[WVDXA] 160-M Still Hoppin'

[W8TN - Clark]

OK, here is a further update on what happens when you don't get a normal
night's sleep.

After picking up the T9 and the T7 last night, I thought "Gee, maybe I can
get up at sunrise and possibly pick up something new in Asia."  Boy, now
there's a prescription for another short night of sleep - right?

So, I set the alarm for 7 a.m. and crawled over to the rig bleery-eyed
before sun-up.  I could just barely hear a single JA so I began to feel like
this had been a bad idea.  My eyes hurt and my head ached.  I could not
really focus my vision too well and I kept having trouble remembering where
my pen was - Oh, it's in your hand, dummy!

I did work KL1V in Alaska just to see if the radio was still working.  It
was.

But then, just at my sunrise, I was rewarded for my effort by the
propagation gods and managed to barely copy VK3IO.  He was hearing me better
than I was hearing him but I did hear him well enough to copy my call and
signal report.  That's one more NEW one on Top Band.  (NOTE:  I just NOW
realized - 18 hours after the QSO - that this was ALSO a NEW ZONE for me!)
Someone take away my car keys, I'm not safe to be around power equipment.

After logging the contact I fell back into bed but it's hard to sleep with
the phone ringing.  Normal people are up at 9 a.m. and think you should be
up too!  What a concept!  Sleep at night and be up in the daylight.  I'll
have to think about that.

So, I've not been worth much today - had a nice headache and wore sunglasses
a lot.  But, as it turned dark, my attention went back to the radio and in
short order I managed to snag 4O3A in Montenegro and YO2DLC in Romania for
TWO more NEW ONES tonight.

Tonight?  No, it's 1:20 in the morning.  I'm confused.  When I'm I supposed
to be in bed?

Well, not right now!  I just saw a spot for HAØDU and according to my list
of countries worked on Top Band, that's another NEW one.  So, I patiently
listened to him make two slow (and long) QSO's with other stations.  Then I
called him.  He came right back and gave me a 559 but I gave him a 579 since
he was so LOUD I had trouble thinking he was really DX.  This QSO was after
his sunrise so I was probably getting some grey-line enhancement on his
signal.

Now here is where it starts to get weird.  He answered my call by sending
"W8TN W8TN de HAØDU  GE  CLARK UR 559 559."  OK, now how the heck does this
guy know my name?  Did I fall asleep at the desk and this is a dream?  Must
be, 'cause he is so dang loud.  Anyway, I thank him for being a NEW ONE on
Top Band and he QSL's that he is glad to be a new one for me.  Then I enter
the QSO in the log.  I again check my list of countries worked and yep,
there is NO Hungary listed.  But, just for grins I check the log for 160-M
QSO's with Hungary and - what's this?  I find that I logged HAØDU almost
exactly one month ago to the minute.  Had I really worked Hungary on
December 5 and forgotten to put it on my list?  Boy this lack of sleep stuff
has got to stop.  Or, I need to hire a "keeper."

Enough of this, I'm going to now put HA on the list and count it as another
NEW one (worked twice.)  I'm getting almost as bad as W8UV in forgetting to
record these NEW ones.  If you see me running down the street chasing those
NEW butterflies, just call the wagon.


You can now call me "*Dopey*",

Clark, W8TN
*86 Worked / 42 Confirmed Countries on 160-M
25 Worked / 16 Confirmed Zones on 160-M *
*          **"I think!"*

At 1:58 a.m. on 04-January-2008 Drowzy wrote:


> I have not reported on my 160-M progress for a few days.  However, back on
> Saturday, 12-29, we had company for a pre-New Years' Eve party.  The last
> couple did not leave until after 12:30 a.m. and I had to be up and out of
> the house by 10 a.m.  I figured I would just pass on the Stew Perry 160-M
> contest which was being held that night.  But, as I started getting ready
> for bed about 1:30 a.m., I looked at the rig and thought, "What could it
> hurt to just listen and see if there was any DX on the band?"
>
> Anyone know the answer to that question?
>
> Well, what that question means is that IF you turn on the radio, you won't
> get to bed until almost 5:30 a.m.  That will make certain you are
> "draggin' your wagon" the next day.
>
> So, knowing full well what might happen, I turned on the radio and got
> sucked into working part of the contest.  This turned out to be a VERY good
> thing because I managed to work HB9CIP - Switzerland, LY2IJ - Lithuania, and
> TF4M - Iceland for NEW COUNTRIES!  Not only was TF4M a NEW country, it was a
> NEW ZONE as well!
>
> Then, two days later I uploaded my log to LoTW and received the TF4M QSL
> via LoTW just 46 hours after making the contact.  WOW - what a rush!
>
> Tonight I fell asleep twice during the Orange Bowl being so tired from the
> Fiesta Bowl Experience the night before (yep, only got about 4 hours sleep
> last night after enjoying the WVU win.)  But, just before going to bed, I
> got an email from a friend who mentioned that 160-M was pretty good tonight
> and, yep, I got sucked into another late night.  Here it is almost 2 a.m.
> and I'm finally about ready to hit the sack.  BUT, I worked T93J -
> Bosnia-Herzegovina and T77C - San Marino for TWO more NEW COUNTRIES on Top
> Band.  This brings me up to 82 Countries worked and 42 Confirmed.  I have 19
> NEW Countries on 160-M sitting in my LoTW account right now, just waiting
> for me to make another DXCC Application.
>
> So, things are still looking good for the Inverted "L" on Top Band.  It is
> just wrecking havoc with my sleep pattern, HI !!
>
**
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