IARU HF World Championship - 2023
Call: N9NB
Operator(s): N9NB
Station: N9NB
Class: SOABMixed LP
QTH: VA
Operating Time (hrs): 11.0
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs Zones HQ Mults
-------------------------------------
160: 0 0 0 0
80: 7 1 4 2
40: 56 0 9 4
20: 211 31 18 29
15: 302 68 24 35
10: 11 14 9 6
-------------------------------------
Total: 587 114 64 76 Total Score = 370,860
Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
Comments:
Congratulations to the remarkable WRTC contestants in Italy who did such a
terrific job. Also, a big congratulations to the Italians who put on what
sounded like a very successful WRTC in the face of such unprecedented global
crises during the past several years!
I was sorry to miss the WRTC competition after working so hard to qualify for
the first time in the years 2018-2019! However,given my unexpected health issues
that arose in 2023 (a very scary Epstein Barr virus attack that landed me in bed
for the entire month of February, combined with debilitating Giardia that I
contracted last month on a work trip to Europe), I am so glad that I stayed home
to rest up and reacquaint myself with my station in SW Virginia!
This was the first time that I operated a contest since Fall 2019 (ALMOST 4
YEARS!), as I just recently regained possession of my wonderful Virginia
mountain top station that had been left abandoned for many years during very sad
and acrimonious divorce proceedings. It was wonderful to be able to get my house
back to tip top shape, and to have my station back - I missed them! I had a
wonderful July 4 BBQ and fireworks watch party for about 40 friends and
neighbors in the area, and had several days to get the house and station ready
for this contest.
I was very gratified that most antennas worked just like I remembered and as
designed, although I found a MOV had shorted across the north tower rotor feed,
and I spent a day climbing the tower and ohm-ing things out until I found the
problem. I also tried to get my SAL-30 low band RX antenna back up but was
unable to do so (it fell down when the house and yard were abandoned), as the
fiberglass poles are so dangerous with glass shards that I will have to erect a
new metal or wood tower for it. I also found a doorknob capacitor had become
unstable in the south tower 160 M gamma match feed for the shunt fed vertical,
and thanks to Nate N4YDU, was able to get a replacement tuning capacitor, but it
seems that the 40 m delta loop (that I put up in Fall 2019 for my last contest
in CQWW) for South America may have detuned the shunt feed.
I paced myself in my first outing in years, and got plenty of sleep - I
operated for just 11 hours, but it was great fun and was a good reentry into
this fun hobby. By the end, I felt like I was starting to get my mojo back and
finally learned that I need to call CQ to be competitive (I had forgotten this
simple fact, but finally called CQ in the last hour of the contest on 15m with a
great opening to EU - a 180 hour rate for about 30 minutes - and some nice
call-ins from VU2, YB1 and UA0/UA9 stations). I dared not try SO2R in my first
time out, as I am way too rusty for that. There is a lot of rebuilding to do, as
I try to get back my operating instincts. Hearing the tremendous skill and
tenacity of the WRTC competitors on the air from Italy is terrific inspiration
for me. I was really in awe of how well they did.
Thanks to everyone for the QSOs, and thanks to the ARRL and the Italian WRTC
committee and many volunteers for organizing the Radiosport olympics this year
in Italy!
73 ted n9nb
73 ted n9nb
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