CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW
Call: AC6DD
Operator(s): AC6DD
Station: AC6DD
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Piedras Blancas
Operating Time (hrs): 27
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 796 State/Prov = 57 Countries = 34 Total Score = 245,245
Club:
Comments:
After skipping last year's contest I returned this year to my favorite
Lighthouse.
The weather was fantastic, probably one of the nicest January weekends I have
seen out there. I was able to complete the set up in record time and got on the
air by Thursday Evening.
Unfortunately, after I sent a few CQ's the K3 started flashing ERR12V, which I
remembered seeing before.
When I returned home later in the evening I looked up the K3 issue, and it
appears to be a common problem in older K3's, bummer.
The next day I brought along a K2, just in case.
The sun was still way up in the sky and there were lots of signals on the band,
oh yeah! The K3 started acting up after a while and it had to be restarted
quite often. In addition to the ERR12V, the BATT LOW warning started showing
up.
Wouldn't you know pretty soon the K3 would not reset any longer.
After inspecting the radio I found some blackened connector pins.
I cleaned them with sandpaper and alcohol and got back on the air pretty quick
but it was good going for only 10 minutes and out we go again.
I cleaned the pins again, this time I was not sparing sandpaper. I coated it
all with penetrox and was back on the air. This solved the problem for the
weekend.
By now several EU signals were coming through: ES5G, DA0WRTC, F5VMN, but no
response to my calls!
This was a sign of things to come, as my receive capabilities have been way
better than my TX antenna. For the next 2.5 hours of S&P 8 EU and 3 SA
stations made it in the log. The following stations were good copy here, but no
response other than an occasional ? or QRZ?:
SN7Q, CR3DX, GU4YOX, HA8RM, DK0IW, S50K, E77DX, DL1AUZ, OL1A, S52AW, LX7A, CR2W,
PA3GVI, G4IIY.
Soon after Europe was gone Japan opens up with JE1CKA.
I have heard complaints from VK's that it is hard to work US stations as no one
listens their way. Well, I am listening. With every CQ I keep listening to
each of my four RX directions, but there is no one that way for hours and
hours.
Finally this pays off with ZL2RX, and 5W1SA showing up.
No luck with calling E2X, UA8L, UI8J, YB2DX, BY1CW and a few other BY and UA0
stations. Just when I think that it must be over for the night BV1EK calls me.
I finish with 502 Q's on Friday.
I slept for two hours when I get woken up by various noises outside.
At this point I knew it was going to be a rough second night.
Only two new countries were worked the entire night.
More rough times towards sunrise as none of the Asian stations calling CQ were
worked.
Last night I looked up my 160m contest comments from two years ago and it turns
out that I had similar K3 problems two years ago. I could have fixed them, but
not having been on the air since then I completely forgot about what happened.
I have no antennas yet at the new house, so the radio was just collecting dust.
I apologize to the stations where I vanished during the K3 problems.
There were a few who waited around, and we were able to complete the cotact. To
the stations I sent the report before vanishing, you are in my log.
Unfortunately I accidentally erased one DL station from my log.
I missed NE and SD for US, and the usual Canadian provinces which I have never
heard. Yukon was a nice surprise after several years.
Countries worked: 5W, BV, BY, C6, CO, CT, CT3, DL, EA8, EI, F, FM, G, HI, HL,
JA, JT, K, KH6, KL7, KP2, LU, OK, P4, PJ2, PY, SP, UA9, VE, VK, VP9, XE, YB, YV,
ZF, ZL
K3, Acom 2000A
Vertical, RX4S
Niko AC6DD
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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