🚀 go-pugleaf

Hello all.  Now that contest time is over, it's time for the million dollar
question (estimated retail value, $64,000) - how did we do?  Well, pretty
good.  Here's the summary:

                         1999 ARRL NOVEMBER SWEEPSTAKES
Call used: W4AQL                                          Location: GA
Category: Multi Operator             Mode: PHONE           Power: 1500
Callsign of Operator: W4AQL

If multi-operator, show calls of all operators and loggers:
KU4WJ, W4ATL, N3NGG, WJ2RM, KE4QLI (& Josh Parris, but I don't know his
call)

Hours of Operation: 23:22

band      QSOs     points
-------------------------
80        196        392
40        111        222
20        820       1640
15         75        150
10         30         60
-------------------------
TOTAL     1232       2464   X   79 multipliers  =  194,656

Now, for something interesting (NC State):

Call: W4ATC                    Country:
BAND     QSO    SECTIONS
 80      129
 40      389
 20      409
 15      222
 10       82
-----------------------------------
Totals    1,231  x2  79

Score:  194,498

For the math experts among us, you will see that in the end, we came out
over NC State by 1 QSO.  And who says that guy we taught the exchange to
during the contest wasn't worth it?  Cross your fingers on busted exchanges.

Also, I heard W5YM on the air at the very end.  Before some guy came on and
jammed them (and about 15 kHz around Univ. of Arkansas), they were running
well but I doubted they would reach 1000 Qs (I heard # 975 with about 15
minutes left).  I think that probably Caltech, Stanford, and UT Austin will
walk all over us (by at least 300 - 500 Q's).  But, they are in a different
league than us.  They had a few very serious, very good (alumni) ops at the
station whereas we also went for the score but we also tried to have a light
atmosphere (Christmas lights and flowers in the shack) where we taught
anyone that wanted to learn.  Granted, SS isn't laid back but at least we
weren't driven to not let inexperienced members not operate.  At this point
I don't quite know where things stand.  We could be sitting in 4th right
now...  That wouldn't be bad.

Oh, and when we get the broom for the clean sweep somebody's going to need
to take it to the shack.  Six guys in a small room for a weekend tends to
create a mess.

Lessons for next year, while I'm thinking about it:

* Take advantage of bands besides 20.
* Look at rates - in the last hour of the contest I only talked to 10 new
stations
* Check all the equipment before the day of the contest (no more midnight
antenna installs and hoping the voice keyer will make it in time for the
contest)
* POWER=GOOD (oh wait, we knew that already)

This is just a quick e-mail to let you all know what happened over the
weekend.  Pictures will be coming soon.  And as soon as I get a chance to
sleep in an actual bed and bathe I think I may bring you more of a
play-by-play.

tim

--
Tim Cailloux
tim@cailloux.com
(404) 875-0778