12/15/2005 | KD2MX This was my first 10-meter contest. Having been off the air for many years, and reading about the sunspot doldrums, I expected the worst for band conditions. I was pleasantly surprised...

I didn't hear much Friday night but the band stayed open well past midnight Saturday here in NJ. Signals from across the US were booming in,though I heard nothing out of Europe. Conditions Sunday weren't quite as good. The band closed up around 4pm local and that was that for me, leaving me a few contacts short of my very modest goal of 100.

I ran qrp cw, 5 watts into my stealthy longwire. Good enough for 29 states, 5 countries, and a lot of fun. Thanks to all who dug my "599" signal out of the mud. I had hoped to get a 10-meter antenna in place for this weekend but I didn't make it. It turned out ok though...

It's an interesting contrast to have the 160 and 10 Meter contests back-to-back. I've gotten two weekends of real-time cw practice and I'm beginning to get back in the swing of it. Looking forward to next time... -- KD2MX