ARRL 160-Meter Contest
Call: K7RE
Operator(s): K7RE
Station: K7RE
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: SD
Operating Time (hrs): 28
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 1077 Sections = 79 Countries = 4 Total Score = 180,276
Club:
Comments:
I put in about 28 hours total. I decided to start out at LP, and see how it
went, I figured that if required I could always go to the HP category. That
turned out not to be necessary. Conditions the first night were good, I ended up
with 846 QSO's and 79 sections Friday - Saturday. This was well ahead of last
year's totals at this point. I saw the rate meter go above 200 on peaks, and
stay at above 130 for extended periods. The second night found heavy QRN from
storms just west and in the US southeast. These combined to make copying weak
signals very difficult. The DSP in the K-2 worked miracles though. I took
several short naps in between working everyone that I could hear. Eventually
the storm static decreased until the noise level was almost normal. I have no
effective directional RX antennas up at this time, bit they wouldn't have helped
much anyway, as the noise sources emanated from several directions.
For most of last season I tried to work AK as my last state needed for 160M WAS.
In this contest I worked 3 in one weekend, good signals too!
My 45' top loaded vertical performed very well with it's extended and elevated
radial system. It is fed with 1/2 inch hard line, and uses no inductance loading
at all, which I think makes it very efficient too. With 6 inches of snow on the
ground, the ground radials were able to couple quite well into the surrounding
fields I think. This is also a very quite location.
Highlights were being called by several Caribbean stations, and 2 JA's. The
JA's were not heard here on Friday night, but on Saturday night they began to
come in well before their usual appearance here at around 1230Z but I could not
hope to work them until the static subsided. I worked all Canadian and US
sections mainland section. I only missed the PAC, which I usually work in every
160M event. No EU stations were ever heard, but that continent is almost
impossible for me to work from here.
Without the storm static, I know that I could have done much better on the
second night, so that will be my goal next year!
Brian K7RE
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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