Greetings everyone!
I thoroughly enjoyed what time I was able to spend in the contest - 7-hours and
40-minutes total for both nights - and ended up with 143Q's which included:
- 36 States
- 3 Canadian provinces
- PJ2, VK, ZL and KH6
all worked with a barefoot IC-756PRO (100W) and a dipole whose "ends" were
around 90 feet up and fed in the center with lightweight coax ( the lossey 1/8
inch diameter 50-ohm kind). I scrapped my 160-T (90 ft vert with 80 ft top-hat)
because it performed so poorly in the USA with 16 L/4 radials AND 30=>35 degree
ridges towering 7000 feet above my valley-floor to the E&W.
I was surprised to work ZL/VK because the wire-axis runs N/S and did not hear
any JA or KL7 stations. I am beginning to think there are no W1's other than CT
and NH (maybe the real problem is a 50-degree ridge from az-bearing North thru
50-degrees-East).
I think another dipole installed 90-degrees to the existing one and a KW is in
order to improve my signal. I do not have any Beverage antennas installed.
Normally, the noise level here in this remote mountain village is "S-zero" and
can hear the weak-ones across the USA. So, I am left to wonder IF a Beverage is
useful here in the "land-of-quiet". Any comments/suggestions received will be
appreciated...
73 - Dick w7wkr (CN98)
Stehekin, WA
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