This CQ WW WPX contest was my first major contest in a few years, as we are usually away on vacation and I end up missing it.
This year, my best bands were 20m during the daytime and early evening, before moving over to 40m later in the evening. Overall, the early evening and nighttime hours seemed to be the most productive, with both 20m and 40m really opening up.
During the daytime, I just could not get a good run going. At times, it felt like I was simply calling “CQ Contest” into the ether with very little response. Because of that, this contest turned into mostly search-and-pounce for me, with only the occasional attempt at running.
Throughout the daytime hours, I kept VFO A on 20m and VFO B on either 15m or, at times, 10m, constantly watching for openings. When conditions looked promising, I would jump down to those bands and was able to pick up additional contacts on 15m and 10m. Most of my 10m contacts ended up being with South America.
One thing that definitely kept me in the radio chair was the weather. It was quite chilly here, with daytime highs reaching only 8°C and evening temperatures dropping to around 2°C. In fact, I even had to break out the portable heater I use to keep my hands warm. I find that when my hands get cold, they just do not work as well on the keyboard when entering call signs and serial numbers.
This was also the first major contest for my new Icom 7610, and I am happy to say it performed flawlessly throughout the event.
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