2009 ARRL DX SSB Wide Open; Aruba Ops Look For Double Single Operator Phone Victories

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Posted March 2, 2009

After strong showings in the ARRL DX CW test by two Single Operators in Aruba, those two same stations will be active again this weekend with a chance to win, as the ARRL DX SSB contest returns for 2009.

The battle for the top single operator position seems to be fairly wide open this year, now that defending champ Rich Smith N6KT has made clear he won't be back at HC8A to try to repeat his 2008 victory.

"I won't be able to make it to HC8 for either the ARRL DX or the CQ WPX contests," Smith told radio-sport.net in an email. "Hopefully, I can make it to HC8 for the CQWW SSB in October."

Also not active this year will be 2008 second place finisher Tom Georgens W2SC/8P1A.

So with Smith and Georgens safely tucked away in California, that could pave the way to victory for someone like Andrew Faber AE6Y, who will be down at his station in Aruba.

"I've never done an ARRL SSB before (after doing CW from 2003-2007), so I am looking forward to it," Faber told radio-sport.net.

His station might have some good mojo right now, as K2LE used it to land the top Single Operator Low Power DX claimed score category as P40LE.

Faber says the strategy from Zone 9 Aruba can be a bit different than elsewhere around the Carribean and Central America in ARRL DX.

"It can be difficult to compete in ARRL as against stations that are further north. They have a big edge on 160, and somewhat on 80 as well."

The one advantage though could be the same one that gave HC8A a big edge last year, and that's 10 meters - if it opens.

"It is possible for the P4s to catch an opening that simply doesn't exist for the closer in DX locations. We'll just have to see how the bands behave," said Faber.

If you're looking for a Low Power favorite, that could be someone just down the street from Faber, as John Bayne KK9A makes a foray back to Aruba to defend his 2008 LP title as P40A.

At P40A in ARRL CW was N4RR, who finished a close third in claimed scores behind P40LE. Whether AE6Y and P40A can do better than that, we'll see.

If the ARRL SSB test is anything like ARRL CW, then it will be another contest where strategy is king on both the high bands and low bands.

10 and 15 meters have been producing precious little, and any missed openings to Europe could be costly for stations looking to crack the top slots.

There were no sunspots during the ARRL CW test for the second straight year. That could well be the tale of the tape for ARRL SSB as well.