No Rust, As N5TJ Returns From SOAB Retirement, Claims Over 15 Million Points & New EU Record

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Posted November 1, 2010

It didn't matter that Jeff Steinman N5TJ had not done an all-out Single Op All-Band entry in seven years, as the all-time record holder in both CQ WW SSB & CW returned this year with a vengeance, posting a claimed score of over 15 million points, and setting a new European record in the process.

Using the well-armed CR2X station of Radio Arcala in the Azores, Steinman made over 9500 contacts in the 48 hour SSB test, and staked an immediate claim to one of the top spots in this year's contest.

He crushed the European record set two years earlier at the same station by Toni Linden OH2UA, who made over 7700 contacts for just over 11 million points - no match for Steinman's HF magic.

Steinman's score though was nowhere near his record of 25.6 million points that he set back in the 1999 CQ WW SSB from EA8BH - and it may not even be the top score in 2010 - but it served a reminder that if N5TJ wants to duke it out with the world's best, he can't be ignored.

"Nothing much to write home about really as Jeff smoked us badly," said Tonno Vahk ES5TV, who once again worked this year's SSB test from the QTH of Ranko Boca 4O3A in Montenegro.

"Propagation was even worse than last year," Vahk said, noting that he didn't work one American station on 10 meters.

"Booming US signals heard all through the week on 10 meters were gone."

In terms of other top scores from around the world, a number of top operators, like Jim Sullivan W7EJ/CN2R have yet to be heard from.

As for the SOAB low power battle, Robert Kasca S53R laid down the first big claimed score, coming up with 4.3 million points as ST2AR in Sudan.

"I'm pretty happy with the score!" Kasca wrote on 3830 after the contest. "Bands were quite good and I kept getting amazed what can be done with 100W!"

Kasca did over half of his work on 15 meters, making 1825 contacts with 33 zones and 120 DXCC. The low bands were not good to him, as he made only 174 contacts on 40, 80 and 160 meters combined.

Kasca said it was very slim pickings on 160.

"2 QSOs in the whole contest and 3 stations heard overall. One feels like sitting in the deepest and most remote part of universe here trying to operate SSB on top band."

Six Straight USA M/M Wins For K3LR

While it might be a bit earlier to be declaring winners from this year's contest, Team K3LR seems to have won the USA Multi-Multi competition for a sixth consecutive year, as they claimed 21.9 million points. Team W3LPL was at 19 million.

Team KC1XX, which often joins K3LR and W3LPL in a robust M/M battle in CQ WW, instead was a Multi-Two entry this year.

"No other station/team has 6 in a row in USA MM in the history of CQWW Phone," an excited Tim Duffy K3LR told radio-sport.net.

The K3LR effort featured almost 3,000 QSO's on 20 meters, netting all 40 zones and 159 DXCC, as Duffy's squad hit DXCC on 80, 40, 20 and 15.

"15 was the best in several years – great EU rate and good Asia," Duffy said of his team's 2,596 contacts, with 36 zones and 155 DXCC.

As for the world Multi-Multi leader, that is initially in the hands of Team PJ2T, which churned out 31.1 million points.

Team P33W meanwhile has the top Multi-Single score in the world, with PW7T leading in Multi-Two.

As for conditions, while 15 meters got some good reviews, 10 meters did open as many were hoping, and did not seem to repeat last year's activity, even though there were some QSO's between the US and Europe.

The low bands were alternately reported to be noisy and in good shape, depending on your location.