ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW
Call: K7NV
Operator(s): K7NV
Station: K7NV
Class: SO Unlimited HP
QTH: NV
Operating Time (hrs): 23:12
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160: 0
80: 145
40: 448
20: 348
15: 121
10: 0
------------
Total: 1062 Sections = 80 Total Score = 169,920
Club: Northern California Contest Club
Comments:
WHAT A HORROR SHOW!
I haven't had a single equipment failure here for 4-5 years...but my number
came up this time on Murphy's list.
I had been seeing a naging intermittent loss of receive signal on 80m for a
while, so I got into finding it last week. I finally traced the problem down to
a failed relay in the Six Pak on the 80m circuit. So, I recabled the 80m
antennas to go directly to a station #2 antenna switch (rig #2 is normally the
80m rig)which could then select the Six Pak (to get either tribander, high
tribaner is the run antenna, the low one is for S&P) or the 80m antennas. All
was fine.
Also in last weeks NCCC practices, I started hearing some incredible distortion
of signals on R2. I opened up the TS930 and fooled around with the RF
connections and thought I had it working.
So, the contest starts and I elected to start running on 15m. It was ok, but
not real great. I'm tuning around on R2 on 20m trying to pick up extra Q's, but
I can't copy much of anything. The S meter is whailing away telling me they are
there but I can't copy anyone but the very loudest signals. I make 6 R2 qso's
on R2 in the first 1 1/2 hours (that sucks!). Being the genius I am, I figure
out that the rig is still hosed! So, I sit there for the first 1 1/2 hours
thinking about "what am I gonna do?" while running R1 on 15m. Pack it in, go
for SO1R on rig 1, or get out of the game for a while to see if I can fix it
and be able to have more fun running SO2R for the rest of the contest.
During this time I was constantly fiddling with the R2 rig and found that when
I moved the wide/narrow cw filter switch the rig would go from dead to
sometimes hearing, but always distorted signals, so there was something wrong
with the switch.
When it was time to be forced off of 15m due to a sick rate, and go to 20m, I
elected to go offline and try to fix the radio. I had it all apart on the bench
and checked everything I could think of. I found a dangling wire broken off the
xverter jack where you can tap into the recv signal line. I cleaned the cw
filter switch by dripping some solvent into it and blowing it out with
compressed air, twisted all of the 20 or so RF connections in the thing.
My shack is in the garage, a very dusty and dirty place with the high winds we
get here, so everything gets a big dose of crap.
Well, this seemed to work! The rig sounded lots better, but still not really
right.
I got back on the air around the time 20m was going away, running on the fixed
R2. Why am I not getting many callers? The band is not dead yet? I look up at
the R2 amp and see that it is not at all happy, I know it is set right for the
antenna (TH7). I stop running and check the swr straight thu, bypassing the amp
and bandpass filters. Crap, the SWR is pegged!
Must be time for another unplanned break.......
I grab the dummy load and go down the line from the rig to see where it is.
Guess what? It's another relay in the Six Pack, this one is the R2 input
relay.
So, I mix and match some cables to get the TH7 off the Six Pak and onto a
manual switch in the shack, so R2 gets the 80m antennas and the TH7. R1 gets
the low tribander (@25')and the 40m antennas still on the Six Pak.
So, I'm back in the contest......running on 40 with R1. R2 still is not
sounding right on 80m! I finally realize that when I R&R'd rig 2, I put it back
into the op position with the noise blanker switch activated. Duh!
I turn the NB off and the rig sounded perfect, and I get a 70 hour on 80m.
I act like I'm still in the contest having fun, but I know I'm totally hosed,
and am feeling pretty depressed.
When I take the big break at 08:30 (instead of 08:00) I'm 220 q's behind my
previous lowest qso count at that point, 280 behind my best.
Sigh! Well, just soldier on and see if I can get some of it back. I've never
quit, but it crossed my mind Sat night.
The unplanned off times shorted me on my available sleep period, so when I got
back into it way early Sunday morning, I was a little grumpy. That part helped
when I got pressed into the usual freq fights with the "carnivores" ;-)
I actually had some fun periods on Sunday with some kinda both stations
working, so I'm glad I chose to try to fix things. I had to use R2 with the TH7
to swap running bands between 20 & 15 a few times, but 15m sucked so bad on
Sunday I ended up just staying on 20 using R1 to S&P on 40.
I had one more problem Sunday evening......the 80m inv vee went intermittent. I
just used the vertical and it wasn't a big deal. Found & fixed it tonight(I
think).
This station and op will never get a big score, but it should get a better
one.....'twas not in the cards this time.
I've been doing two QTH efforts in SS for the past 4 years, so it's hard to
know where I should have been this time with this little toy.
There is always a next year.......
Next summer if I'm not working 7 days a week, I'll rebuild this thing, it
appears to be about time ;-)
Thanks for the q's as always, always fun to work so many friends in the
contest!
73, Kurt
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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