Call: VE8EV
Operator(s):  
Station: VE8EV

Added: 12/Dec/2011
Contest: ARRL 10-METER CONTEST
Class: SO CW LP
QTH: Inuvik, NT
Operating time: 14

Summary: 
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
   CW:  322    63
  SSB:           
-------------------
Total:  322    63  
Total Score = 81,144
Club: 

Soapbox: 

Just 100 watts and a vertical for
this one so I decided to go CW only. 
The marginal antenna, low power,
aurora, low SSN and lack of time all
conspired to keep the numbers low. 
Given my limited CW prowess it was
probably just as well.  When I had
time to get on the radio I'd find a
quiet corner at the higher end of the
band and run callers with only an
occasional foray to S&P the loud guys.
 I got up early Saturday and CQ'd away
for four hours without a single
caller, hoping for that mythical
morning opening to Europe.  It didn't
appear and I suspect that from this
part of the world in December it never
will.  Still, the band was open to
everywhere in North America for at
least five hours both days so I
certainly can't complain.

My ability
to copy CW is still a bit ropey and I
was kind of nervous at the very
beginning.  Wouldn't you know the very
first answer I get to my cq was
7K4QOK!  Once I got through that the
rest was fairly smooth sailing.  The
rate meter actually hit 100 for a few
short bursts so I guess I'm starting
to get the hang of it.  Worked a
pretty good cross section of W/VE, a
handful of Asians, VK/ZL, and a few
South Americans (although not as many
as I remember from the old days on
10m).

Lots of giggles in this one for
some reason.  The best was working the
W8 with the drifting TX.  He was zero
beat at the start of each call but his
frequency would increase with every
key stroke until he was out of my
passband.  After three tries I finally
opened up the filter to 3K and got him
in the log.  For some reason it
sounded hysterically funny and I
chuckled about it all day long.
 I
also found it very amusing that it
took me three tries to figure out why
the KH7 station was laughing at me
instead of sending his exchange.  Is
this what normally happens to people
after listening to beeping for hours
on end?

Happy Holidays and hope to
hear everyone in the RAC Winter
Contest next weekend!

73 John VE8EV