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[3830] CQ160 CW W4EF Single Op HP

To: 3830@contesting.com, W4EF@dellroy.com
Subject: [3830] CQ160 CW W4EF Single Op HP
From: webform@b4h.net
Reply-to: W4EF@dellroy.com
Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 11:54:58 +0000
List-post: <3830@contesting.com">mailto:3830@contesting.com>
                    CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW

Call: W4EF
Operator(s): W4EF
Station: W4EF

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: CA
Operating Time (hrs): 23:50

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 670  State/Prov = 55  Countries = 23  Total Score = 167,154

Club: Southern California Contest Club

Comments:

Software : N1MM Logger V13.5.0
Rig: Yaesu FT1000MP MKV + Alpha 87A

Tx Antenna:     56ft top-loaded vertical w/50+ radials

Rx Antenna:     20ft top-loaded vertical phased w/TX antenna 
                (~200ft spacing) using MFJ-1026 noise canceller

I’ve been pretty busy with work lately, but fortunately a natural break
between tasks lined up with the CQ160 contest weekend so I decided to give it a
whirl. 

I’ve been having problems with very severe line noise on the low bands at my
remote QTH, but the weekend before the contest I dusted off my MFJ-1026 noise
canceller which has been collecting dust for many years and actually had some
good success with it nulling out the noise. Because of a problem with rodents
chewing on the coax, I had pulled off all the old damaged feedlines and phasing
lines from my receive four-square back in December, but the elements were still
in place, so with some salvaged RG-6, I hooked up the northwest element (20ft
tall top-loaded vertical) to the auxiliary antenna port of the noise canceller
and I used my transmit antenna (~200ft away) as the main receiving antenna.
When properly adjusted this combination provided a very deep null in the line
noise which gave me some hope that I would not be mortally wounded on receive.


The first night went okay with some nice surprise answers to my CQs including
EA8 and HC. Unfortunately around midnight to paraphrase a famous song “my
head grew heavy and my copy grew dim” so I decided that some sleep was a
must. I had intended to get up at 3AM to catch east coast sunrise and get in on
any early action to Asia/Pacific, but unfortunately I overslept until around 4AM
local (1200 UTC). The band was open pretty good to JA at that time, but that
didn’t seem to last so I suspect I missed the better part of an early opening
to Asia. The JA stations stayed weak until around sunrise when there was a short
bump in signal strength. An XV2 answered my CQ which was a nice surprise for me
(an all-time new country on 160) and I was able to cash in with just under 400
QSOs.

My second night started out with major plumbing problems in the remote cabin.
What was supposed to be a quick plunger fix ended up requiring a drain snake
and a lot of sloshing around of less than sparkling water (yuck!). That delayed
my start a little, but the band hadn’t really opened well yet so I think the
plumbing delay was more demoralizing than it was costly in terms of missed band
opening. North Dakota evaded me until just before sunrise when I had two
different ND stations answer my CQs within about 10 minutes of each other. UA0,
HL, and BY all called in toward the end as well. I heard a VE5 briefly, but he
was answering someone and I never heard him again.  I had no luck with any of
the Canadian provinces east of VE2 except for VY2ZM on PEI. 

Another nice surprise during the contest weekend was stumbling on VP2V/K3LR
Saturday evening. This was another all-time new country for me on 160. I was
also surprised to learn that I worked 64 zone 25 stations. I really didn’t
think I had worked that many as many of the JAs that called in were unusually
weak compared with other years. Getting a solid contact with some of these
stations required many repeats. Thank you to all those station who hung there
with me where signal levels were marginal. 

My final score will almost surely get docked 1 multiplier from my claimed
score. I worked a PY station just before their sunrise on Sunday morning and I
was a little unsure of his callsign. I listened after our QSO, but he
disappeared into the noise. Curiosity got the best of me so I looked it up with
Google and was able to determine that I very likely (99% sure) botched this
stations callsign. C’est la vie’. Not that it will matter, as I see from
the claimed scores on 3830 that topband stalwart AC6DD appears to have bested
me by a significant margin, so my hopes for the honor of highest SOHP
unassisted score in California are dashed. Congratulations, Niko, well done!

Ironically we got just a sprinkling of rain Sunday afternoon after the contest
and all the line noise that has been such a problem for me stopped for a day.
Since it wasn’t present Sunday evening before I left the remote site I
wasn’t able to get the noise canceller readjusted for a null before I left
and of course it was back with a vengeance when I tried access the station
remotely Wednesday morning to listen for FT5ZM . I guess I need some USB
controlled pots for the noise canceller so I can adjust it remotely     

73, Mike W4EF..........


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