CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW - 2021
Call: VU2XE
Operator(s): VU2XE VU2CDP
Station: VU2XE
Class: M/2 HP
QTH: Udupi, KA
Operating Time (hrs): 48
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160:
80: 222 12 41
40: 739 28 81
20: 590 26 77
15: 1000 25 81
10: 184 14 46
------------------------------
Total: 2735 105 326 Total Score = 3,349,301
Club: VU Contest Group
Comments:
This operation was planned within a few days after CQWW SSB where VU2XE and few
others were active as M/2. Getting a team together for CW was going to be
challenging so we debated doing a M/S instead with just one radio and two ops.
We settled on doing M/2 field day style with wire antennas to keep the logistics
manageable. The QTH was a rural one on the banks of a river close to the sea
with clear take off to EU and NA.
We arrived Thursday morning and set about installing antennas - wire vertical
for 80 and inverted vee for 40m were hung off the tallest of coconut trees
thanks to a local tree climber. VDAs for the higher bands were installed on
Spiderpoles within a few feet of the waterline. To reduce interaction, we spaced
the antennas well apart and this was complemented with BPFs for each band. In
hindsight, automated switching cannot be an option. Due to the increased spacing
of the antennas we ran out of the coax available with us. Our sincere thanks to
Sri VU2SBJ and Manu VU2BQN who saved the day for us by providing the remaining
lengths to make up the antenna field. Setting everything up took the better part
of 2 days and we were able to get both stations tested on Friday night. However,
come Saturday we realized the AC supply wasn’t up to the task to keep two QRO
stations going. We had to settle for running one station with reduced power and
eventually barefoot. This impacted our totals on the first day and on Sunday a
great 10m run was also abruptly cut short by line voltage swings. Aside from the
AC supply issue, the contest ran smoothly. 15m was great on both days. The
highlight was 20m on late Sunday evening when the band popped open to NA with EU
in skip. There were only zones 3, 4 and 5 being heard all the way up to 14130.
Simply wow! And calling them with 100w didn’t seem to make any difference with
most stations hearing us right away. 20m was open all night long with zones 9-13
banging in but not hearing us…we just didn’t have enough grunt to get their
attention.
It was a fun contest and we enjoyed spending time in the chair and getting past
2.5k QSOs. A few VU stations were heard for the first time in the contest and we
hope they become more regular so that zone 22 is always well represented in the
future :)
Thanks to all those who called us as well as those we called - every QSO counts.
See you again next year.
73 de Deepak VU2CDP
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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