CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW
Call: N5FO
Operator(s): N5FO
Station: N5FO
Class: SOSB/40 HP
QTH: Tyrone,NM
Operating Time (hrs): 32
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160:
80:
40: 1497 32 103
20:
15:
10:
------------------------------
Total: 1497 32 103 Total Score = 566,325
Club: Arizona Outlaws Contest Club
Comments:
Since I had just gotten my new (to me) 40 Yagi up, I decided to do SB here on
40. After looking at some of the logs on AOCC Reflector, I probably should have
gone AB for all the fun on 10 & 15M. Conditions on 40 were not at their
best.
BUT, it is what it is, and I am quite satisfied with the performance of the
newly erected beam! It's nice to bust big DX mult pileups on the first or
second call!
BIG THANKS to N2IC for doing the lion's share of the work on getting that new
baby up there at 90ft.
I got off to a slow start the first hour or so. Reviewing past logs of high
scoring 40M ops, I started off with S&P for the first few hours. But, due
to my lack of pileup copying skills and being very overwhelmed and intimidated
by the huge numbers of callers on a given mult, my early effective rate was
pretty poor.
A couple of hours into running, I was doing much better, but then noticed an
unusual whine coming out of the AL-1500. Taking the headphones off, it
appeared to be the fan bearings, but luckily, the amp made it through the
entire contest at the legal limit!
The noise on Friday night was pretty bad here, with lots of either broadcast
band or foreign SSB hetrodynes competing for bandspace. Add to that many very
weak EU signals made the copy tough.
In spite of some nice numbers of both EU's and JA's, and except for a few very
short periods, I never felt the runs were spectacular - not like rates
approaching those I've done on 10 & 15.
Saturday night brought a slower pace with lower noise , so I tried my hand at
SO2V. Although I picked up some good mults S&P this way, I also lost my
good run freq twice. At 0724 I broke my score goal of 400K!
Although I hung in there Saturday morning until 1500, I simply was brain-fried
by 1400 on Sunday, having to ask for call repeats way too often.
I worked the final two hours on Sunday afternoon, and was surprised at the
number of stations I picked up S&P, including a few nice mults.
So, looking back:
LIKED: Performance of the new beam, N1MM+, busting big pileups easily, and most
of all getting some good mults calling me for a change!
DIDN'T LIKE: Poor band conditions & noise, challenges of my run frequency
(when they could clearly hear me) - seemed worse than ever before. Stretches of
boredom on Saturday (the 2nd) night. Strange noise from the linear!
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: 1. Ability to copy S&P pileup stations thru the huge
QRM 2.Higher code copying speeds 3. Better utilization of SO2V or perhaps SO2R
4. Lengthen beverages, as the new beam out-receives them in some conditions
& directions. 5. Improved and faster UNassisted S&P. 6. Improved xmit
antennas for 80 & 160 so I can do AB next year.
OVERALL: Had a ball with the new antenna! Felt more "comfortable"
operating a contest than in the past.
Thanks to everyone out there on 40M, your points and mults are appreciated.
Thanks to my mentors and members of AOCC for all the encouragement on
contesting and helping a neophyte at this game.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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