken the road out.  Resulting in a 50 mile detour.  It was nice that the local Sheriff   visited on Sunday to see if I was alright.  Also being greeted by prospective new hams who had already found tech courses and VEC exam centres to do their ham licenses.  I left my November and December QST's with them.  Next year I am sure I’ll have competition.  It’ll also be easier for me to work UT.

 

 

Delays, jetlag and dificulties getting a lanyard up a tree resulted in me starting 2hours into the contest.  By 6pm MT I felt I was not doing very well and so went for diner.  When I returned at 8.30pm things picked up.  With 40m and  80m doing well until I closed at 1.15am MT.  I awoke early next morning to operate just before dawn.  Where I can usually snag some good contacts especially VI and PR.  Unfortunately although a strong signal throughout the day the pile up for PR was too difficult to get through.  Especially on 10m.  But VI was obtained.

 

 

On Sunday operation was mainly on 10m and 15m where changes in propagation would give me a ‘ pipeline to a specific area of North America’ where my signal was strong for enough time to make some contacts.  It was interesting to hear G stations on the band.  Unfortunately 20m was hard with wall to wall strong signals.  So my signals were hard to hear.  On 40m signals were going long.

 

 

My best contact was when I was called and worked by another qrp station, WA0MHJ in Minnesota who was Q5 with no signal strength reading on the FT817 between adjacent sidebands of other stations.  It just shows “If you can hear them you can work them”

 

With the altitude, tiredness and jetlag my next contact gave me a serious head ache which led me to have to take a break.  Walk around the portable site have a drink etc.  Unfortunately it was the pattern in the log which confused me.    Freq 21.212 serial 122  221 S11  STX

 

So by 7.15pm MT I had worked 143 contacts with 59 multipliers.  Better than in previous years.  I just hope that my dyslexia hasn’t resulted in losses like last year. 

On the Monday I dismantled my portable station and took advantage of working some stations on 10m, 12m and 17m before leaving to travel.

 

Will I fly over next year to take part?  You bet.  Hopefully I will be able to try out the VE7CA yagi or one which I thought about on my travels.  It is still a friendly and fun contest in which any one can take part.  May be I’ll have some competition from my hosts.

So everyone have a good end to the year.  I look forward to giving away some more points and multipliers next year.  Best 73's   Simon GW0NVN  N1XIH

 

Little observations

 

With the USA being signatory to CEPT it was interesting listening to the DL****/W5 station on vacation in the USA working stations.  Can contest logging software handle the call sign?

 

 

The number of contest logging programs which crashed during contacts.

 

 

Stations which do not use the TLA (three letter abbreviation)for their section

 

 

-- GW0NVN