Being a CW enthusiast, I am not really an SSB contester but I do like to dabble in it a little. I find SSB contests more exhausting than CW contests. This year, I made a goal to get a clean sweep for the ARRL SSB Sweepstakes for the first time. Being that is my goal, I of course decided to go unlimited for spotting network help.
It is really interesting that I am somewhat microphone shy on HF. I mean, I can talk on repeaters, simplex, and digital radio, but on HF, I tend to avoid voice communications. I know, it’s weird!
For SSB contests, I hunt&pounce and this was no different. I began about an hour late after the contest started. My strategy is to look for rare multipliers that I knew may be difficult later. My first contact was with VY2TT in PE. I only operated about an hour before stopping for dinner. I only got 14 contacts, but I was at 13 sections including some rare ones, PE, VI, PR, AB, NB, and AK.
I did not get back on until the following morning at 10AM EST and jumped back into the fray. I was bagging more sections as they would pop up in the DX cluster. At 11:23EST, I was able to get TER. Other multiplier came in during this initial time like MB, SC, ND, MT, RI, SD, WMA, NNY, and ONN.
At about 13:30EST, I was down to 14 sections left: CT, WNY, ME, EPA, AL, GA, SJV, UT, MI, WV, OH, IN, GH, and ONS. This may happen!
While working the contest, Karen, K2KAR, her boyfriend Tom, N4HAI and I had a chat window going helping each other find stations (Karen and I are both class U so it was legal, Tom was not participating in the contest). My remaining California section was SJV, so she let me know there was a SJV on 28447.6. Got that one! Now 13 to go.
Watching the clusters, and the assist from K2KAR, I found UT on 21372.6. 12 to go! Also was able to get CT, ME, GA, MI, IN. This left me with 7 left: WNY, EPA, AL, OH, WV, GH, and ONS.
I decided to call CQ on 40M and let Karen know where I was. I got OH from Karen. Had a nice pileup and rate going. Thanks to Karen letting me know WV was available, I got WV. Found GH, WNY, and ONS. I was now down to one section left: AL. Where was AL?
Doing my DXCluster trick, I entered in some known AL contest stations that I have worked in the past. Found KT4XT using that method on 40M (this is how I found ONN in the CW Sweeps). Bagged him for my first SSB Sweep!
For the remainder of the contest, I was just trying to get to 200. In between hunting&pouncing and calling CQ, I got my count to 200 and decided it was time to call it quits.
It was a fun time! I used my amp way more than I normally do to help cut through some pile-ups and the amp worked well!
Next contest that I participate in is the 160M contest which is always fun to do in the glow of the shack Christmas tree.