ARRL SSCW 2010

This was a repeat operation from last year. I used W4NF's station again and ran for a full 24 hours. My raw score bested the VA record, but of course, I had my usual errors, which dropped me out of the top 10. Still took the Division (plaque!) and the state.

I tried using the Flex 1500 as a bandscope. It worked well, but didn't have time to slave the RX to the FT-2000 and N1MM. It's very helpful to see the signals for QRM avoidance and S&P. It's also great for watching for band openings.

The contest plan was identical to last year's. HI and AK appeared as predicted. Still missed three Canadian sections. I am impressed by the guys who work a clean sweep without using the packet cluster. That's a lot of tuning around.

My final score was: 97,636. 634 Qs and 77 Mults.

No question that I wouldn't be able to do this without using W4NF's station. His beams and wire antennas allowed me to call CQ, which is imparative for a high score. Thanks, John!

Looking forward to next year.