ARRL CW Sweepstakes 2011 – The Contest

I worked CWSS again, one of the few contests I try to work every year. It’s complicated exchange makes it a real challenge and the activity level is amazing. Band conditions were good this year, with 10 and 15 meters having long openings.

I worked SO2R this year with an Elecraft K2 as my primary radio. The second radio, an ICOM IC-7000, was used to search for multipliers and for calling CQ on bands where there were still openings, but not enough stations to make it worth sitting there and waiting for calls.

My main goal the last couple years has been to get the Clean Sweep (all 80 US and Canada sections), but I was also set on getting well over 500 QSOs this year. By 10 AM on Sunday I had 78 multipliers. Maybe this would finally be the year I get ’em all. I spent a fair amount of time looking for the remaining two as I worked the stations on the various Bands. About an hour before the end of the Contest, I got Nebraska (never had trouble getting that one before). So I now had only the ever-elusive NWT Section to work.

As time ran out, I never even heard NWT – not sure I ever worked that one. So I come up short again with 79 out of 80 multipliers. I DID work all US Sections in the 24 hours and I made about 550 QSOs. Not bad, but still a long way from being really competitive.

So I had a great time with CWSS this year, but still couldn’t get the broom
Maybe next year…..