More Records Are Broken as P49X (W0YK) Keeps WPX RTTY Single Op Lead at Log Deadline

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Posted March 10, 2008

Trying to both repeat as the CQ WPX RTTY single op winner and break his own world record, Ed Muns P49X/W0YK owns the highest claimed score in the 2008 WPX RTTY Contest.

At the log submission deadline, Muns' score of 10.4 million was almost two million points ahead of AO8A, and about a half million ahead of the P49X world record set in 2007.

"The operating part was a lot of fun as always," Muns said.

Muns struggled with amplifier troubles in WPX RTTY, which limited him to 500 watts instead of 1500, but it certainly didn't endanger his top finish.

As for top scores from the US, that spot belongs to Ty Stewart K3MM, who ran up just over 7 million points from the N3HBX superstation in Maryland.

That would easily break the USA Single Op record Stewart set last year of 5.5 million, as that record has more than doubled in just three years.

K3MM has a lead of over 1.5 million points on Mike Sims K4GMH, who has a clear hold on second place claimed in the US.

In the low power category, the world leader is Mohamed Kharbouche CN8KD, who chalked up almost 4.4 million points as 5C5W. In second is Roger Hoffman P40R/N4RR with 3.8 million.

CN8KD's score is about 300k ahead of the existing SOLP record set last year by PY2MNL/ZX2B.

The US low power leader is Jose Castillo N1BAA, who operated KS1Y to 3.2 million points - and like other top scores from 2008 - that would be a new USA low power record for WPX RTTY.

Also beating the old USA LP mark was the current record holder, Don Hill AA5AU, who posted 2.12 million for second place behind KS1Y.

"We had nearly the same number of contacts but he beat me by a million points," said Hill.

In the multi-op categories, the world leader is the team at NP3U, which tallied a contest high 14.9 million points, almost five million better than second place Z37M.

While short of the world Multi-2 record, the NP3U score will easily best the North American record set at KI1G. Rick Davenport KI1G also was a member of Team NP3U, so the record stays in the same hands! The US M2 leader is N2WK.

In Multi-Single, T93M leads the world battle, with K1LZ the top US entrant. Their over 6 million score will more than double the US M/S record.

In the Multi-Multi category, the leader is RW0A at 9.4 million. Back in second at 8.8 million is WW4LL, with a score that will shatter yet another USA record in WPX RTTY.

I do see tremendous growth and interest in RTTY contesting," says Fred Dennin WW4LL. "It's exciting."

Dennin's team easily beat their previous record from 2007, mainly because of a shift in their location to the Georgia superstation of Tom Rauch W8JI.

"Not really a change in strategy, but our antenna system was radically improved," said Dennin, who also praised Rauch for his last minute effort to repair the team's amplifier for 80 meters.

"We are building a contest station together on his property in Barnesville, GA," said Dennin.

"At Tom's we have a 190' rotating tower with full size stacked 3 element 40 meter monobanders and monobanders for 10, 15 and 20. We have a 220' tower loaded for 160 meters, a 70' tower for SA, a 318' tower with inverted Vs coming off the top in two directions on 80 meters."

Dennin told radio-sport.net that's not all, as another 300 plus foot tower will soon be installed as well.

"Stacked monobanders will go on all of these towers in various directions."

As for the jump in the popularity of RTTY contesting, Dennin believes it is due to a number of different reasons.

" I recently saw a post on the RTTY Forum from a new contester stating that she got into RTTY contesting because she felt more comfortable in entering the contesting world with the keyboard and the computer," said Dennin.

"I think this too appeals to some of the younger hams."