ARRL June VHF QSO Party
Call: K8CC
Operator(s): K8CC, K8KS, N8UUP, WX3M
Station: K8CC
Class: Limited Multi-Op HP
QTH: EN82ef
Operating Time (hrs): 25
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
6: 447 115
2: 173 39
222: 51 24
432: 96 32
903:
1.2:
2.3:
3.4:
5.7:
10G:
24G:
-------------------
Total: 767 210 Total Score = 191,940
Club: Mad River Radio Club
Comments:
Equipment:
50 IC-746Pro, 8877, 7L @ 95', 5L @ 40', 2 x KB6KQ loops @ 70'/50'
144 IC-746Pro, 2002, 2M18XXX @ 90', 3 x CC 4L N/SE/SW @ 75'
222 IC-756/xvtr, AM-6155, 16L K1FO @ 70'
432 FT-847, 8874, CC 24L @ 80'
Due to an operator illness, our limited-multiop became a single op for the first
day as the host was the only one present! For the second day, WX3M showed up as
planned along with K8KS and N8UUP whom I recruited off 50 MHz late Saturday
night.
Like K5TR noted in his post, I have to set up all the VHF stuff for the contest,
which has led to "equipment accidents" in the past. This time, a different
wattmeter on 432 turned out to be bad and fooled me into believing the something
was amiss with the 8874 amp so all the Saturday QSOs were barefoot at 50W. Some
misadjustments on 222 led me to believe the gear was broke so no QSOs on that
band first day. Since I was only op, I decided to focus on 50 MHz (which was
relatively good) and fix the problems later.
6M showed promise early as DM76 was the 4th QSO and several stations in the
Pacific Northwest were worked in the first hour. Later, it was a pleasant
surprise to work two VE4s and two VE5s with familiar calls from HF contesting.
By late afternoon W5s from LA/OK/TX were answering my CQs. After darkness fell
I was pleased to have N6MU/R, AA7A and several Colorado stations answer CQs. By
0230Z I went QRT to fix the 222 and 432 stations.
Our only 144/432 QSOs the first day were when people asked me to move, so when
WX3M showed up at 11Z he had essentially untapped bands to work with. Sunday
conditions for 144/222/432 bands seemed unexceptional, with no extraordinary
openings, just working the usual expected stuff. Our best DX on 144 MHz was
W4MYA in FM06.
On Sunday, 50 MHz brought openings to the south (which was completely absent on
Sunday). However, it was essentially only to the deep south - i.e., the bottom
row of EM and a sweep of the FL grid squares except EM80. Carribean DX included
ZF, C6 and T49. ZF1DC proved particularly elusive - I kept VFOB on 50.125 most
of Saturday and every time he was spotted I would check, but nothing!
Eventually we got him on Sunday when he was not very loud.
In the end, we were up very slightly on 50 MHz vs. last year, and significantly
down on the other bands. No doubt this was due to our Saturday operator
shortage. In the end, we were glad we made the decision to go ahead with the
effort despite being "single-op on Saturday" because there is always something
to learn.
73,
Dave/K8CC
Don/WX3M
Kaz/K8KS
Bill/N8UUP
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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