Very good conditions was observed few days before the contest, and it sustained during the whole weekend too.

I started at low bands, since I expected main activity on 40m. I realised too late, that 20m was opened… No chance to sleep a lot before the contest (I was train my ears on rock concert on Friday evening 🙂 so I lost hour or two due to longer Saturday nap time. Then all high bands fully opened with good pileups.
Sunday morning of very solid low bands, it was pleasure to type one call by another to the log on 80 and 160. 5 circle RX vertical system is the gun – TNX to OM8AW – antenna shaman. Sunday afternoon high bands in good shape again, but I felt as with handbrake on. I alternated between DUAL CQ and RUN/S&P, good mults number was the only one advantage.

Propagation very similar to 2023, but -14% of QSOs. Only -7,5% reduction of score, thanks to mults number, my personal the top, also other fellows of high mults numbers, but I got a feeling that the total US/VE participants number was less. Will be seen after closing of the log submission period.

I think, that I will be the winner of „low/high bands rate“. My one is 42%/58%. I have checked few stations from my surrounding, all have higher high bands rates, typically 33%/67%. Time to sit down and fill EZNEC by all of my antenna elements…

Recent years is period of returning from assisted to non assisted SOAB, probably due to 2BSIQ performance. In general, not only in this contest. And it really works, if station HW meets with OP mental capacity.

The funniest moment: 9Axx guy QSY 2 kHz down, right to my CQ frequency and sent me simply „QSY PLEASE“ few times instead of „QRL?“ or so 🙂

TKS to all for contesting!

Final score:   2 040 324
Category:      SO AB HP
Rank:          WW #24   EU #17   OM #3

RAW score:     2 070 354
Category:      SO AB HP
Rank:          WW #25   EU #18    OM #3

Call: OM7K
Operator(s): OM7RU
Station: OM7RU

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: JN98OQ
Operating Time (hrs): 37:23
Location : Northern Europe

Summary:

Band    QSOs  Mults
----------------------------------------
  160:     74   23
   80:    283   44
   40:    659   55
   20:    556   55
   15:    395   54
   10:    446   55
----------------------------------------
 Total: 2413  286  Total Score 2,070,354

Used equipments:
Kenwood TS-590SG
Yaesu FT-1000MP MarkV Field
OM Power 3500A
ACOM 2000A
microHAMs: MK2R+, 2x Station Master, doubleTEN, ARCO
2x OM Power OM6BPF
DXLog

Antennas:
160m: Half Sloper
80m: OptiBeam OB1-80 @34m
AD-3446 @31m
2-el tribander @15m
5 circle phased vertical RX array

73!
Riki, OM7RU
www.tucek.sk/om7ru