ARRL SS SSB 2010

This is the first time I participated in sweepstakes and despite the long exchange, I did have a good time. The exchange consists of a "serial number or QSO amount", "precedence or class" of which I was "A" for single operator low power, my callsign, a "check" or year first licensed as a Ham and ARRL section. So My entire exchange went like this for QSO#1--- 01 A N0UJJ 92 MN Try that many times over without a voice keyer!! I also had to copy similiar exchanges from the far end. ARRL sections are two and three letter abreviations and there is eighty of them- USA and Canadian! I also found My listening ability to My brain and then to type it correctly to a logging program is not great. Half way thru I actually switched to writing it down and then transferring it to the PC, not very efficient and certainly not good for calling CQ. This again meant a strictly S & P contest for Me. Eventually I started noticing a rthyme to the exchange but every interruption meant starting over getting back into that rthyme.

Contest started at 3:00 CST for Me and 15m was the band to be on . My exchange at first was rough but eventually had the hang of it! My S & P ability is not bad so by the end of the first hour had a little over 30 logged. Then it was time to break for supper. Upon returning, after a few chores,found the bands closed on both 15m and 20m and most activity had shifted to 40m and 75m. Both these bands for casual QSO's and net check-ins work well for Me,but during a contest, My little pee-shooter station struggles. It also was extremely noisy and was starting to give Me a headache so I decided to do something else and check back often. I was really hoping for some activity to move to 160m so I could try out My inverted"L", but this never happened and I finally went to bed. I was well below what I had hoped for the first night but not giving up.

Sunday on and off times were dependant on Family activities and I managed to get on the air several more times. 15m was again My best band but 20m also worked fairly well and I added many multipliers on 20! I did have a few embarrassing exchanges when I was informed I was a"dupe om". Seems I had fat fingered several early entries. One was super station NR5M, but He handled it well!

I also realized the last hours of this contest seemed more relaxed than the first rush on Saturday. Some portions of the bands also were less congested and I had better luck with logging contacts within the first few tries. My Yaesu FT-950 performed very well and I was constantly amazed with the narrow bandwidth setting and how signals jumped out of the QRM to be totally copyable! Contour filter,IF shift and notch all made it better for picking out signals. I wish the other end could hear Me as well as I hear them!! Maybe time for QRO level!-- LOL or not!!

At the end My log showed 129 Qso's,41 sections for a total of 10660. Not as good as I had hoped,but each contest I learn new tricks- maybe someday My score will reflect that!!

73---Tim