Stew Perry Topband Challenge - Spring
Call: K1LT
Operator(s): K1LT
Station: K1LT
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Ohio EM89ps
Operating Time (hrs): 11
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 340 Total Score = 1,471
Club: Mad River Radio Club
Comments:
That was fun! I literally worked all continents except Antarctica,
although I had to go outside the contest for the African station. By
'literally' I mean that I worked a station on the continent instead of
on an island near the continent.
The weather forecast had been calling for thunderstorms and lots of
rain, but never heard any thunder and the QRN was very minor.
However, for several hours the west phased array heard lots of corona
discharges which sound like ignition noise from a strange engine and
have a peculiar pattern on the SDR. At one point the popping got to a
steady crackle and almost a whiteout on the SDR. But fortunately that
lasted only a few minutes.
I didn't make any station upgrades for this contest. I did set up the
TX nulling end-fire array, which tuned up great Saturday afternoon
with a nice S5 null of my 25 watt signal. Then when evening came
around, the best null I could get was 10 over S9 on the 25 watt
signal. At that level I can't receive closer than about 5 kHz to my
transmit frequency. But I was able to make a few SO2V type contacts.
The TX nulling (full duplex) RX antenna needs more work.
I had 2 instances of Writelog getting "stuck" in a mode which keys
the
K3 but the K3 produces 100 mw of noise shaped like a 3 kHz by 20 db
rectangle on the SDR. Windows puts up a modal dialog server busy,
switch task, retry, cancel' which makes no sense and does nothing when
clicked (must be some Visual Basic weirdness). Sometimes this
"stuck"
process also trips the amplifier's overdrive fault. In each case, I
have to close and restart Writelog to clear the condition.
Europe seemed in and out several times during the evening. At one
point RA1ABO and UD4F both popped way out of the noise for easy 17
point QSOs. At another point, it was a struggle to be heard by
YO3APJ. European sunrise was very productive although I ran out of
callers before the sunrise was over. Of course, Europe is usually an
easy continent to work.
I took a break to work 3DA0IJ who was actually audible for a change.
There has been no trace of his signal during the prior week. That was
my only African QSO for the evening.
I heard someone calling PJ2T but did not hear any PJ2s. FY5KE
supplied the South American QSO. For some reason I logged his grid as
being in FJ35 and then later heard him sending GJ35 to someone else.
I suppose it could have been a typo since F and G are adjacent on the
keyboard, but until I heard the second QSO, I would have told you that
I worked a station in FJ35.
T32CO was a nice compliment to KH6ZM and KH6AT for Oceania.
I worked 4 JA stations and RA0FF for an 'on continent' Asian. It has
been a long time since I have heard UA0 on 160. One JA call sounded
like JH1REV but he kept repeating his call suggesting that I had the
call wrong. I apologize for not getting the correct call before he
gave up.
Heard someone working VK5 and the VK5 was audible although not as
nicely as VK6GX later on for the Australian QSO.
DX worked: DL (7), EI (2), F (4), FY, G (2), GW, HI, I (3), JA (4),
KH6 (2), KP2 (3), OK, PA (3), SM, T32, UA, UA0, UR, VK, and YO.
Equipment: Elecraft K3/100, P3, K3/10 (rx only), Alpha 8410, 2x4 BSEF
array and SDR RX, 2x3 BSEF array and SDR RX, 12 Beverages, 65 foot Tee
vertical.
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