Notes on the Contest
This contest began for me 363 days ago. The first real test of my new station had
resulted in a #3 finish in the '93 WW CW only 30K behind K1KI and K1ZM. Lots of antenna
work over the summer and this was going to be an all out effort to win. KQ2M told me
during Phone SS that they were going to get the 40m beam up at KM1H. Add in N2NT, W1KM,
N6BV, N2LT, KM9P and the usual stealth entry of K1ZM and I knew the competition was going
to be tough.
0000Z
Despite all the anticipation, I start the contest absolutely flat. No adrenaline, no
enthusiasm, nothing. Maybe it is my heavy duty work schedule, or the 9 extra people in our
house the past 2 days, or just the burn out from this being my 3rd serious contest effort
in 5 weekends (I vote for that one). I decide to grind it out and hope that I will warm up
to the contest and find some source of motivation.
Bands are just as expected the first night. I take my pounding on 80m and have fun
busting pile-ups on 160. 20m is open all night to JA although I only work a few since I am
concentrating on the low bands.
Keep checking 20 during the 08, 09 and 10Z hours. Good scatter sounds like the top of
the cycle. Bands are going to be great! I work two EA stations on 15m at 1030Z (that's
5:30AM local time) and they are loud! Yes, the bands are going to be hot.
1100Z
Hmmm...I am hunt and pouncing on 20 but only the big guns are coming through. I am
having no luck calling CQ. Sunrise is 1140Z and with the sun comes the devastating solar
storm. Normally the 12Z hour is a big one here. I managed to find 15 QSOs spread across 80
to 20m. It is so bad I spend time calling a JA on 80, some LP on 40. Yuck!
During 13Z I spend time trying to find QSOs on 20 and 15m. It is a struggle.
Conditions are nearly identical to the WW Phone contest. It too suffered from a solar
upset Saturday at sunrise. With a strong sense of deja vu, I go to 20m, start pressing F1,
and wait for the bands to return. From my experience on Phone, I "know" that 15m
will open tomorrow. So I concentrate on milking 20 for all it has. I use the second radio
to tune 10 and 15 for easy Caribbean/SA mults.
1900Z
The computer screen starts to blur. I am having trouble seeing the point of the screen
where I am trying to type. Unfortunately, I know exactly what this means -- ocular
migraine headache in 15 minutes. Look for Ibuprofen but we are out. Oh this is going to
hurt. My concentration suffers badly, but I have lived through these during contests
before.
Twenty is almost gone to Europe and 40 is a mess of unanswered CQs. I try several times
to find a spot with no luck. I hear KM1H down around 7009 almost all weekend and I figure
that his bigger antenna is carving out an advantage. My head still hurts and my enthusiasm
is wilting!
I stick it out until late in the 01Z hour. This is awful. All bands closed to Europe! I
have been in the chair for all but 5 minutes of the first 25 hours. It is time for a
shower and some food.
0300Z
I continue to grind but the bands are bad. I keep thinking that I should go to sleep!
My headache is receding but it still hurts. I keep questioning why I am doing this. I
would give anything to know how the other single ops are doing. I want to quit, but there
is always the chance I am close.
By 04Z, I can't stand it any more. I decide to sleep for 45 minutes and get back up for
EU sunrise. This was almost a mistake. I wake up fine but the "sleep
drunkenness" is murder. It takes all of my experience and knowledge of what is
happening to keep moving. My stomach is turning over and I am dizzy. 15 minutes later and
I am awake but not after many thoughts of quitting. Why do we do this?
0600Z
I am rewarded by a recovery of conditions. One of my occasional exploratory CQs on 160
is rewarded with an answer from DJ6RX. I get 34 answers in 30 minutes including 5 new
mults. I even get to 80m and get some answers there (my 80m scores are more a testament to
my S&P ability than my signal strength).
I stay awake into the 0900Z hour running Europeans on 40. I need more sleep and decide
to catch another hour from 0940Z to 1040Z. This results in another bout with sleep
drunkenness. Note: Always take sleep breaks in 90 minute periods -- it does make a
difference.
1200Z
During the 11Z hour, 20m was kind of weird. Some signals but couldn't get much going. I
was checking 15 on the second rig and was hearing SA/AF and even some Europe on scatter. I
only had 51 QSOs on 15 (33 mults) so I decided to see what I could work on scatter.
No problem working stations so I decide to CQ. No luck. I give up and tune down the
band just in time to hear local W2SC get an answer. Hey, if he can get answers I should. I
go back to 21011 and call CQ again. It works. Some on scatter and some booming on direct
path. The frequency goes wild!
Europeans are calling in by the dozen. OT4T starts CQing up 2 kHz and he is 40 over! I
see the rate meter climb like crazy. You know it is good when the last 100 meter is going
up!
I try to move G4BUO to 10m on a lark. It is tough with the rate to even have time to
call him on the second rig. We never work, but I notice there are lots of signals on 10
including EU on scatter. I hear/work an IS0 on direct path. With rates over 130/hour on
the main rig, my rate drops each time I try the second rig. I am sure I gave away QSOs but
I didn't want to miss anything. I had 505 QSOs in less than 5 hours (that sure helps the
score)!
1700Z
Time to go to 20m. I am focused on keeping the rate up. 20m is not very good and I end
up alternating between CQing and S&P for mults. The 19, 20 and 21Z hours are pretty
slow. About 2230Z, I decide that 40m is my best hope to make it to 4 Million.
I try CQing down low. I try around 7020. It is a battle and I am losing. Finally, I
S&P up high in the band. I find another frequency and it is magic. Steady slow rate of
one QSO per minute. The score builds and I am overjoyed to pass 4 Meg with 50 minutes to
go. Amazingly the rate continues. YK0A calls in (the first time I heard them all weekend).
They are puny weak. WJ2O/KP2 fires up down 1 and I go get him for another mult.
0000Z
Finally, the contest is over. I feel better, but I am certain that I am out of the
running. It was so bad I was sure KQ2M or someone else must have done better.
I just about fall out of the chair when KQ2M reads his breakdown. It is CLOSE! We are
only 12K points apart. We have the same zone and country multiplier. Boy, am I glad I
didn't sleep a minute more! Now it is up to the log checkers. I would normally be
confident, but with that migraine for 8 hours, my concentration may not have been good
enough. Congratulations to Bob either way it goes. I am sure he fought many of the same
mental battles that I did.
Here are the numbers.
Continental Breakdown
