The ARRL SSB Sweepstakes last was last weekend.  This is the first contest where I called CQ rather than Search and Pounce operation.   I waited until I had worked all but one Section before I started calling CQ since my primary objective had been to get a clean sweep.

I was very nervous the first time I called CQ.   I was afraid I would not be able to copy the other stations well enough to hold the frequency or that I would look like a complete newcomer (I guess in a sense I was).  This turned out to not be as big a problem as I had expected.

After running stations for a  while I started to get into the routine and felt fairly comfortable running stations.  However, my voice got a real workout since I was not using any recorded sound clips.   I was surprised when I saw bright orange glow from the AL-80B after I had been running stations a for a while.  I guess when I S&P I never have a high enough duty cycle to get it’s 3-500Z warmed up!

I had another surprise when I generated a 1-1/2 hour  long pile up on 40 meters working stations that were actually looking for Indiana!  That was exhausting. I gained a more vivid appreciation for the skills of the DXpedition operators.  I’m sure some of the stations in the pileup were mumbling under their breath as I was trying to pick calls out of the mess.  Thank goodness it didn’t last much longer because I needed a biological break!  I was excited when I finally worked NT (Northern Territories) late Sunday afternoon and again near the end of the contest.