[OhQP-mail] OhQP K8CC Single Op LP

[David Pruett]

Ohio QSO Party

Call: K8CC
Operator(s): K8CC
Station: K8CC

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: MI
Operating Time (hrs): 5

Summary:
  Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs
--------------------
    80:   51     60
    40:    7
    20:
    15:
    10:
--------------------
Total:   58     60  CW Mults = 37  Ph Mults = 38  Total Score = 13,200

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

Doing this contest from Michigan is difficult because our close proximity
reduces Ohio QSO opportunities to just 40M during the day and 80M at night.
Conditions this year cut that in half as 40M was essentially worthless for
MI-to-OH QSOs.

Two minutes before the contest, I heard K8NZ working somebody on 40 CW but Ron
was right at the noise level - not a good sign for the weekend.  Once the
contest started, it was hard to tell there was anybody on - everyone was right
at the noise level.

After a couple of minutes, QSB brought KW8N up to solid copy but it still took
many tries for him to hear my 100W.  I missed his pre-contest post, so I was
puzzled when he sent "WARR" rather than his usual "LORA" -
oh well, copy what he sends... Only six QSOs in the first 30 minutes, then
things got worse

Thunderstorms had been predicted in the area, and every couple of seconds a
static crash would cover up the weak signals.  Then came the rain, and we were
hit with constant, buzzy rain static.  After making no QSOs at all from 1630 -
1730, I walked away from the radio, coming back every 15 minutes or so to see
if things had improved (they hadn't).  About 2000Z I went upstairs to watch the
NASCAR race for a bit, but fell asleep in the recliner.  I woke up when my
family called about 2215Z, inviting me to come for for pizza dinner.

When I got back around 01Z, it was a completely different contest.  No Ohio
signals were heard on 40 SSB, and 40 CW was a wasteland filled with strong RTTY
signals.  But 80 CW was hopping with strong signals and QSOs started going into
the log for the first time in about eight hours.

After working everyone heard on CW, I QSY'd up to 75 SSB.  After working
everyone I heard up there, I decided to try CQing.  Everything above 3800
seemed busy, so I set up on 3798 and to my amazement started getting
answers...lots of answers   I ran about 20 Ohio stations there at a steady
if not spectacular rate (collecting valuable phone mults) before the DX Window
Police ran me off.

At that point, I figured what worked on SSB should work on CW, so I QSY'd down
to 3550 and started CQing and was rewarded with a nice, steady stream of
stations for the better part of an hour.  This set the pattern for the rest of
the contest: CQ on 80 CW, sweep 80 CW, CQ on 75M SSB, sweep 75M SSB and repeat.
  I was still working new mults right up until the end of the contest.

In 2012 I did OhQP with the exact same setup, but had*exactly*  twice the
score, which illustrates how the condx on 40M this year hurt.  But the runs on
80M/75M saved the contest for me, and I thank all the Ohio stations who
called.

My thanks to Tim, KE8OC for help with last minute antenna work which was
essential for OhQP participation.

See you next year!

73, Dave/K8CC


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