CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW
Call: K8AZ
Operator(s): AA8MX, K8AZ, K8MR, K8NZ, N8TR, W8BIN, W8CAR, W8GN, W8KIC, WT8C
Station: K8AZ
Class: M/S HP
QTH: Ohio
Operating Time (hrs): 47
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
-------------------------------
160: 18 8 17
80: 96 24 79
40: 861 34 116
20: 1071 40 139
15: 615 34 128
10: 832 34 129
-------------------------------
Total: 3493 174 608 = 7,800,000
Club/Team: North Coast Contesters
Comments:
The contest at 'AZ began with a rocky start, when I discovered Friday afternoon
that the 4L40 didn't just need to be re-calibrated in the rotor following a
wind storm on Sunday, but that the rotor had come completely apart. All I
could do then was lock down the mast with the beam pointed at Europe -- a task
which had to be done again Saturday afternoon after more wind. Thanks to W8KIC
who helped out on the ground Friday afternoon, and to AA8MX, who climed the
tower mid-contest in substantial wind to re-secure the antenna for the Saturday
night runs.
Conditions were amazing and confusing, with the K index at 2 at kickoff, rising
up to 9 (with the A going to 95!) and then back to 1 by the end. Op K8MR's
comment Saturday afternoon said it best: "These conditions make me long for
the excitement of Sunday afternoon Sweepstakes!" But things did recover, with
a very nice 10m opening to Asia for the last 2 hours.
Software problems were aggravating. We used the then-current version of CT in
CQWW SSB, only to realize that the 10 minute clock was partially covered up and
that the important run/mult station flag did not work correctly and was
impossible to correct. So, for CW, we downgraded to CT957, which we discovered
had a bug that prohibited both the use of the "talk" window and the sending of
spots. We re-downgraded to CT949 after EU sunrise the first night when things
got slow. Too bad that multi-op stations have to go back 20 versions to get
that wonderful software to work properly. (Sig: you can now upgrade 10
versions from CT939 -- CT949 works swell!)
We also had to go off the air Sunday morning due to a strong thunderstorm -- a
CQWW first for NE Ohio in at least 20 years.
Congratulations to K4XS, W4AN, N3RS and K4JA and to the many other multi-single
entries that make this one so much fun -- even when the sun goes crazy.
73 de Tom, K8AZ
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