All scores are claimed scores unless otherwise noted. January: ARRL RTTY Round Up (Final Score) • QSO’s: 852 • Mult’s: 86 • Score: 71,810 • Op Time: 15.5 Hrs Comment: This effort is 12,000 points HIGHER than my 2008 score and I once again took first place low power for the Indiana section. January: NAQP CW (Final Score) • QSO’s: 580 • Mult’s: 149 • Score: 86,429 • Op Time: 10 Hrs Comment: My highest QSO total ever for the NAQP. But, not an all-time high score due to the lack of propagation on 15M and 10M and a resulting lack of mult’s on those bands. Bummer. January: NAQP Phone • QSO’s: 69 • Mult’s: 39 • Score: 2,691 • Op Time: ~1 Hr Comment: I don’t operate many Phone contests but spent some time in this one to log phone contacts in search of the LOTW Triple Play award. To date these 69 QSO’s have netted my 27 Phone QSL’s towards the award. February thru July: Chasing the LOTW Triple Play Award From February into July I operated in 16 contests (NMQP, DEQP, WPX RTTY, MSQP, CQ 160 SSB, WIQP, NDQP, VAQP, WPX SSB, NEQP, FLQP, WVQP, WPX CW, FD, RAC Canada Day and the IARU) to chase QSO’s with stations in particular states. As of July 13, I have 146 of the 150 needed QSO’s, including all 50 RTTY QSO’s. All 146 QSO’s were contest QSO’s. May: INQP (Final Score) • QSO’s: 317 • Mult’s: 117 • Score: 65,637 • Op Time: 11.5 Hrs Comment: Won the plaque for top score, low power, wires/verticals (sponsored by WW9R— Thanks, Pat). Operated from Benton County. May: 7QP (Final Score) • QSO’s: 65 • Mult’s: 34 • Score: 6,290 Comment: Operated concurrently with the Indiana QSO Party and was the top scoring low power, single op, mixed mode station from Indiana. May: NEQP • QSO’s: 76 • Mult’s: 30 • Score: 4,110 Comment: Operated concurrently with the Indiana QSO Party. May: WPX CW • QSO’s: 388 • Mult’s: 221 • Score: 150,501 Comment: Was mostly looking for the 3 states in needed on CW to complete the Triple Play Award, and managed to snare AK. Now at 144 confirmed, 6 to go. June: Field Day (Op at W9LDX) • QSO’s: 1,426 • Score: 5,262 Comment: Ninth place nationally in the 1A category. July: RAC Canada Day • QSO’s: 115 • Mult’s: 10 • Score: 7,120 Comment: A single band effort on 40M and earning 1st place in the US for the 40M single band category. July: NAQP RTTY • QSO’s: 421 • Mult’s: 131 • Score: 55,151 • Op Time: 9 Hrs Comment: The NAQP's typically have their best rates at the end of the contest when everyone has moved to the low bands. So, when I made 60 QSO's in the first hour, I started licking my lips. Little was I to know that would be my best rate of the day. August: NAQP Phone • QSO’s: 51 • Mult’s: 31 • Score: 1,581 • Op Time: 2 Hrs Comment: I worked some stations very easily during this contest and some who were quite loud I could not work at all. I had planned a better effort but the difficulty working stations made me cut the effort short. Several days after the contest was over I was told that my signal was very weak. Hmm... September: CQWW RTTY • QSO’s: 318 • Mult’s: 142 • Score: 45,156 • Op Time: 5.5 Hrs Comment: Once again I had the sense that something was not right with the antennas. I should have done better and would have operated longer if I was having better results. October: CAQP • QSO’s: 8 • Mult’s: 7 • Score: 112 • Op Time: <1 Hr Comment: I operated this event for the purpose of doing some A/B testing between the 2 antennas. My main antenna, the 80 meter loop, is definitely WAY down from where it should be. October: ILQP • QSO’s: 29 • Mult’s: 22 • Score: 1,276 • Op Time: 1.5 Hrs Comment: Got on to try to work my friends, N9FN and K9FN who were operating the N9FN super portable. And, to test the antennas after having replaced feed lines and made some other adjustments. Performance seemed to be back where it should be. Sweepstakes will tell. November: SS CW • QSO’s: 703 • Mult’s: 78 • Score: 109,668 • Op Time: 18 Hrs Comment: My highest QSO total in any contest and my highest point total in SS. The new feed lines on the antennas appeared to solve my problems. November: SS Phone • QSO’s: 400 • Mult’s: 80 • Score: 64,000 • Op Time: 13 Hrs Comment: Always nice to get the sweep. December: ARRL 160 • QSO’s: 193 • Mult’s: 57 • Score: 22,515 • Op Time: 4 Hrs