2010 ARRL International DX Contest (CW)
02/22/2010 |
KC2TA
I really thought things were going well. Had a Sunday without any soccer or other activities scheduled -- although I did have to work Saturday morning and do some grocery shopping on Sunday afternoon. Things were looking good.
I guess getting up at 3:15 six days a week for the last 1-1/2 months and on the seventh day getting up at 5:30 for soccer finally caught up with me. Keep that in mind as you continue through this diatribe.
Starting the contest almost right on time, I had neglected to correct the computer clock for the +5 to get to UTC. Found that out about a dozen q's in, so a quick stoppage of the festivities, correct the times on the log for those q's, reset the clock on the computer. Things were looking pretty good, but...
FORGOT TO REBOOT THE SOFTWARE!!!!!!!!!!
Bad enough I was trying to send cw and type with my right index finger bandaged up due to fileting it while working in my woodshop a week earlier -- still pretty mangled! Talk about fat fingers still having problems as I type this and using the key was interesting with an unbendable index fingerand still I thought things were looking pretty good.
But
Would you believe (I know I had problems believing I was so dumb) that over the next couple of times quitting for a bit and shutting down the computer
I FORGOT TO RESET THE DAMNED SOFTWARE but at least I caught it early enough that I WOULDNT HAVE TO REWORK MY LOGS THREE TIMES!!! Thought I had them fixed and found another error in the paperwork. Finally got the log straightened out, uploaded to e-QSL and LOTW and sent the logs into the League where the contest input system found two more errors!!!! I just couldnt win for losing!
BUT
Lets look at the results:
2009:
254 Qs 126 Mults Score: 92,232
2010:
578 Qs 163 Mults Score: 282,642 claimed.
To some, not all that grand. To me? I was looking for one extra Q and one more multiplier! Every contest I enter, that is the goal just one better on each category than the previous year. So when I pulled the plug about 5:20pm on Sunday, I felt spent but very pleased with my result.
The fun:
Adding Saudi Arabia to the confirmed on CW.
Hearing and being able to work JAs for the first time in months (when the window was W6-land)
Calling CQ and having mini pile-ups on me, causing unheard of hourly
averages for me:
51 per hour
57 per hour
68 per hour
74 per hour.
And then the one hour that I didnt realize I had in me:
89 Qs nearly 1.5 qs per minute!
(All accomplished on Sunday)
AND
Wondering what I could have done during those six hours at work AND the 90 minutes round trip commute time.
I stopped and had a beer when that 89 Q hour was done preceded by a nature call that required attention ;-D.
To say that I enjoyed myself is an understatement. The only downside was that 10 really didnt open up much, but it was nice to hear it open even if only for a short time and I couldnt get the long wire up for 80 & 160 prior to the contest.
May try the Phone portion, but definitely looking forward to the IARU Radiosport. -- KC2TA
I guess getting up at 3:15 six days a week for the last 1-1/2 months and on the seventh day getting up at 5:30 for soccer finally caught up with me. Keep that in mind as you continue through this diatribe.
Starting the contest almost right on time, I had neglected to correct the computer clock for the +5 to get to UTC. Found that out about a dozen q's in, so a quick stoppage of the festivities, correct the times on the log for those q's, reset the clock on the computer. Things were looking pretty good, but...
FORGOT TO REBOOT THE SOFTWARE!!!!!!!!!!
Bad enough I was trying to send cw and type with my right index finger bandaged up due to fileting it while working in my woodshop a week earlier -- still pretty mangled! Talk about fat fingers still having problems as I type this and using the key was interesting with an unbendable index fingerand still I thought things were looking pretty good.
But
Would you believe (I know I had problems believing I was so dumb) that over the next couple of times quitting for a bit and shutting down the computer
I FORGOT TO RESET THE DAMNED SOFTWARE but at least I caught it early enough that I WOULDNT HAVE TO REWORK MY LOGS THREE TIMES!!! Thought I had them fixed and found another error in the paperwork. Finally got the log straightened out, uploaded to e-QSL and LOTW and sent the logs into the League where the contest input system found two more errors!!!! I just couldnt win for losing!
BUT
Lets look at the results:
2009:
254 Qs 126 Mults Score: 92,232
2010:
578 Qs 163 Mults Score: 282,642 claimed.
To some, not all that grand. To me? I was looking for one extra Q and one more multiplier! Every contest I enter, that is the goal just one better on each category than the previous year. So when I pulled the plug about 5:20pm on Sunday, I felt spent but very pleased with my result.
The fun:
Adding Saudi Arabia to the confirmed on CW.
Hearing and being able to work JAs for the first time in months (when the window was W6-land)
Calling CQ and having mini pile-ups on me, causing unheard of hourly
averages for me:
51 per hour
57 per hour
68 per hour
74 per hour.
And then the one hour that I didnt realize I had in me:
89 Qs nearly 1.5 qs per minute!
(All accomplished on Sunday)
AND
Wondering what I could have done during those six hours at work AND the 90 minutes round trip commute time.
I stopped and had a beer when that 89 Q hour was done preceded by a nature call that required attention ;-D.
To say that I enjoyed myself is an understatement. The only downside was that 10 really didnt open up much, but it was nice to hear it open even if only for a short time and I couldnt get the long wire up for 80 & 160 prior to the contest.
May try the Phone portion, but definitely looking forward to the IARU Radiosport. -- KC2TA
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