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[3830] CQWW RTTY ZC4DW SOAB LP

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Subject: [3830] CQWW RTTY ZC4DW SOAB LP
From: dez@cytanet.com.cy (dez@cytanet.com.cy)
Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2001 14:09:32 -0400 (EDT)
                     CQ/RJ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY
                    
Call: ZC4DW
Operator(s): ZC4DW
Station: ZC4DW

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: E. SBA
Operating Time (hrs): 44
 

Summary:
 Band     QSOs   Pts  States   DX   Zones
------------------------------------------
   80:     47    138      0     19      6
   40:    151    437      6     44     11
   20:    401   1158     17     70     23
   15:    584   1632     17     73     28
   10:    667   1911     28     62     22
------------------------------------------
Total:   1850   5276     68    268     90  =  2,247,576

Club/Team: Chiltern DX Club - CDXC

Comments:

Transceiver:    FT-1000mp MK-V
Power:          75 Watts
Ant 1:          28 MHz ¼ wave ground plane
Ant 2:          Doublet
Ant 3:          Inverted-L
TNC:            KAM
Software:       Writelog

This was my first entry in the all-band category in CQ/RJ WW RTTY. Last year I 
had great fun challenging VR2BG in the race for the Asian 10m title. Brett came 
out on top and won 1st place in Asia on 10m in 2000. This year I stepped up to 
try an all-band effort.

A quick check at the low power records revealed that 4Z5CP was the all-band 
Asian record holder setting his 1.2 million points record in 2000. So that was 
my target ? a tall order without any beam antennas or gear capable of  
delivering the permitted 150 watts. Incidentally, can anybody explain why the 
low power limit is not 100 watts like  the SSB or CW leg? Just curious that?s 
all.

My setup is very basic, just a couple of wire antennas no higher than 10 meters 
up, and a CB type groundplane shortened for 28 MHz. The latter antenna 
performed amazingly well ? 28 MHz being in very good shape both days, as I?m 
sure JY9 found  out.

The States and Canada are both difficult areas to work from the Middle East; I 
said difficult ? not impossible. 10m was my best band for working North 
America, yet 15m was the best overall for zones/dxcc. Both the two higher bands 
seemed good, and it was a trade-off when to change between either band.

On day 1 I was really surprised how early North America appeared on 15m. The 
first two stations were worked around 1100z ? this was about 2 hours before 
Stateside usually appear on the higher bands. On the whole, propagation didn?t 
chuck up many surprises, except 10m seemed to close earlier than anticipated, 
again by a couple of hours.

Despite 10m and 15m being in great shape, it was still difficult to work 
sufficient North American mults to seriously challenge the big guns like P40MM, 
AA5AU, or W2UP.  Realistically one can?t expect to put out a big signal to 
where it really matters with 75 watts and a wire.

This showed on 80m; I could hear lots of Europeans extremely well, but very few 
of them copied me. Quite a few could ?hear? me, but said ?sorry no print?. This 
was very frustrating, and for me it?s the main difference between RTTY and CW. 
On the key, whatever I hear I can usually work with low power on 80m or 40m ? 
not so on RTTY. 

Overall I thought conditions were almost as good as they get. I don?t recall 
ever working 10 VK?s in a weekend before! HC8N and HO1A both on 4 bands, 
K7WD/KH0 amazingly on 3 bands. Other highlights were being called by V73UX and 
C98DC on 15m, working JY9NX on 10m and 15m back-scatter to complete a rare 
5-bander.

Several commented on the fluttery signals, especially day 2. I noticed this on 
American and Canadian signals during my evening. On Sunday, P40MM worked me on 
20m with his huge 599 signal, and requested a QSY for the 15m mult at a time 
when 15m should have been even more favorable. Rather surprisingly, he was 
almost inaudible on 15m and we never made the QSO.

For an hour or so, when 20m was fluttery, 15m was virtually dead. At the same 
time I went through a brief spell around 9pm local when I seemed to have a 
direct pipeline into Oceania! AH8, KH0, 9M6, ZL called within a 30 minute time 
frame. I was longing for an Hawaiian to call in, but it was not to be! I never 
heard a KL7 either.

The ones that got away were JT1, Zone 23. I heard him on both days on 15m and 
quite a good signal; he seemed to be struggling with me. Also missed XE, but 
Mexico is very difficult to work from the Middle East.

The bands were so open it was difficult to know when to take a break. The 
contest for me starts at 3am local ? not the best time in the world! I operated 
the first 24 hours without stopping, reached the 1,000 QSO mark after exactly 
18 hours. After 24 hours in the chair the score had crept up to 1.1 million, 
just a shade off 4Z5CP record 1.2 million set last year. It was a good time to 
go for a sleep!

5 hours later I was back at the rig; the home QTH is in 5B4 land incidentally, 
so I have to sleep in a different DXCC country! Who else has such quirks?

Anyway, after 1 hour back at the radio the score passed the magic 1.2 million. 
What a satisfying feeling you get looking at the clock and seeing there?s still 
another 18 hours left to push the score up even higher and hopefully out of 
reach of any others who are surely enjoying the condx. I worked 4Z5CP twice and 
was tempted to ask how he was doing,  I might have been disgruntled if he?d 
have told me his score. I chose not to inquire in-case he suspected I was 
chasing his Asian record!

The pile-ups were huge, especially on 10m and 15m, but easy to control. I?ve 
never worked 1850 stations on RTTY in a single weekend. The rate meter looked 
impressive at times. What a lot of fun!
 

           80M    40M    20M    15M    10M   Total      %

    EU      43    120    302    403    493    1361    73.6
    NA       0     10     35     32     66     143     7.7
    SA       0      1      8     10      9      28     1.5
    AS       3     16     45    120     90     274    14.8
    AF       1      4      4     12      6      27     1.5
    OC       0      0      7      7      3      17     0.9

Shalom and God bless; thanks to all who called in, and thanks to the sponsors.

Dez Watson ? ZC4DW, G0DEZ



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