It’s been about two months since I got on the air here on Guam. I recently broke the 6,000 QSO barrier. About 2,400 QSOs as NH2T in contests, and 3,900 as KH2/N2NL outside of contests.
In comparison, I made just over 36,000 QSOs total during my last tour on island in 1998-2000. At my current rate, I will eclipse this number in one year.
I have been focusing mostly on the WARC bands outside of contests. I sense there is still a demand for Guam there. As autumn approaches, and now that I have completed my two Beverage receive antennas, I have been spending more time on 80 and 160m. These are my two favorite bands and I will likely spend much of my free time there over the winter months. My good friend Ed, KH2L, and I compare notes almost daily. I expect him to continue putting Guam on the air in a big way as well!
Here is my band breakdown for KH2/N2NL:
160: 98
80: 203
40: 160
30: 823
20: 367
17: 1161
15: 610
12: 246
10: 105
6: 6
These are unique QSOs only – not dupes. Of these, only 9 are on SSB and 48 RTTY. I really prefer CW!
Some have asked – why not use NH2T all the time? I suppose I could, but it is a good way to separate my contest efforts from my daily contacts. Additionally, I want people to call me during contests. Some might not rework me as KH2/N2NL during a contest if they already have me confirmed. Additionally, it is kind of nice to keep my identity. I will someday be N2NL again – whereas I will drop NH2T once I move off island.
With all these QSOs come lots of QSL card requests. Dave, W2YC, is not a QSL manager at heart but volunteered to help me out a decade ago, and choose to continue his commitment this time around also. He does such an awesome job, and is currently turning around a dozen or two direct requests daily. I hate to see what the first buro batch looks like. Please say thanks to him – either with a small note with your card, or a QSO during the next contest.