Having prior plans for travel to India, I didn’t expect to have the opportunity to participate in the North American QSO Party (NAQP) Single Sideband contest.
Fortunately(?), I picked up a nasty cold a week ago and have been fighting it since. The doc prescribed some antibiotics and suggested that I shouldn’t travel, if I could avoid it. I spent the day out and about, at the Groundspeak Geocaching Block Party. When I realized I wasn’t travelling, I snuck over to the home station and got on the air for a few.
I only stayed on the air for 90 minutes and only worked 20m. I submitted logs as unassisted rookie, single-op, low power, 20m, today. I didn’t read the rules until this AM, after I submitted logs. The NAQP is QRP and Low power only. Thankfully I left the amp off, but submitted logs before I had my first cup of coffee and selected high power (>100W), out of habit. The robot kicked back my submission and I was able to correct it. Not that I’ll be competitive, but it’ll be nice to have a score listed.
Band QSOs Pts Sec Mt2 14 46 46 21 0 Total 46 46 21 0 Score: 966
Now, why did I leave the amp off? It’s been arcing on a occasion and I can’t seem to track down the cause. It may be headed back to Ameritron for a once-over, before too long. W7AMD, Chris, has offered some helpful suggestions, but nothing that I’ve been able to do, with my limited abilities has eliminated the frightening BZZZT. In this case? It let me submit “legal” logs for a big contest. Kizmet? Good luck? Nah, but it did work out OK for this contest.