ARRL 160-Meter Contest
Call: AA4LR
Operator(s): AA4LR
Station: AA4LR
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: GA
Operating Time (hrs): 5.8
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 370 Sections = 54 Countries = 2 Total Score = 41,608
Club: South East Contest Club
Comments:
Antennas:
Shunt-fed 15m tower w/ tribander
Half-size single K9AY loop pointed north
Equipment:
Elecraft K2/100 w/ KAT100 running 90 watts
Comments:
I was planning to put about 10 hours in this contest, about six on Friday
night, and four more on Saturday. First sat down at the rig just after 0000z to
find that the antenna had high SWR! I had just checked it the night before, and
it was fine.
Fourty minutes later, I determined that a 150 pF silver mica cap had shorted. I
had thought this was a 1 kV unit, but actually it was 100 V. I replaced it with
a 160 pF 4 kV disc ceramic. I could tune the antenna with the antenna analyser,
but it was intermittently showing high SWR.
About this point, I got really frustrated. I had the same sort of problem last
year that cost me the second night of the contest. I walked out of the shack
and upstairs to watch some TV. After a while, I decided that the problem must
be in the windings of the toroid of the matching network. This toroid is two
stacked T200-2 cores wound with 44 turns of 16 gauge enameled wire.
Evidentially, the turns must have rubbed against each other through heating and
cooling cycles being outside and worn through the insulation.
Later, I went back outside and took off the matching network assembly. I
unwound the toroid and re-wound 45 turns of 20 gauge insulated wire. Sure, the
Q would be slightly affected by the smaller diameter wire, but maybe it
wouldn't arc. Inspecting the wire I unwound, I could not find the definitive
point of prior arcing.
Putting this all back together and mounting it on the tower, I was pleased to
quicking find the matching point again. Back inside at 0345z, I found a clear
frequency and proceeded to CQ for the next hour. This is the part I like best
about the 160m contest -- running stations at 60+ / hr. Thought I would call it
a night around 0500z, but the stations kept calling so I didn't pull the plug
until 0635z.
After 0600z, I had one weird moment. A strong station came back to my CQ,
signing M0AIH. I thought that couldn't be right, so I asked for it again.
M0AIH. I thought, no way, this has to be W0AIH, he's so strong. So I send him
my report and he comes back with 599 <something>, which my brain thought might
be WI. I correct the call and send W0AIH TU, and he comes back with "EU". At
this point, I ignore my brain and change the callsign back.
It baffled me for the next ten minutes how he could be so strong from the UK.
Then it occurred to me that 0600z is around dawn in that part of the world.
Ah!
I was having so much fun running that I probably didn't S & P enough. Only DX
was HI3A and the M0. Hopefully, I'll be able to get on for the Stew Perry, now
that my matching network is working once again.
I list the half-size K9AY loop in my equipment, but I never found a case where
it was actually useful. All the signals I tried it with were louder on the
transmitting antenna. It's probably too short to be effective on 160m.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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