Stew Perry Topband Challenge
Call: VE3CV
Operator(s): VE3CV
Station: VE3CV
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Varna, ON
Operating Time (hrs): 8:20
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 186 Total Score = 1,031
Club: Contest Club Ontario
Comments:
I spent the week getting by BOGs up about 8 inches above the ground to improve
signal strength and they worked well. I think I used my 270 BOG to the west
coast most of the night. 15 for 10pts and a few 9pts. And both KH7X and KH6LC
worked with one call! KH7X at his sunset was so loud I thought he was in Ohio
for the Holidays!
DX worked: 9A, HG, PJ2, XE (2), OK, EI, SN, F (2), CT, PE, GM, DL, G, KV, NP,
and 3V8SF for a new one on TopBand (#141). Fortunately the wind was out of the
North and the windtower noise seemed to be nulled to me for most of the evening.
Nice to hear well...and no static crashes.
Stayed up for most of the EU sunrise (0745Z) and then got up at 1030Z for the
west coast and Pacific (only KH6LC). All Search and Pounce effort with a late
start (0040Z) due to computer problems. Missed a lot of EU stations that were
much louder here at 2200Z!
Computer issues
With the Lenovo desktop Win 7 shack computer I got some early CW practice as on
boot up I got 3 short and 1 long beep (V) error code telling me I had DRAM
memory errors. Yikes! This happened Friday night during the RAC Winter Contest
after I opened the box to see why my soundcard failed and no keyboard CW was
possible. So long story......kept short....fixed the RAM issue by re-seating
all 4 2GB boards, tested one at a time...none found bad. Then I tried adding
another Audigy 2 soundcard from an XP machine and it failed. Ran back to the
house office for my other Win 7 machine (with no Serial Ports!) and had all
kinds of other issues getting the serial port card from the other shack computer
to work in this one and finally used an old Prolific USB to Serial adapter that
worked surprisingly well for CAT control of the FT-1000mp.
So after Friday night and all day Saturday installing software and drivers I got
everything talking nicely by 0030Z and N1MM worked great as usual. Now to fix
some computers again.....Fun.
A great time despite the computer frustrations, but at least the Beverages and
Bogs worked well. Time to order a new sound card.
Thanks for the Qs. 73 Jeff VE3CV
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