All scores are claimed scores unless otherwise noted. January: CWOps CWT 1300Z January 4 QSO’s: 97 Mult’s: 88 Score: 8,536 Op Time: 60 minutes January: CWOps CWT 1900Z January 4 QSO’s: 100 Mult’s: 84 Score: 8,400 Op Time: 60 minutes Comment: So, you can get a medallion from CWOps if you operate in at least 50 sessions in a given year. That would be about twice as many as I normally do but I figure, why not? I also wanted to practice SO2R for the upcoming NAQP CW. January: ARRL RTTY Roundup (Final Score) QSO’s: 1,069 Mult’s: 85 Score: 89,930 Op Time: 20:00 Comment: First place overall for the Indiana Section (17 stations) and first place for the Central Division in Unlimited, Low Power (17 stations). Fifth place US and Canada. First time ever to make 1,000 QSO’s in a contest. I only wish I could have worked more mult’s to take advantage of the QSO points. I entered the SO-Unlimited Low Power category in order to avoid being in the same entry category as my good friend N9LF. I can’t say that the packet spots helped with either rate or multipliers, however. The old record for SO-U LP for Indiana was 48,790 so I surpassed that by a wide margin. January: CWOps CWT 1300Z January 11 QSO’s: 100 Mult’s: 91 Score: 9,100 Op Time: 60 minutes January: CWOps CWT 1900Z January 11 QSO’s: 105 Mult’s: 95 Score: 9,975 Op Time: 60 minutes Comment: Another twofer CWT, and more SO2R practice for the upcoming NAQP CW. Towards the middle of the 1300Z session I noticed the right radio, the IC 756ProIII, was not putting out full power. At first thought it might be due to an undervoltage from the power supply but was able to duplicate the problem with several different power supplies. The problem manifests only after several minutes or more of CQ’ing, but the slower pace of S&P does not seem to cause a problem. Temperature? January: NAQP CW January 14 (Final Score QSO’s: 688 Mult’s: 153 Score: 105,264 Op Time: 9 hours Comment: High bands were very disappointing Saturday afternoon. Rate was actually better on 15M than 20M until 15M waned. Nothing on 10M. So, 80M and 40M were the money bands, but 160M was a pleasant surprise. All three lower bands were quiet and signals were easy to copy. Normally, if I can snag a few dozen mults on 160, that’s a good showing. This was the best 160M NAQP CW in my memory. My SO2R practice also paid off, although the power output problem (see comments in Jan 1900Z CWT) was a nuisance. Third place for IN (26 stations) January: CWOps CWT 1300Z January 18 QSO’s: 68 Mult’s: 55 Score: 3,740 Op Time: 45 minutes January: CWOps CWT 1900Z January 18 QSO’s: 79 Mult’s: 68 Score: 5,372 Op Time: 45 minutes Comment: Both of these CWT’s were run at low power and with just one radio, to see if I could isolate the power out problem on the 756ProIII. Definitely not a power supply issue. Installed a booster cooling fan but that also does not appear to make a difference. The radio does not feel particularly warm, either. Perplexing. January: NAQP SSB QSO’s: 210 Mult’s: 84 Score: 17,640 Op Time: 5 hours Comment: A contest tailor made for whining: low activity, poor prop on high bands, long skip and lots of noise on low bands. What’s not to love? January: CWOps CWT 1300Z January 25 QSO’s: 27 Mult’s: 27 Score: 729 Op Time: 30 minutes January: CWOps CWT 1900Z January 25 QSO’s: 39 Mult’s: 39 Score: 1,521 Op Time: 30 minutes Comment: Both sessions were primarily S&P due to my limited operating window, and single radio only. January: CQ WW 160 CW QSO’s: 472 Points: 1,094 Mult’s: 65 Score: 71,110 Op Time: 9 hours Comment: A personal best in this contest, which included several long runs. Band was relatively quiet and activity was high. Worked three new countries on 160: Morocco, Belize and Columbia. February: CWOps CWT 1300Z February 1 QSO’s: 108 Mult’s: 93 Score: 10,044 Op Time: 1 Hour February: CWOps CWT 1900Z February 1 QSO’s: 109 Mult’s: 102 Score: 11,118 Op Time: 1 Hour Comment: Sessions 9 and 10 for 2017. The 1900Z score was my second highest ever but not quite good enough for top 10. The hobbled 756ProII does OK in search and pounce mode. February: CWOps CWT 1300Z February 8 QSO’s: 105 Mult’s: 101 Score: 10,500 Op Time: 1 Hour February: CWOps CWT 1900Z February 8 QSO’s: 46 Mult’s: 44 Score: 2,024 Op Time: 0.5 Hour Comment: Sessions 11 and 12 for 2017. February: CQ WPX RTTY @ K9CT QSO’s: 3,636 Points: 10,709 Mult’s: 1,061 Score: 11,362,249 Comment: Guest op at K9CT. Ops included (see picture, left to right) were K9NR, N7US, K3WA, Moi, K9CT and N9CK. Live score tracking during the contest suggested we were the top NA team, with a couple of EU teams having better scores. The total lack of 10M activity meant our score was considerably lower than in previous years. February: NAQP RTTY QSO’s: 393 Mult’s: 106 Score: 41,658 Op Time: 8.5 Hrs Comment: Got home from a 2 week vacation late on Friday. Was I rested or exhausted? Bands were long and propagation was poor. This seemed to be the best I could do. March: CWOps CWT 1300Z March 1 QSO’s: 42 Mult’s: 42 Score: 1,764 Op Time: 0.5 Hour March: CWOps CWT 1900Z March 1 QSO’s: 41 Mult’s: 38 Score: 1,558 Op Time: 0.5 Hour March: CWOps CWT 0300Z March 2 QSO’s: 22 Mult’s: 22 Score: 462 Op Time: 0.25 Hour Comment: Sessions 13, 14 and 15 for 2017. These were low power efforts. I was using a borrowed Icom 7300, testing it as a possible replacement for my ailing 756ProIII. Some quick conclusions relative to the K3: good audio, excellent noise reduction; scope is awkward and unsatisfying. Filtering is not bad but not quite as good as the K3, although the bands were not particularly crowded and thus the filters could not really be pushed. March: CWOps CWT 1300Z March 8 QSO’s: 42 Mult’s: 42 Score: 1,764 Op Time: 0.5 Hour March: CWOps CWT 1900Z March 8 QSO’s: 56 Mult’s: 55 Score: 3,080 Op Time: 1 Hour Comment: Once again operating low power, to test the Icom 7300. My 1900Z score was a top ten finish. I turned the 7300 off out of frustration midway through the hour, finding the scope a source of frustration instead of satisfaction. I thought I did not need a scope on my run radio, and maybe I don’t, but if the radio has one, I’d like it to be an aid rather than a hinderance. Testing the 7300 in various 2-radio scenarios also shows it can experience ADC overflow or overload from the second harmonic of the K3, even when the K3 is only operating 100 watts. March: WIQP QSO’s: 141 Points: 265 Mult’s: 59 Score: 15,635 Op Time: 5 Hours Comment: A great job as always by the Wisconsin mobiles. Some of them were consistently lounder than some of the fixed stations. However, it appeared the overall activity may have been down from the previous years, or perhaps propagation was just stinko. Still a fun event. March: CWOps CWT 1300Z March 15 QSO’s: 74 Mult’s: 62 Score: 4,588 Op Time: 0.75 Hour March: CWOps CWT 1900Z March 15 QSO’s: 40 Mult’s: 40 Score: 1,600 Op Time: 0.5 Hour Comment: Sessions 18 and 19 for 2017. March: CWOps CWT 1300Z March 22 QSO’s: 35 Mult’s: 35 Score: 1,225 Op Time: 0.5 Hour Comment: Sessions 20 for 2017. Operated low power. March: CWOps CWT 1300Z March 29 QSO’s: 78 Mult’s: 69 Score: 5,382 Op Time: 0.5 Hour March: CWOps CWT 1900Z March 29 QSO’s: 26 Mult’s: 26 Score: 676 Op Time: 0.25 Hour Comment: Sessions 21 and 22 for 2017. April: CWOps CWT 1300Z April 5 QSO’s: 97 Mult’s: 92 Score: 8,924 Op Time: 1 Hour Comment: It felt good to put in the full hour at high power. April: CWOps CWT 1900Z April 5 QSO’s: 38 Mult’s: 38 Score: 1,444 Op Time: 0.5 Hour Comment: Session 23 and 24 for 2017. April: CWOps CWT 1300Z April 12 QSO’s: 43 Mult’s: 40 Score: 1,720 Op Time: 0.5 Hour Comment: Tested the newly repaired ProIII by trying to call CQ for as much as possible. Looks like the power problem has been fixed. Session 25 for 2017. April: CWOps CWT 1300Z April 19 QSO’s: 68 Mult’s: 65 Score: 4,420 Op Time: 0.75 Hour April: CWOps CWT 1900Z April 19 QSO’s: 25 Mult’s: 24 Score: 600 Op Time: 0.25 Hour Comment: Sessions 26 and 27 for 2017. Focused on “relearning code.” The 1900Z session was cut short by nearby thunderstorms. April: CWOps CWT 1300Z April 26 QSO’s: 38 Mult’s: 36 Score: 1,368 Op Time: 0.5 Hour April: CWOps CWT 1900Z April 26 QSO’s: 36 Mult’s: 34 Score: 1,224 Op Time: 0.5 Hour Comment: Sessions 28 and 29 for 2017. Decided to run without packet, call history, and any code reading software to see just how I would do having to copy everything without any crutch. Up to 22 or 24 wpm not too bad. Beyond that it got ugly very quickly. May: CWOps CWT 1300Z May 3 QSO’s: 43 Mult’s: 40 Score: 1,720 Op Time: 0.5 Hour Comment: Sessions 30 for 2017. May: CWOps CWT 1300Z May 17 QSO’s: 45 Mult’s: 44 Score: 1,980 Op Time: 0.5 Hour Comment: Sessions 31 for 2017. First opportunity to operate after a two week trip to France. My only exposure to ham radio there was a glimpse of this antenna in Paris, about a mile from the Eiffel Tower. Picture was taken from inside our tour bus. I know, it could be a picture from anywhere. Forty eight hours after returning from Paris, I was in Dayton for the annual Hamvention. As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Anyone? Anyone? May: CWOps CWT 1300Z May 23 QSO’s: 41 Mult’s: 37 Score: 1,517 Op Time: 0.5 Hour Comment: Sessions 32 for 2017 May: CWOps CWT 1300Z May 31 QSO’s: 96 Mult’s: 75 Score: 7,200 Op Time: 1 Hour Comment: Session 33 for 2017 and the first full hour CWT since April 5. May: CWOps CWT 1300Z May 31 QSO’s: 96 Mult’s: 75 Score: 7,200 Op Time: 1 Hour Comment: Session 33 for 2017 and the first full hour CWT since April 5. June: ARRL June VHF QSO’s: 1 Mult’s: 1 Score: 1 VHF contests are not my oevre but the SMC put out a call for logs to help them get 50 or more submitted, in order to try to win the Unlimited Club Competition. June: CWOps CWT 1300Z June 14 QSO’s: 68 Mult’s: 64 Score: 4,352 Op Time: 1 hour A special slow speed (20 wpm) or less CWT to accommodate the latest CWA graduating class. I decided the occasion represented an opportunity to try sending everything by hand: calling CQ, calling a station that is calling CQ, and all exchanges. Something I had probably not done for 20 years. There were a few QSO’s that were pretty ugly but for the most part it went well. June: CWOps CWT 1900Z June 14 QSO’s: 25 Mult’s: 25 Score: 625 Op Time: 0.5 hour Also a special slow speed (20 wpm) or less CWT to accommodate the latest CWA graduating class. And I once again sent everything by hand. Had to pull the plug after 30 minutes due to local storms. June: CWOps CWT 1300Z June 21 QSO’s: 80 Mult’s: 72 Score: 5,760 Op Time: 1hour June: CWOps CWT 1900Z June 21 QSO’s: 50 Mult’s: 49 Score: 62,450 Op Time: 0.75 hour I ran both June 21 CWT’s at low power using what was to be the FD setup for W9LDX, which included packet and call history but no decoding. Consequently, both scores were somewhat lower than usual. June: ARRL Field Day June 24-25 at W9LDX QSO’s: 1,777 QSO Points: 2,398 Score: 4,796 Bonus points: 1,350 Grand total: 6,146 A 1A effort. Activity was high, band conditions were good, and the station performed well. These things along with the pleasant company and great weather made for a memorable Field Day. We even made a couple of satellite QSO’s. I personally made 388 QSO’s, all CW, including a phenomenal (for me) 20M 104 QSO’s during the last hour of the event. All of our QSO’s were on 20, 40 and 80. This may have been our best 1A entry ever and will hopefully be good for first place Indiana and a top ten for the event in the 1A category. June: CWOps CWT 1900Z June 28 QSO’s: 97 Mult’s: 82 Score: 7,954 Op Time: 1 hour Session 38 for 2017. Participation was high and band conditions were good. My first 1 hour, full speed CWT in quite some time. July: RAC Canada Day QSO’s: 196 Mult’s: 15 Points: 1,338 Score: 18,732 Op Time: 5 hours My usual 40M effort. More QSO’s, more multipliers and more points than ever. Hopefully, good for another first place world standing in this under-utilized category. Spent more time calling CQ than usual, especially on phone, which brought in a lot of Canadians. July: CWOps CWT 1900Z June 28 QSO’s: 83 Mult’s: 64 Score: 5,312 Op Time: 1 hour Session 39 for 2017. Started out on 80M thinking there might be a few extra QSOs to be had there, but with the benefit of hindsight I probably spent too much time there. July: NAQP RTTY (Final Score) QSO’s: 584 Mult’s: 147 Score: 85,848 Op Time: 10 Hrs Team: SMC-2 Comment: First Place for Indiana and a top 10 finish. Team SMC-2 also took first place in the team competition. Midway through the contest I was optimistic that I might break my all time record for the July NAQP RTTY, which was in 2014. And then at 0100z it was time to drop down to 80M. The good news there was it was easy to find a run frequency. The bad news was the S9 band noise, which made the band an underperformer with relatively few QSO's. A lot of those QSO's involved some guess work on the call and the exchange. So, no new personal best for me. I did manage to work 4 states on all 5 bands including Indiana. Also managed to work all 4 of my SMC-2 team members at least twice. Was pleasantly surprised at what was to be found on 10M and 15M, considering the recent solar doldrums. Even though there were not a lot of QSOs on 10 and 15, the mults on those bands contribute greatly to the score. And, logged my first ever 40M QSO with FP (Saint Pierre & Miquelon). So, all things considered, 10 hours well spent. July: CWOps CWT 1900Z July 19 QSO’s: 46 Mult’s: 46 Score: 2,116 Op Time: .5 hour July: CWOps CWT 1900Z July 19 QSO’s: 47 Mult’s: 47 Score: 2,115 Op Time: .5 hour Sessions 40 and 41 for 2017 July: CWOps CWT 1900Z July 26 QSO’s: 49 Mult’s: 45 Score: 2,205 Op Time: .75 hour Session 42. Ran low power and used my long wire antenna to test the antenna’s viability in the face of the potential loss of my trusted Alpha-Delta DX-CC dipole due to storm damage to the tree that holds up the Northwest end of the dipole. While the damage was not itself a problem, it did reveal a structural problem with the tree that raised questions about the tree’s viability. Had the tree assessed by an arborist who agreed the tree’s days are numbered but he did not recommend immediate removal. August: NAQP CW QSO’s: 720 Mult’s: 167 Score: 120,240 Op Time: 9.75 hours SO2R is hard for me when the rates are high but, for the first ¾’s of this contest, I was in The Zone and I though I was on the way to my best effort ever in this contest. Took my last break and, when I came back, my fingers had turned to sausages and I could not do anything right. Plus, 80M did not yield the expected number of QSO’s due to high noise. So, I had to settle for a “pretty darn good” performance instead of my best ever. August: CWOps CWT 1900Z August 9 QSO’s: 32 Mult’s: 32 Score: 1,024 Op Time: .25 hour August: CWOps CWT 1900Z August 16 QSO’s: 49 Mult’s: 45 Score: 2,205 Op Time: .75 hour Sessions 43 and 44 for 2017. August: NAQP SSB QSO’s: 262 Mult’s: 84 Score: 22,008 Op Time: 6.75 hours Possibly the most horrendous band conditions ever. August: CWOps CWT 1300Z August 23 QSO’s: 25 Mult’s: 25 Score: 625 Op Time: .25 hour Session 45 for 2017. August: CWOps CWT 1300Z August 30 QSO’s: 98 Mult’s: 88 Score: 8,624 Op Time: 1 hour Sessions 46 for 2017. September: CWOps CWT 1900Z September 6 QSO’s: 81 Mult’s: 79 Score: 6,399 Op Time: 1 hour Session 47 for 2017. September: CWOps CWT 1300Z September 20 QSO’s: 52 Mult’s: 52 Score: 2,704 Op Time: .5 hours Sessions 48 for 2017. September: CWOps CWT 1900Z September 20 QSO’s: 26 Mult’s: 26 Score: 676 Op Time: .25 hours Sessions 48 for 2017. September: CQ WW RTTY @ K9CT QSO’s: 3,546 Mult’s: 665 Points: 7,683 Score: 5,109,195 Comment: Operated as part of the K9CT M/2 operation. In addition to myself, operators were (see photo, left to right) Don K9NR, Roger N4RR, Steve AI9T, Craig, K9CT, Steve N9CK, and moi. Preliminary results suggest we finished 8th overall and second place for North America behind ZF1A. October: CWOps CWT 1900Z October 4 QSO’s: 82 Mult’s: 75 Score: 1,650 Op Time: .25 hours Sessions 49 for 2017. October: California QSO Party October 7-8 QSO’s: 135 Mult’s: 40 Score: 16,200 Op Time: 2.5 hours My first time operating this contest since 2009. Had intended to make a major effort but software problems wiped me out the first day. October: CWOps CWT 1300Z October 11 QSO’s: 110 Mult’s: 105 Score: 11,550 Op Time: 1 hour Sessions 50 for 2017. My best score of the year, and second best all time (see August 17, 2016). 40M just wouldn’t quit. Lots of signals which meant I didn’t go to 20M until 45 minutes in, which also meant my mult total was higher than usual. October: CWOps CWT 1900Z October 18 QSO’s: 80 Mult’s: 77 Score: 6,160 Op Time: 1 hour Sessions 51 for 2017. October: ILQP October 22 QSO’s: 68 Mult’s: 40 Score: 5,440 Op Time: 1 hour A travel commitment made a full time operation impossible. November: CWOps CWT 1300Z November 1 QSO’s: 117 Mult’s: 114 Score: 13,338 Op Time: 1 hour Sessions 52 for 2017 and my best score ever. November: CWOps CWT 1900Z November 1 QSO’s: 81 Mult’s: 79 Score: 6,399 Op Time: 1 hour Sessions 53 for 2017. These last 2 sessions were operated as warm ups for SS CW. November: SS CW QSO’s: 788 Mult’s: 80 Score: 126,080 Op Time: 21.25 hours There was speculation before the contest that it would be impossible to get a sweep due to hurricane Maria damage in PR and VI. Having convinced myself before the start of the contest that I would not get a sweep turned out to be very liberating, allowing me to focus on rate. Turns out there were stations on from those sections but I never heard them. NNY was also rare: heard him but there were big pile ups and I moved on. I also worked straight through the first 9 hours of the contest with no breaks other than a couple of 5 or 10 pauses here and there. And worked more hours than ever. Bottom line, my best SS CW score ever. Go figure. November: CWOps CWT 1300Z November 8 QSO’s: 72 Mult’s: 72 Score: 5,184 Op Time: 1 hour Sessions 54 for 2017. November: CWOps CWT 1300Z November 29 QSO’s: 105 Mult’s: 105 Score: 11,025 Op Time: 1 hour Session 55 for 2017. Might be my first ever golden log, where every QSO was also a multiplier. Even made a couple of S&P QSOs on 80 and 20 while running on 40. December: ARRL 160 QSO’s: 620 Mult’s: 74 Score: 92,648 Op Time: 11 hours Excellent band conditions and high participation make for a good contest. All QSOs were made using my long wire. Did not work much DX. December: CWOps CWT 1300Z December 6 QSO’s: 42 Mult’s: 42 Score: 1,764 Op Time: .5 hour Session 56 for 2017. This session started and continued through the month a practice of not using any aids to copy QSO info in the CWTs: no packet and call history turned off. Done in an effort to improve raw copying skill. It’s a good thing there is no log checking. Why is it I can copy 4-6 character callsigns with very high accuracy and then fumble over a 4-6 character name? Limiting myself to 30 minutes of operating in order to keep frustration to a minimum. December: CWOps CWT 300Z December 7 QSO’s: 19 Mult’s: 19 Score: 361 Op Time: .25 hour Session 57 for 2017. December: CWOps CWT 1300Z December 13 QSO’s: 31 Mult’s: 31 Score: 961 Op Time: .25 hour Session 59 for 2017. December: CWOps CWT 1300Z December 20 QSO’s: 52 Mult’s: 49 Score: 2,548 Op Time: .5 hour Session 60 for 2017. December: CWOps CWT 1300Z December 27 QSO’s: 41 Mult’s: 41 Score: 1,681 Op Time: .5 hour Session 61 for 2017. December: CWOps CWT 1900Z December 27 QSO’s: 33 Mult’s: 32 Score: 1,056 Op Time: .5 hour Session 62 for 2017. December: CWOps CWT 300Z December 28 QSO’s: 39 Mult’s: 37 Score: 1,443 Op Time: .5 hour Session 63 for 2017.
Field Day: N9FN works 6M
Field Day: KF9UP works 80M at sunrise
CQ WW RTTY @ K9CT
2017 Contest Results
K9WX Amateur Radio