WAE DX Contest, CW
Call: VA7ST
Operator(s): VA7ST
Station: VA7ST
Class: Single Op LP
QTH:
Operating Time (hrs): 11
Summary:
Band QSOs QTCs Mults
-------------------------
80:
40: 19 0 42
20: 123 140 68
15: 1 0 2
10: 0 0 0
-------------------------
Total: 144 140 112 Total Score = 31,696
Club:
Comments:
Friday night/Saturday morning conditions were not too good from here. Could hear
one or two EUs on 40M but not workable.
Friday night: 20M was OK for the first few hours; 40M had signals but nothing I
could work.
Saturday morning: 20M opened up nicely to EU.
Saturday night: 20M was open to EU for a long time. 40M was much better and I
managed to work a few EU stations on the high (75') inv.-V. Usually oriented
with the wires N-S, I turned it almost 90 degrees for this contest, and it was
a good move. Band stayed open till very late here, and as EU began to fade on
40M, 20M opened up again late in the evening.
I've been trying out G4ILO's HFProp software to watch the band openings move as
the graylines shift. Seemed pretty darn accurate -- places it predicted should
be available usually were.
Neither the 40M dual elevated verticals (endfire with a 3/4-wave phasing line
between N-S verticals, fed at the S end) nor the new ground-mounted vert (36
radials) heard as well as the inverted-V. Need to get the verticals configured
to work as well as they should. More radials for the ground-mounted one, and
more accurate 3/4-wave phasing line measurement (I think my first attempt is a
bit long) for the dual raised verticals.
Interesting how some stations had trouble pulling through my NR, needing a
couple of repeats, yet in the next two minutes were able to copy 10 QTCs almost
perfectly. Happened several times. Thanks to all who took the traffic -- I was
amazed how few fills were requested. Great ears out there.
Participation must have been down this year -- it was slim pickings on 20M all
day Sunday, with only a few low-number casual ops calling in. Many stations
that called in were clear copy, probably 100w stations like me, but there were
so few of them.
Running WAE with 100w from this side of NA in the summer isn't smart, but it's
what I do, hi. Heard the Ontario guys having great success on 20 and 40, even
when I couldn't hear a thing coming back over the pole. Geography is a big
factor in this one.
RW1AC was my only 15M contact. Hope it stands -- signals were deep in the
noise. They had a big signal everywhere.
With rates dwindling to about 4 per hour Sunday afternoon, I stopped a couple
hours early after sending my last QTCs and finally working EA6UN for one last
mult. Went to the beach with the XYL, kids and one damp dog to wrap up the
weekend.
Year-over-year improvement was helped by finally finding a 40M wire that will
work EU a little bit. Will now mount a inv.-V permanently oriented E-W for
over-the-pole work. Doubled all my 2005 numbers this weekend, but still not
even near where I want to be. Already looking forward to 2007.
Year Qs Mults Score (claimed)
2006: 144 112 31,696
2005: 71 52 7,124
2004: 102 76 15,276
2003: 58 18 1,944
2002: 41 38 1,520
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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