CQ World Wide SSB Event Inaugurates Fall Contest Season

The CQ World Wide DX Contest (SSB) kicked off the fall contest season this past weekend with plenty of activity from around the world.

As The Daily DX reported on October 30, some Top 10 operations from outside the US racked up claimed scores topping 30 million points. In the US, it appears that only two major multioperator/multi-transmitter high-power entries, K3LR and W3LPL, were active in this year’s event, with Tim Duffy, K3LR, and his 15-member crew claiming another big win and a world high in the MM HP category. Duffy’s K3LR and Frank Donovan’s W3LPL have sparred for high-score honors during many contests over the years.

K3LR has won every US multi-multi category in the CQ WW phone starting in 2005, Duffy told ARRL.

In earning 20.1+ million points at K3LR, 15 meters edged out 20 as the money band, with 40 meters only a few hundred contacts behind. K3LR managed 372 contacts in 21 zones on 10 meters. In all, K3LR logged 9,631 contacts in 174 zones (650 countries).

Donovan said W3LPL was handicapped this time around due to the fact that some of the regulars were not able to make it this year. The W3LPL gang posted a not-too-shabby score of 15.2 million points, with 20 meters being the most fertile territory there. W3LPL picked up 438 QSOs in 18 zones on 10 meters. The W3LPL team logged 7,686 contacts in 157 zones (606 countries)

“We had lots of fun at K3LR,” Duffy said, “the very best part is being with good friends in the K3LR shack and talking to our radio friends all over the world. 48 hours of pure magic that never ever gets old. Duffy also congratulated the W3LPL operators, who, he said, “did well considering the challenging conditions and the operators that had to cancel at the last minute.”

“It is great to have this close competition never knowing who will finish on top,” Duffy added.