Once the contest was underway, I spent the first 10 minutes calling CQ on 223.500 FM simplex on the vertically polarized Yagi. I turned the beam in 10 degree increments while calling CQ, but ended up with no takers, so I switched to the SSB Yagi and operated SSB/CW for the rest of the event. The tropo forecast showed dwindling prospects as sprint day approached, especially as Hurricane Maria was finally weakening and less able to produce tropo to the north. Nonetheless, signals were louder than expected on many paths. To the northeast I was able to work Maine station K1DY FN54 (315 mi / 506 km) for my best overall DX. To the east I worked 4 stations in FN42. Missed FN30 to the southeast despite targeting that area multiple times later in the sprint and hearing one station from there. Worked a few stations in the FM grid field with W8ZN FM09 being the best DX (296 mi / 477 km) and a terrific signal. To the west I was able to reach VE3ZV EN92 (287 mi / 462 km) and reached northwest to VE3CRU/R in both FN03 and FN04. I also worked VE2DFO FN25 who was 5x8 from 3 grids away.
BAND QSOs UNIQUE
GRIDS
---------------------------
222 32 19
--- Claimed score = 608 ---
UTC MD CALLSIGN GRID SIG --------------------------------- 2314 PH VE3CRU/R FN04 2316 PH WZ1V FN31 2319 PH K1OR FN42 2320 PH N1JEZ FN44 2320 PH W1GHZ FN34 2322 PH W1ZC FN42 2327 PH VE2DFO FN25 5x8 2334 PH K1DY FN54 2336 PH N3RN FN11 2346 PH N2NT FN20 2352 PH KO1I FN42 5x3 at 18W 0002 PH W9KXI FN12 0004 PH K1TEO FN31 0004 PH VE3ZV EN92 5x8 0010 CW K1PXE FN31 0016 CW N1DPM FN32 0018 CW K1GX FN31 0034 CW W2SJ FM29 0040 PH K1RZ FM19 0040 PH W8ZN FM09 0046 CW AA2UK FM29 0049 CW K3MD FN10 0053 PH VE3CRU/R FN03 0057 PH KV1J FN44 0058 PH WX3K FN20 0101 PH WA2LTM FN20 5x5 0107 PH K1TR FN42 5x9 0127 CW KA2LIM FN12 0136 PH K3TUF FN10 0151 PH AF1T FN43 0224 PH N1KOH FN31 0252 CW K2OS FN13