‰  NOW 40 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM MARCH 2006 QST  PAGES 104, 105 AND 43  ‰

MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT HAD A GREAT TIME AND REALLY IMPROVED THEIR SCORES.
PAYING ATTENTION TO INDICATORS SUCH AS THE WWV SOLAR REPORT WHICH DID SEND
WARNINGS OF A SOLAR STORM BEFORE THE CONTEST, OR THE VARIOUS TROPO
PREDICTION WEB SITES HEPBURN, FOR EXAMPLE ARE HELPFUL.  BUT AT THE END OF
THE DAY THOSE THAT ARE ON TESTING THE BANDS ARE MOST SUCCESSFUL IN FINDING
THE OPENINGS.  THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE BECAUSE SOME LAST ONLY MINUTES THE
TRANSCONTINENTAL AURORAL ES THIS TIME BEING A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE.  THIS YEAR
THERE WERE JUST OVER 100,000 QSOS LOGGED BY PARTICIPANTS, AN INCREASE OF
ABOUT 14 FROM 2004.  WITH THE E SKIP AND AURORA OPENINGS FAVORING 6 METER
DX OPPORTUNITIES, MOST OF THE INCREASE IN QSO COUNT WAS ON THAT BAND.  144
THROUGH 432 MHZ TOTALS WERE ABOUT THE SAME, BUT REVERSING A TREND OF THE
LAST SEVERAL YEARS, MICROWAVE CONTACT TOTALS WERE DOWN.  COMPETITION IN THE
SOLP CLASS WAS UP CONSIDERABLY WITH 348 ENTRIES THIS TIME, WHILE SOHP
ENTRANTS WERE ALSO UP WITH 136.  ROVER ENTRIES WERE DOWN THIS TIME, NOT
SURPRISING GIVEN THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE KATRINA AND THE IMPACT OF 3 PER
GALLON GASOLINE.  FEWER ROVERS LIKELY IMPACTED THE MICROWAVE QSO TOTALS AS
‰  FROM PAGE 43  ‰
N5XFW AA6NP KG7DE N7PAT W7YLV KA8LAY N8VV K9LCQ W0BUX K0RM W5JMW WF5X K6NTZ
K7DER N7PCE K7YMA W8LCZ N8WAV K9LGU WB0B NA0R KA5JNL W5XX KE6NZB KB7DFL
N7PFY WA7YNU K8LHM K8WDJ KB9LMK KN0BY NQ0R WT5J KC5YCH KQ6OB WB7DIE K7PGC
‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ

WELL.  OVERALL CATEGORY RESULTS SINGLE OPERATOR THE LOW POWER CATEGORY HAD
A NEW CHAMPION THIS YEAR IN KB8U.  RUSS MADE SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO HIS 6
METER SETUP BUT SAYS THE MAIN THING THAT PROPELLED HIM TO THE TOP SPOT WAS
THE GREAT PROPAGATION.  EN71 TURNED OUT TO BE A GREAT SPOT TO UTILIZE THE
AURORA CONDITIONS AND THE 6 METER E SKIP.  EVEN IN THE LOW POWER CATEGORY
HE WAS ABLE TO WORK MANY AU QSOS ON 6, 2, AND 222 AND ADD ABOUT 30 GRIDS
DURING THE E SKIP OPENING.  RIGHT BEHIND KB8U WAS TOP GUN K2DRH.  BOB
CONTINUED HIS CONTESTING SUCCESS WITH A SCORE OF 171K.  NEXT WAS ANOTHER
REGULAR TOP SCORER, WB1GQR, WITH MITCH, W1SJ, AS THE OPERATOR.  MITCHS
PORTABLE LOCATION ON MT EQUINOX, VERMONT, ALLOWED HIM TO ENJOY THE
EXCELLENT PROPAGATION ENHANCEMENT THIS TIME.  WB2SIHS ANTENNA IMPROVEMENTS
PAID OFF HANDSOMELY WITH A 4TH PLACE FINISH FOLLOWED BY STEVE, W4SHG, WHO
MOVED UP A NOTCH FROM 2004 INTO 5TH POSITION.  SOLP DIVISION RECORDS WERE
SET BY KB8U, WB2SIH AND W4SHG IN THEIR EFFORTS.  N0VZJ JUST MISSED SETTING
‰  FROM PAGE 43  ‰
N7YOQ N8LJM KB8WFH K9LO W0CJV K0RTB W5JYJ KC5YED KE6OEJ K7DLD KC7PMU NH7YS
W8LKU N8WL K9LOV WB0CNK AE0S KD5KA N5YK KZ6O N7DRM NE7P AB7YU WA8LLM W8WN

METER E SKIP RESULTS ELSEWHERE TO SEE THE AMAZING NUMBER OF GRIDS THEY WERE
ABLE TO WORK ON THESE MODES.  AA4ZZ MORE THAN DOUBLED THEIR PRIOR YEAR
SCORE TO HOLD ONTO 4TH FOLLOWED ONCE AGAIN BY THE K8EP GROUP.  W2SZ
REPEATED AS MM CHAMPS IN A CLOSE BATTLE 
‰  FROM PAGE 43  ‰
AK5Z KN6PE KK7EF K7QI KD7ZFV KC8MLK K8WXI N9MHG N0DNE KL0SW KE5KX KB5ZEA
‰  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  ‚