The bands sure weren't dead here!

I did FD with a local multi-club group here in EPA. Done it with them
several years now because of a couple of good friends and because they
have a site and power.

We were in 7A + GOTA, with 100-watt class rigs for 160 through 2
meters, plus satellite, at a local park. Power was Onan genset that
ran the whole period on one (quite large) tank of gas. Logging was
N3FJP networked software.

In previous years we've had one CW capable station, and all the rest a
mixture of 'phone and digital. Usually the lone CW station made about
2/3 as many contacts as the rest of the setup combined. Last year
(2009) we were 5A and made 528 CW QSOs (a new record for the site)
with our single CW setup. The 'phone and digital folks made about 700
QSOs last year IIRC.

This year (2010) we had 2 CW capable HF stations (one full time, one
part time) plus a part-time 160 station that did a handful of CW QSOs.
We set a new group record of over 750 CW QSOs - more than double the
total number of 'phone QSOs by all the other setups combined. The old
528 QSO record was broken before FD was 12 hours old. There were
periods when I was working them more than 1 a minute in S&P mode.

When all the results are in, our CW total may be a new group record
for a single mode.

All HF stations ran 100-watt-class mid-line xcvrs and wire or vertical
antennas. The CW-only station rig was an FT-897 and the CW/SSB rig was
an FT-100D. Other rigs ranged from an IC-746PRO to a TS-2000 to an
IC-740.

The GOTA station made 110 'phone QSOs. Somebody brought digital stuff
but never hooked it up.

We hit the air at exactly 1800 UTC Saturday and quit a little early. I
got a couple of hours sleep in the wee small hours. I was home by 1900
UTC.

A high point was working K8MN Sat nite. Thanks for the points, Dave!

---

The bands tend to be quiet right after FD because everybody is packing
up and going home. Many groups I know will do an early quit because
it's hot, new ones are getting hard to find, and people are facing the
drive home with a big unload at the end of it.

The best bet for gauging FD band condx IMHO is what the bands were
like on Saturday nite, not Sunday afternoon.

73 de Jim, N2EY