CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB
Call: K1LT
Operator(s): K1LT
Station: K1LT
Class: SOAB(A) HP
QTH: EM89ps Ohio
Operating Time (hrs): 29
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 43 9 26
80: 85 14 53
40: 93 16 66
20: 203 35 117
15: 280 36 119
10: 510 30 120
------------------------------
Total: 1214 140 501 Total Score = 2,176,836
Club: Mad River Radio Club
Comments:
No goal this time other than to do more clicking and pouncing than
last year, and even this light goal was weak. I missed the first
couple of hours due to the Heliax acquisition mission which is part
of the new tower project. I promised to tell the new tower story
this time, but I am going to defer again until I actually use the
new tower in a contest.
I was very tired the first night and I found my signal to be
unbearably ineffective on 40 meters. So I quit early at 0400Z to
sleep.
When I returned Saturday morning, I got to the radio early enough
that the bands hadn't really begun to open as yet. At first I
thought conditions were very poor, but instead my memory of HF at
first light was very poor. The first day proceeded fairly normally
and by evening I had nearly matched last year's high band multiplier
totals.
On 40 meters I found it very difficult to be heard and stations
often CQed in my face. So I spent more time on 80 and 160 where I
seemed to have a signal. There wasn't much noise. Later I returned
to 40 but got very frustrated calling an easily worked station with
no success. So I loaded up the full-sized 80 meter vertical on 40
and had immediately better results. So apparently, my 40 meter
vertical has become defective, even though the SWR curve is the same
as always. (In retrospect, maybe the SWR curve is just a tad higher
than before.)
I stayed up until 0800Z playing on the low bands, so I slept in
slightly Sunday morning. I was sufficiently groggy that I failed to
switch antennas and thus made a number of contacts in Europe and
Asia on 20, 15, and 10 using the 80 meter vertical. I thought 10
was going to be a bust until I discovered my antenna switching
error.
A little later I started running on 10 meters but the amplifier blew
up. The plate blocking capacitors (3 times 2000pF in parallel) got
so hot that the solder melted off the lug that joins the tuning
capacitor and the connection went open with sparks. The amp faulted
off and ended my run.
40 minutes later I had soldered the capacitors back together and
resumed the run. But the interruption changed my focus somewhat and
I went for an hour's nap after the 10 meter run ended.
The evening far east opening was extremely decent. I don't think I
have ever seen the JAs quite so strong. I also tried 40 before
sundown and I was surprised at how well I could work Eastern Europe
with a non-optimum antenna.
In the end I managed to work all 40 zones and had a higher raw score
than last year: more multipliers for fewer contacts. There were
just a few 6-band contacts: TO4K, KP2M, CN2AA, PJ2T, LX7I, HK1NA,
V47T, VP2V/N3DXX, VP5S, and CR6P as I didn't work very many
Europeans on 160.
DX worked: 3V, 4L, 4O, 4X, 5B, 5R, 6Y, 8P, 9A, 9K, 9V, 9Y, A6, A7,
A9, BY, C3, C5, C9, CE, CM, CN, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D2, D4, DL, DU,
E5/s, E7, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, ES, EU, F, FG, FJ, FM, FR, FS, FY,
G, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, HA, HB, HB0, HC, HI, HK, HK0/a, HL, HP, HR,
HS, HZ, I, IG9, IS, IT9, J6, JA, JW, K, KH0, KH2, KH6, KL, KP2, KP4,
LA, LU, LX, LY, LZ, OA, OD, OE, OH, OH0, OK, OM, ON, OZ, P4, PA,
PJ2, PJ4, PJ7, PY, PY0F, PZ, S0, S5, SM, SP, SU, SV, SV9, T8, TA,
TF, TG, TI, TK, TY, UA, UA2, UA9, UN, UR, V2, V3, V4, V7, V8, VE,
VK, VP2M, VP2V, VP5, VP9, VR, VU, XE, YB, YL, YN, YO, YS, YU, YV,
ZD7, ZF, ZL, ZP, and ZS which adds up to 145 entities. Heard but
not worked: V6, 9M2, 9M6; saw spotted but not heard: MD, Z3, XW and
others.
OZ was the most surprising multiplier since I didn't CQ very much.
I though S0S was a bogus call until I actually worked him.
Equipment: Elecraft K3, P3, Alpha 8410; Cushcraft X7 at 60 feet, 40
meter vertical, 80 meter vertical, 160 meter "Tee" vertical. The
Cushcraft A3 at 30 feet does not want to transmit.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
______________________________________________
3830 mailing list
3830@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/3830
|