This past 2008 NAQP SSBa week ago was a blast. This is the second year to operate NAQP SSB as part of a multi-2 effort from N1LN, using the NC4KW call. We were able to improve the score over our August effort last year, and I feel really good about that. The NAQP group was N1LN, N1YXU, KA1ARB, NT4D, N4YDU and me. It’s a mix of some really good people who are also good operators.
I started the contest on 15m, with N4YDU over on the 20m rig. I had a quick start, but the string of QSO’s on 15m died out rapidly. N4YDU had a much better first hour. I didn’t really keep track of the band changes after that, but laterwhen I returned to the rig for aanother stint at the controls, we used the operator change to put 40m over on the left side of N1LN’s shack to be closer to the control box for the 40m antenna.
N4YDU had taken the left chairand 40m, so I did a quick sweep of the other bands from the right radio. NT4D had been trying to get a run started on 80m, but the action had been slow there. After scaning 10m and 15m, I did a quick check on 20m. There seemed to still be some activity there. Since 80m had seemed slow for NT4D, I figured to give 20m another try, at least for ten minutes worth.
That ten minutesturned out to be one of the better hours I have worked through. I saw theten minute rate in the high 200’s several times, and N4YDU says he saw it over 300. We had about two hours of solid 140/hr 60 minute rate. Lots of fun. It was a real boost to be called by a ZL1 and a portable /VY1 when running 100w on SSB. THAT won’t happen often at the KazShack.
80 meters never did become veryproductive. There were low levels of activity, and the QRN was unpleasant. The rates were slow at times, but slow is a relative term.
Post contest monitoring of 3830 shows W5WMU with a great August score, and their 20m total number of QSO’s is fantastic. The NX5M M/2 group was close to its score from 2008.
Sorry now that I missed operating NAQP CW for the full ten hours allowed.
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