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W9RE AIMS FOR AUGUST NAQP SSB REPEAT IN 2007 SUMMER SCRAP
By Jamie Dupree NS3T
Two weeks after posting the fifth best score in the single operator low power category of NAQP CW, Mike Wetzel W9RE turns on the radio this time as defending SSB champ of the August North American QSO Party.
"The location here (in Indiana) is not too bad," says Wetzel. "I can work the East Coast population areas almost full time on 40 meters and occasionally get short skip to the East Coast on 20 and 15."
In 2006, Wetzel was the sore thumb sticking out of the top ten, which was flush with operators from California and Texas.
"In the last few years I have been able to compete because 10 and 15 meters have been rather marginal - thus no big q numbers for west coast guys," said Wetzel. "I can make up ground on 80 and 160 that are traditionally tougher going for west coast stations."
A check of the numbers bears that out, as Wetzel - just as he did in August 2006 in the CW version - had by far the most contacts on 160 meters (100), more than his QSO totals combined on 15 and 10 meters (61 combined.)
Wetzel says the NAQP is the perfect contest to use for work on your SO2R technique, as the focus is definitely on moving multipliers to other bands.
"The NAQP is probably the best contest for SO2R," says Wetzel W9RE.
The defending QRP champ from August of 2006 is Robert Wilcox NA4BW. The multi champ from last year was the crew at NX5M in Texas.