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[3830] CQWW CW VA7ST SOAB LP

To: 3830@contesting.com
Subject: [3830] CQWW CW VA7ST SOAB LP
From: webform@b4h.net
Reply-to: ve7ask@rac.ca
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 01:06:15 -0800
List-post: <mailto:3830@contesting.com>
                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: VA7ST
Operator(s): VA7ST
Station: VA7ST

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs): 32

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:    6     2        1
   80:  180     7        8
   40:  115    11       15
   20:  116    18       38
   15:  315    17       27
   10:  133    18       26
------------------------------
Total:  865    73      115  Total Score = 351,936

Club: 

Comments:

Rig:

FT920 <100W (still no CW filter. Ouch.)
N1MM Logger 3.0.127 (outstanding!)

Antennas:

* 2-element 80M delta loop array (reversible)
* A pair of 204' G5RVs as rather short Vee-beams, each with a 70-degree apex,
later converted to plain old flat-tops in an X configuration.
* A 2-element triband wire yagi hanging from a branch at 50'
(Had also planned to hang a 4-el. 40M wire yagi, but just couldn't get to it).

Before the contest:
===================

The contesting shack is a 30'x30' garage and well-appointed workshop set up 100'
from my parents' home on a 25-acre wooded property. A woodstove kept things
toasty, even when night-time temperatures plunged. My father graciously offered
the site for any contest operations I want to try -- and he even offered to help
string up the wire antennas. Couldn't refuse an offer like that.

The weekend prior to 0001z, I drove 1.5 hours to the contest QTH for a day of
site preparation. I chose a 95' pine tree beside the shack as my first "tower."
I chose a similar tree about 130' away and ran a 1/4" rope between the trees --
running almost exactly NW/SE. The rope sloped a bit, from 80' to about 70'. Took
much of the day to get it where I wanted.

I prepared many of the parts ahead of time, and the night before the contest I
again drove 1.5 hours to the contest QTH, set up the radios and computer. In the
dark, I hoisted one of my double-sized G5RVs with the 70-degree apex pointing
NW/SE to Japan and much of the U.S. 

I discovered that the 57' feedline connectors were just a foot or two above
ground -- meaning the supporting rope was suddenly less than 60' high. The next
day I discovered that the once-80' support branch had broken and the highest end
of the rope was now just 70' high in the tree. Oh well. No time to tear it all
down and try again. Went into the shack to test things out: worked D44TT -- Cape
Verde on 80M! What a blast this weekend was going to be. From home, I have
trouble working California on 80, hi.

Contest day:
============

After visiting with my dad in the evening and getting a good night's sleep,
Friday morning I raised the second 204' G5RV, this one pointing SW/NE (hopefully
to cover Oceania and Europe). With Dad's help, I began measuring and cutting the
277-foot wires for the delta loops. We were both swearing by the time it was
done -- wire management becomes tough with aluminum in long runs. At 5 below
Celcius (and a serious wind chill), any kinks in the wire will quickly break,
which happened three times as I arranged the two loops with apex points 55'
apart, ready to raise to about 70' high on the rope. Next time will use tough,
durable, readily available PVC-covered copper housewire.

By noon Pacific time (4 hours to go) I still had to cut the 4-element 40M yagi
wires, hoist the loops and the yagi wires, and then dicker around to tie off all
the ends as far out as I could get. The ol' feet were now frozen from tromping
around in knee-deep wet snow, so I said to hell with that. No 40m beam; the
G5RVs would have to do the job. At least I had the 80M delta loops to play
with.

Stopped working on antennas with 1.5 hours to go before the contest. Used the
final time to a) double-check the computer and radio; b) run all the coax lines
to the operating position, and; c) shower and change into dry, warm clothes. 

And They're Off: The Start
==========================

After about 10 QSOs, discovered an RF problem -- something was forcing the rig
to lock up on transmit. Took about 10 minutes of trial and error to learn that
the laptop's USB keyboard was the culprit. I unplugged it and continued on with
the built-in keyboard. No worries there.

Opened on 10M, figuring I should start at the highest possible band and stay
till it died off. 12 Qs, 6 DX and 7 zones in the first hour using the G5RVs.
Nuts. Second hour was marginally better on 15M and 10M, but still terribly
poor.

Went to 40M just 2.5 hours in, and had a tough time with the G5RV matching. SWR
all over the map as I roamed the band S&P. I remember from my MMANA models that
those vee apex angles were way too narrow for 40M.

Jumped to 80m to try the big delta loops, "beaming" SE. I have NEVER before had
a run longer than 10 Qs. From 0707z to 0900z I worked 114 stations on 3.540.
What a hoot! Ended up with 180 Qs on 80M. Don't know why I didn't stay there a
lot longer. And I never did reverse the loops to see how it played into JA.

40M was much harder work with the low-ish G5RVs. Should have strung up the beam.
Managed just 115 Qs there, and only got somewhat decent performance after making
the 70-degree sloping "vee beam" configuration a standard flat-top at 60' or so.
Having two of these in an X made a switchable system to cover off 4 compass
points.

Friday evening and Saturday morning saw 20M rather noisy, with very weak EU sigs
and strong Caribbean and Central American stations -- though few anywhere could
copy me. Thinking I could come back to 20M for the final day and still be fresh
meat, I didn't stick around long there on Saturday. I did notice on Saturday
afternoon that northern U.S. signals went all fuzzy for a while.

On Sunday morning, I discovered 20M open to EU (although signals were degraded
by Au). I managed to work a few stations, but most couldn't copy me. Knowing how
valuable all those mults were that I wasn't able to work, I dug out the tangled
bits of an old two-element wire tribander and decided to hang it from a nearby
tree at a 45-degree angle. 

Exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes off the air, and I was up and running again. This
antenna is essentially a fan dipole with reflectors on a boom spacing of just 7'
(plywood strips I dug out of Dad's woodworking scrap heap). Thanks to VE7CA's
design (QST, Nov. 2001), I had a better signal for 20/15/10. 

Using the armstrong-aimed 2-element yagi I had one of my best-ever runs on 15M,
when the rate meter topped 240 per hour (for an entire minute, hi). First time
I've worked 4 Qs in a minute. A couple of hours later, I had a 76-QSO hour on
15M. That's a lot for a guy who gets excited about working 30-40 in a great
hour.

I closed out the contest with a very satisfying run on 15M again -- 90 Qs in the
final 75 minutes. Last QSO at 2359:50z was with K0RT. In my rather
sleep-deprived state, I mentally read this call as "QRT". How appropriate. 

Admittedly, I had hoped to do MUCH better this time out. Should have done three
things differently: spent more time on the air and less time fiddling with the
antennas; I should have hit 20M and 40M a lot harder on Saturday to chase mults;
and I should have looked for more 3-point DX QSOs without being dazzled by the
allure of all the easy 2-pointer Stateside contacts (sure was huge fun though!)


Lack of multipliers killed me this time. Won't make that mistake next year.

Still, I hit 865 Qs for the first time -- up from my previous best of 675 last
year. I will be more vigilant about multiplier hunting, and go for a bit more
gain in the high bands where that's easier to achieve. 

With what I am learning each time out, I know 1,000 QSOs is well within reach.
Next year, I would like to at least double my score to 700K. With a better 40M
array, and more high-band gain (a light but deadly spider beam, I suspect), that
should be possible. 

Thanks for all the contacts and for putting up with me fumbling through those
three- or four-call "pileups." I have never enjoyed a contest more than this
one, and I know the best is yet to come.

A super weekend. Looking forward to the next time out!

--Bud, VA7ST


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