ARRL November Sweepstakes
For the ARRL November Sweepstakes I operated in the MULTI class, with the assistance of DX Spotting. My strategy was to work all states, and as many sections as possible and I'm pretty happy with the results.
Rig was my FlexRadio 6400M at 100 watts fed into a 40-6M OCF dipole using an inverted v configuration at 37ft. I didn't use the Mercury IIIs amplifier because I used the internal tuner on the FlexRadio for quick band changes.
QSO contacts were spread more or less evenly across the 15M, 20M and 40M bands. I really loved 15 this weekend- it wasn't as crowded as 20m and 40m, contacts were easy to make, and the noise floor was noticeably quieter. Some day I'll get that contest antenna / rotator setup.
Logging was done using N3FJP's Contest log. As a bonus I configured the logger to use the FlexRadio.API so that spots were sent directly to the panadapter on my FlexRadio's SmartSDR application. After the contest was over, I submitted my logs online, and imported the ADIF into my main AClog database. I also sent all logs to LoTW and QRZ for confirmation.
I also took the time to record audio for the programmable PH TX keys for CQ, Call-Sign and QRZ. "CQ SS, CQ SS, This is Whiskey Xray-Seven-Victor Calling CQ Sweepstakes. WX7V"
Exchange: S/N, Precedence, Call-Sign, Check and Section
The contest exchange is longer than most but not to bad for SSB/Phone modes. The precedence is the operators category (M-multi operator, assisted) and check is the operator's year of license. Section is the ARRL section.
Overall I'm happy with the results. 75 of 84 sections worked, and contacts with 48 of 50 states. Alaska and Oklahoma were elusive for me, and I had a busted QSO with WI. Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are in the logs. See summary below.
I could have run a frequency and really racked up the points but instead opted to stick to my strategy to work all states and as many sections as possible. In the future I will need an NVIS antenna to work the "close in stuff".
Contest Rules at http://www.arrl.org/sweepstakes
ADIF Logfile Analysis: http://tools.adventureradio.de/analyzer/index.php
This is the Map of All Sections Worked - captured from N3FJP's Contest log.
ARRL Contest Log Confirmation and Scoring Estimate.
Contest conditions:
WX7V's Contest Summary Report for ARRL-SSCreated by N3FJP's ARRL November Sweepstakes Contest Log Version 7.3.1 www.n3fjp.com
Total Contacts = 134Total Points = 20,100
Operating Period: 2021/11/20 21:17 - 2021/11/22 00:34
Total op time (breaks > 30 min deducted): 12:43:17
Avg Qs/Hr (breaks > 30 min deducted): 10.5
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40M 49 37%
20M 52 39%
15M 33 25%
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