Stew Perry Topband Challenge
Call: K1LT
Operator(s): K1LT
Station: K1LT
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: EM89ps
Operating Time (hrs): 14
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 620 Total Score = 1,934
Club: Mad River Radio Club
Comments:
I didn't build anything particularly special for this contest, but I
refined a few things.
First, I restored the pair of short verticals that can be used to null
the transmit signal while receiving. I did move them further apart
which makes the "lobe" slightly wider. However, it was much more
difficult to tweak the controls to obtain a null.
Second, I fixed some issues in the audio routing process. I fixed a
gain problem in the hardware and added some code to sdr-shell to
control the audio router for the 160 receivers. No more slow and
awkward touchscreens.
Third, I added some code to both sdr-shell and my phasing program to
allow one of the two instances of sdr-shell to control both instances
of the phasing program (one for the "east" array and the other for
the
"west" array).
The end result was better control of the receiving process.
The restored "transmit nuller" let me operate SO2V again. I count
about 47 QSOs found using the 2nd K3. I think I avoided trampling on
previous QSOs even though I did not get around to writing some
software to synchronize the first K3 2nd VFO with the 2nd K3 receiver.
However, if I tried to use the "automatic CQing resume" feature in
Writelog, the K3 would go berserk. I suspect that if the radio is
commanded to transmit while processing a VFO swap, bad things happen.
The symptom is key down with no power output but lots of broadband
noise. Then the next transmission is at full power, regardless of the
power setting, which trips the amplifier. This issue will require
some more research.
The surprise not-a-multiplier was CW5W when he called with a very
potent signal. That contact is in a 3-way tie with UW2M and RW7K for
my best DX (18 points or 9000 km). I didn't hear any VK, ZL, or JA.
The furthest west was KH6.
One annoyance is stations that give up too easily. Often I would hear
one or two letters clearly, but the caller doesn't repeat his call
enough times so that I can assemble a viable callsign from a random
collection of letters and digits. Also, one callsign per "?"
issuance
does not allow me enough time to try a potentially better antenna.
After 3 or 4 "?"s, the caller should observe that I can hear but not
copy and sign several times in a row.
DX worked: CW, DL (8), FM, G (3), GW (2), HI, KH6 (2), KV4 (2), LY, OK
(7), ON (2), UA, S5 (2), SP, UR (2) and XE.
Equipment: 2 K3s; P3; Alpha 8410; 2 SDR phased array receiving
systems; 65-foot "Tee" transmitting antenna over 70 or so 120-foot
radials; 6 2-wire Beverages (used just a little); and a 2-element
end-fire array to receive on while transmitting.
Continuing the ongoing tracking of performance:
raw raw points cooked cooked points cooked-raw
year QSOs score per QSO QSOs score per QSO ratio
2005 491 2033 4.14 483 2439 5.05 1.22
2006 604 2224 3.68 didn't submit log in time
2007 691 3712 5.37 669 4293 6.42 1.19
2008 633 3328 5.26 617 3895 6.31 1.20
2009 761 4006 5.26 737 4871 6.61 1.26
2010 642 2477 3.86 623 2931 4.70 1.22
2011 656 2501 3.81 642 3169 4.94 1.27
2012 679 3214 4.73 667 3986 5.97 1.24
2013 723 3559 4.92 710 4525 6.37 1.30
2014 667 1937 2.90 655 2474 3.77 1.28
2015 620 1934 3.12
Repeating from previous years: the "points per QSO" number seems to
be
a potentially useful figure of merit. Since the "cooked" score is
consistently about 20% better than the raw score one can take the
cooked "points per QSO" number as a decent measure of
"conditions".
2010 and 2011 were bad years, 2014 was even worse, 2007 - 2009 were
very good years, and the rest must be "normal". This year was
apparently a "slightly better than very bad" year.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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