With Log Deadline Nearing, WE3C Grabs Single Op Mixed Lead Over W0AIH in 2008 ARRL 10 Test

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Posted January 5, 2009

It looks like there won't be a repeat victory in the cards in the 2008 ARRL 10 Meter Contest, as John Rodgers WE3C has the top single operator claimed score of 449,624 points.

"It always amazes me how the 10m band comes alive in this contest," Rodgers wrote in his 3830.

WE3C's top score is likely to deny the bid of Scott Jasper NE9U to repeat as winner of the SO Mixed category. Jasper ran up 384,770 points from the W0AIH superstation.

"Sounds like he had some European mults we didn't have access too," Jasper told radio-sport.net. "A too familiar story in most contests from this part of the Midwest!"

Conditions seemed to favor stations along the East Coast of the US this year, as opposed to the pipeline that mainly focused on Texas in the 2007 test.

Taking advantage of this year's conditions was Dan Street K1TO, who tallied 390,784 points in a CW only High Power effort from Florida.

"I think this was the type of propagation that we wanted. Loads of fun, right up to the last second," Street told radio-sport.net.

Overall, Florida contesters lead in five different ARRL 10 categories right now. Along with Street, they include Leonard Hill WB4TDH, who leads the CW only Low Power section with 118,800 points and Bill Brown W4TAA, the leader in the Low Power Mixed section with 251,940 points.

Also in the lead was Pete Fountain WD4IXD, who is tops in the SSB Only Low Power category and David Nachbaur KR4OW, who has a big lead in the Mixed QRP battle with 107,598 points.

While Florida was rolling up top scores, Texas wasn't silent in 2008. Team NX5M is leading the Multi-Single competition with 456,240 points, which if it stands, would give Bob Pack's squad a repeat Multi-op win.

Pack told radio-sport.net after the contest that 2008 was definitely a struggle on 10 meters.

"This HAS to be the end of the worst," said Bob Pack NX5M. "The only way it could have been any worse would have been if the band were the same on Sunday as it was on Saturday."

"This was indeed hard work."

One other category has a Texas leader, as Tom Whiteside N5TW has the high claimed score in the CW QRP section over fellow CTDXCC member Skip Cameron W5GAI.

Overall, it was definitely a rougher 2008 for ops in 5-land.

"Conditions were terrible for me," said Richard King K5NA. "I made about 60% (175k to 313k) of last year's score."

"I tried hard and put in long hours but did poorly. No Europe, no Africa, no Asia and almost no Caribbean here," King told radio-sport.net.

Also down by about the same amount as last year was Mixed LP defending champ Tom Johnson WD5K. Last year WD5K had almost 350k, this year just 134,460.