I've Been CQ'd!

CQ World Wide DX Contest SSB Flavor

The Post Office safely delivered not one, but TWO large white envelopes to our box which we retrieved today. I'm not a big fan of SSB contests but once in a while I will jump in and play. Well, when 10 meters calls, I will listen. During this contest, it was once again all about 10 meters, for me anyhow! Like a kid drawn to ice cream, I have enjoyed this band for years. And since 10 meters was so quiet for so long up here in Alaska, every contest I'm checking it frequently. This SSB contest drew me in without hesitation and I guess I did pretty well for my small station effort. Obviously my amplifier was still functional at the time of this contest as it was a high power entry. I had some points deducted as my claimed score was a bit higher than my actual score. Anyhow, this is what I had submitted to the 3830 list -

 CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB

Call: KL8DX
Operator(s): KL8DX
Station: KL8DX

Class: SOSB/10 HP
QTH: Alaska
Operating Time (hrs): 14.5

Summary:
Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:                    
  80:                    
  40:                    
  20:                    
  15:                    
  10: 1359    28      63
------------------------------
Total: 1359    28      63  Total Score = 270,816

Club: North Coast Contesters

Comments:

Yep, 10 meters sure did impress! A minimal effort to chase new to me
DXCC entities. Some very impressive numbers this year! I'm not a SSB
type but enjoyed my time on 10 meters! Let's hope the trend continues
into next month for the CW version. More of a detailed breakout and
overview just posted to my blog.

73 from chilly AK!

Phil KL8DX

CQ World Wide DX Contest CW Flavor

The second white envelope had my certificate for the CW version of the CQ World Wide DX Contest. I've enjoyed this contest for many years and I threw in for the all band effort this time around. I normally don't enter all band due to the fact my low and antennas stink and I can't work much on 40 & 80 meters. 160, forget it! My strongest bands are obviously those capable of being worked by my trusty Mosley TA-34-XL, 4 element beam. I obviously did not achieve a golden log here either as my submitted score was higher than my actual score. I strive to do my very best in all of my contest efforts but on crowded bands compounded by many factors, it's not unusual to bust a callsign or two (in my case, normally a few more than that). I'm still excited about my effort and when the 2012 version rolls around, I will try to not only better my score but my accuracy too. Sometimes you just gotta take a few extra moments to "get it right."

My submitted 3830 report for the CW contest was -

CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: KL8DX
Operator(s): KL8DX
Station: KL8DX

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: Alaska
Operating Time (hrs): 29h45m

Summary:
Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:    0    0        0
  80:    7    5        5
  40:  45    10      13
  20:  451    22      56
  15:  378    19      30
  10:  971    18      20
------------------------------
Total: 1852    74      124  Total Score = 792,396

Club: North Coast Contesters

Comments:

Best effort EVER for me in any contest. High bands were extremely
busy and I'm forever thankful for the CW filters in my Icom. Lots
of callers at times, which made it tough to pull out even one call.
The only thing that would have made this contest better was a good
European 10 meter opening. No complaints as 10 has been open daily
now for the last few months! 

Thanks so very much for all the calls and sorry to those I missed.
My CW skills are not the best and some of the pile-ups can be crazy
for this DX'er turned weekend warrior. I'm a contesting greenhorn 
with the desire to improve. In looking back,I probably should have
hunted more multipliers on 15 & 10 meters. 

Glad this weekend was quiet weather wise as a Chinook is forcasted
to hit the interior this week and next weekend with predicted gusts
to 70 mph. Time to nest the beam just above the roof line and break
out the shorts as our temperatures will be well above zero. Our family
beagle will sure be looking forward to the warm up as she won't have to
wear her "Puppy Paws" when she heads outdoors. 

Many friends encountered this weekend, wish I was better at typing
out personal greetings. I have problems with hitting the correct F-KEY
let alone ALT-K and typing a short personal "Hello" without a buffer. 

As the contest season gets started once again, I have these great pieces of wallpaper to inspire me to achieve more than what I did the previous year. A higher score and fewer mistakes is my end result. Not sure what my strategy will be for 2012 but you can sure bet, my first is just being there!