P49X (W0YK) Takes Major Step to Third Straight ARRL RTTY Roundup HP Title

By Jamie Dupree NS3T, radio-sport.net 

A year after he he won his second straight RTTY Roundup title with a world record score, Ed Muns couldn't reach that record in 2008, but hopes he has come up with a third consecutive high power title.

"One never knows for sure," said Muns, "but I never worked any one with a serial number more than 40% of my own."

"I’d guess I won it again, but there’s a lot of ground to cover before that is a final statement," he added.

Muns told radio-sport.net that he made more contacts this year - 2,936 compared to 2,871, but the difference was that he was down ten multipliers, and that limited his score to 364,000.

"I did not work a ZL or VK!!" said Muns. " "This is an example of the unpredictability of conditions."

The down solar times again made 10 meters a RTTY wasteland for most, but Muns said he still enjoyed some very good conditions on 15 meters.

"I had no complaints about 15 meters, unlike most everyone else at the “nominal” locations," Muns said.

The rate on 15 was great because throughout the opening there were areas in EU and NA where folks were willing to spend time there and work stations like me," he added.

There again seemed to be an influx of new RTTY contesters this year, an increase that has become very common in the RTTY ranks.

"There were a LOT of callsigns that were not in AA5AU’s RTTY contester Super Check Partial file from recent contests," Muns observed.