CQ WORLD WIDE DX CONTEST -- 1996
Call: W4ZW/R3 Country: European Russia
(fka K4HHG) Moscow
Mode: CW Category: Single Operator, Low Power
Unassisted
Just over 24 hours on the air.
BAND QSO QSO PTS PTS/QSO ZONES COUNTRIES
160 8 9 1.13 4 7
80 40 54 1.35 6 29
40 532 644 1.21 22 63
20 474 635 1.34 22 54
15 126 228 1.81 22 50
10 6 4 0.67 2 2
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 1186 1574 1.33 78 205 => 445,442
Equipment Description: ICOM 736,
Kenwood AT-230 Antenna Tuner
Cushcraft R7 @ 120'
Russian Club Affiliation: Radio Shack Russia Club (RZ3AXL)
Jon Hamlet W4ZW/R3
21 University Prospekt
Moscow, RF 117934
w4zw@juno.com
Verbose Report from Moscow
Deja Vu! As I got ready for this contest, it was just like getting ready
for the recent CW SS in Florida, but with my new call, W4ZW! (I had to
work hard to keep my keyer from sending K4HHG!) New home, unpack boxes,
busy schedule, Jet lag, and a hurried setup from scratch. At least in
Florida, I had the radios unpacked and checked out before the SS. Our
workers had just finished my new apartment the day I arrived (Wednesday
evening); I unpacked my things, grabbed the ICOM 736 from one of our stores
on Thursday, and installed the Cushcraft R7 on the roof on Friday before
the contest began that night. My new QTH is a great location in Lenin
Hills, the highest point in Moscow and overlooks the entire city, about
1/2 mile from Moscow State University and the Moscow City Overlook which is
a popular tourist spot.. Great QTH, right? WRONG! I'm also 1/2 mile
and line of sight from the Moscow State University MEGA Contest Club
station, RU3A, complete with an unbelievable antenna setup and Russian mega
power. I'm sure I could light neon's from the RF induced in my poor R7.
On 20 and 15, they could even thump the ICOM 736, my favorite small contest
radio because it is normally immune to cross interference in a multi-radio
setup.
Working this contest from Europe is an altogether different contest from
the US. Lots of multipliers on the low bands, but fewer points per QSO.
And many mega-powered stations creating layers of stations, depending on
propagation. The 15 meter opening on Sunday was wonderful, though it
closed early, and the tunnel opening here on 10 to Spain was unique for its
brief intensity. Sounded like scatter, but with none of the mushiness. 40
meters is certainly the Boss Band when the sunspots are hiding. It seemed
open to some part of the world almost continuously. Of course, Moscow is
as far north as Juneau, Alaska, and so the daylight hours are very short
this time of year.
And when Moscow wakes up, the radio noise pollution is incredible with
S7-9+ noise when the elevators start up in the morning and again in the
evening. Jet lag caught up with me after 9 hours, so I collapsed and
resolved to only work to get 24 hours in. There's always next year.
I was astounded to find that I could maintain a Run frequency for up to an
hour or so at a time with my peanut whistle before getting squashed by the
big guys and I am once again amazed at the capabilities of the R7 when you
can get it very high. I think much of the credit goes to the very low
angle of radiation of the half wave. At my last Moscow QTH, I had the R7
mounted about 10' above a tin roof which was itself at 150' and I could
crack most pileup's on the first or second try with my FT-1000D. No tin
roof here, but the R7 performed flawlessly at about 120' especially on 40.
The half wave on 40 loads as a 1/4 wave on 80, poorly, but with a
matchable SWR of 3-4. The ICOM matched it for output, but the performance
was very poor. I managed to get a few multipliers on 80, and then loaded
the R7 and the coax feeding it on 160 for another few multipliers. My
signal was so weak on 160, the Asians would first copy the W4ZW and go
crazy before they finally got the /R3.
>From this location, I only managed to work the Northeast coast of the US
down through the Caribbean, and of course the Texas contesters. NP4Z had
the most amazing signal out of the US! He was at least 2-3 S-units above
any other stateside station I heard. Other signals of note were KC1XX and
K1KI, Never heard any W6,7,or 0's nor any of the Westerly North or South
American zones. Heard one KL7 very weak on 40, but he was covered by the
JA's and the Siberian wall. Never had a good opening to the JA's either
which normally results in many solid 125+ hours from Moscow on 40 and 20.
Bless the DL's, for they are many in number and seemed to never run dry.
My many thanks to all who stayed with me and dug my signal out from under
the crescendos of the big guns in Eastern Europe.
Contest highlights: Working XV7SW, Vietnam, new one from Moscow. And
listening to the FB pileup operation of VQ9IE who slowed to a crawl from
his normal 40+wpm to answer the stations calling at 15 wpm.
Jon Hamlet, W4ZW/R3
Most worked List (15+)
DL 201 JA 38
UA (All) 132 YU 35
I (All types) 68 SP 34
OK 59 OL/OM 32
G (All types) 58 OH 27
HA 55 LZ 20
W/K (incl VE) 48 EA** 20
S5 45 9A 19
F 40 SM 15
** (Thanks to the 10 opening)
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