2014 ARRL Sweepstakes CW K5ZD
Call: K5ZD Operator(s): K5ZD Station: K5ZD Class: Single Op HP QTH: W1 Operating Time (hrs): 18.1 Radios: SO2R Summary: Band QSOs 160: 0 80: 163 40: 293 20: 306 15: 151 10: 172 Total: 1085 Sections 82 Total Score 177,940
For the first time in 37 years I was not sitting at the radio ready to go when the clock struck 2100z. After 3400 QSOs in CQ WW last weekend and another 2400 as W1AW/1 this week, I did not have my usual radio excitement for SS CW. So I did sit down about 2 minutes late and had to wait for the computer to reboot. Hey – its SS CW!
I had hinted to my wife that I did not plan to be serious. She came into the shack about 01z to see if I wanted to go out to dinner. This was when guys were calling in at 2 per minute. I decided to take 2 hours and go, knowing that finding QSOs on Sunday would be much harder.
Had 82 sections by Sunday morning. Not a hint of VE8. KL7RA was booming in for hours so the band was open. Spent hours tuning 10 and 15 meters.
I sat down at 01z to make a few QSOs before turning off the radio and switched to 20m. Heard VE8EV work someone. First sign of a VE8 all weekend! Spent the next hour trying everything I could think of to find him. Tuned and tuned. Called CQ with the beam north. No luck. 🙁
I love copying the long SS exchange. We just need to find an additional 500-1000 people to share that passion and this would be a great contest. Unfortunately, it gets pretty slow on Sunday.
With 10m so good and my 2 hours off Sat evening, this is one of the weirdest band by band totals I have ever had. Usually 40m dominates.
This is my 37th consecutive year to make more than 1000 contacts in SS CW.
Full history at http://k5zd.com/scores/sweepstakes-cw-personal-records/
Thanks for the QSOs!
QSO/Sec by hour and band Hour 80 40 20 15 10 Total Cumm Off 2100Z - - - 1/1 95/44 96/45 96/45 2200Z - - 1/0 33/5 39/10 73/15 169/60 2300Z - - 50/7 31/3 - 81/10 250/70 0000Z --+-- 32/3 36/2 7/0 --+-- 75/5 325/75 8 0100Z - - - - - 0/0 325/75 60 0200Z - - - - - 0/0 325/75 60 0300Z 1/0 47/1 26/0 - - 74/1 399/76 1 0400Z 79/0 14/1 - - - 93/1 492/77 0500Z 52/1 22/1 - - - 74/2 566/79 0600Z 9/0 47/0 - - - 56/0 622/79 0700Z 8/1 10/0 - - - 18/1 640/80 30 0800Z --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- --+-- 0/0 640/80 60 0900Z - - - - - 0/0 640/80 60 1000Z - - - - - 0/0 640/80 60 1100Z - 2/0 - - - 2/0 642/80 58 1200Z 8/0 51/1 2/1 - - 61/2 703/82 1300Z - 17/0 34/0 - - 51/0 754/82 1400Z - 24/0 22/0 - - 46/0 800/82 1500Z - 3/0 6/0 - - 9/0 809/82 46 1600Z --+-- --+-- 25/0 19/0 --+-- 44/0 853/82 1700Z - - 40/0 7/0 2/0 49/0 902/82 1800Z - - 25/0 - 20/0 45/0 947/82 1900Z - - - 11/0 - 11/0 958/82 44 2000Z - - - - - 0/0 958/82 60 2100Z - - 4/0 29/0 5/0 38/0 996/82 14 2200Z - 9/0 19/0 9/0 5/0 42/0 1038/82 2300Z - 8/0 - 2/0 6/0 16/0 1054/82 34 0000Z --+-- --+-- --+-- 2/0 --+-- 2/0 1056/82 56 0100Z 5/0 7/0 11/0 - - 23/0 1079/82 0200Z 1/0 - 5/0 - - 6/0 1085/82 53 Total: 163/2 293/7 306/10 151/9 172/54