ARRL DX CW Contest 2023

Contacts during the ARRL DX CW Contest on 18 February 2023. Station includes Yaesu FT-710 operating at 30W and end-fed halfwave antenna orientated broadside to North America. CW sent using iambic key at 20 WPM.
Exchange includes signal report (599), USA/Canada stations send state or province and other/dx stations send transmit power. Operating in the low power category (100W or less) so transmit power sent as 1TT (100).
Music: Inspire (www.bensound.com)

[@kao354]

TKS James FER ANR GRT video! 73!

[@vk2ter]

Thanks Kao, 73

[@peterm2618]

Always amazing to see that you can get across the Pacific Ocean with just a few watts and a piece of wire! Congrats, James!

[@vk2ter]

Yes agreed Peter, it is always great making DX contacts when operating portable, 73

[@Daniel-jy4fj]

Super video! 73!👍

[@vk2ter]

Thanks Daniel for the feedback, it is appreciated, 73

[@kishor_VU2MZT]

FANTASTIC

[@vk2ter]

thank you Kishor, 73

[@mattsartori2624]

Another great video James 73 😊

[@vk2ter]

thanks Matt glad you enjoyed the video, 73

[@W5MHG]

love the video. does 1TT mean 100 watts?

[@buildstoys]

Yes 'T' is a cut number for zero.

[@W5MHG]

@@buildstoys Thank you, still learning🙂

[@buildstoys]

@@W5MHG The most common is 'N' for nine, such as a signal report of 5nn (599).

[@W5MHG]

@@buildstoys RR ya got that one. TU.

[@vk2ter]

thanks Matt for watching the video. Yes “1TT” means 100W. While I was using 30W, I was operating in the low power category (100W or less), so I sent 100W for simplicity, 73

[@samcollins6394]

Can I ask why the call is "cq test #### test" why the "test: part??
Sorry really new to cw

[@96JustStuff]

It's short for conTEST.

[@MrBracey1970]

How do find taking the 710 portable and what’s the battery,great video by the way 😊

[@vk2ter]

hi Sam, “test” is an abbreviation for “contest”, 73

[@vk2ter]

@@MrBracey1970 it was the first time taking the FT-710 portable, it is normally my home station but I wanted some extra power for the contest. It worked really well (though the screen was hard to see in the bright sunlight) but wouldn’t recommend it for long hikes due to its weight. I was using a 12.8V 12AH LiFePo4 battery which lasted more than 4 hours when running at 30W, 73

[@chrissmith7655]

Contests ,, a pain in the butt. They all cheat anyway.

[@vk2ter]

yes agreed contests can be a pain when wanting to make a qso or activate a park / summit. I wanted to try my luck, a good opportunity to chase dx. Only 7 contacts in total, so I am unlikely to be in the running for any awards, 73

[@lumenboreus]

You send "NST" instead of "TEST" characters.

[@vk2ter]

Yes I did run the “t” and “e” together. Thanks for the feedback, 73