CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB - 2020
Call: WO1N
Operator(s): WO1N
Station: WO1N
Class: SO(A)AB LP
QTH: Massachusetts
Operating Time (hrs): 21.5
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 0 0 0
80: 50 12 22
40: 60 13 33
20: 110 16 49
15: 120 19 53
10: 30 7 12
------------------------------
Total: 370 67 169 Total Score = 234,820
Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club
Comments:
Station: FTdx5000, C3-SS@38', 40MDipole@60', 80MDbl-L, N1MM+
Soapbox :
Pre-contest work included restoring 80M Double L and moving the
resonance point up to 3650 (from the band edge). It now covers
the entire band without the need for a tuner. Restrung a 40M Dipole
with some new rope placements that should get it close to 60'.
However both ends were hung up on other branches limiting it
to about 45'. Ran out of sunlight to mess with it more. It
had to be good to go.
Goals were 20 hours, 500Q and 20 bags of leaves. Ready to go
at start, 4Q's in first hour. OK it's going to be one of *those*
contests. Slogged it out until the last hour hit 1. Pulled the plug.
Saturday start was much better on the high bands. Basically, give
each station 2 solid calls and move on if they don't hear you.
About 1430Z took a break to send the wife off to her mothers
weekly grocery delivery. When I was outside loading her car
the western sky looked very omninous, like a WX front was on
its way. Grabbed the cell phone and pulled up my go-to weather
site and I see this nasty looking WX front headed our way.
"Crap, lets get started on the leaves before it rains", I thought.
See the 3rd goal.
First order of business was to cut down a scraggly limb from some
non-descript tree that was hanging up one end of the 40M dipole at
about 25'. Perch on a 10' ladder using a 15'tree pole and managed
not to kill myself when the branch came crashing down. Mission
accomplished. SE end of dipole up at least 60'. NW end still hung
up.
I was so impressed with the downed limb I grabbed my cell phone to
take a picture before I cut it up. Hey, let's check the WX site at
which point the page updated to the real current conditions
which showed no rain anywhere in our area. Damn!
Back on the air 6.5 hours and one shower later. 10 bags and one tree
limb deconstructed into firewood.
Saturday evening was a real slog. Took breaks as needed as to not
lose my sanity. Pulled the plug about 0600Z. Got a good nights rest
and was back on the air in the 1200Z hour. 5 hour stint until the
2nd leave marathon. With the wife's help, another 15 bags. At least
that goal was accomplished! Before I returned to the station I had
my daughter work with me to pop the 2nd end of the 40M dipole around
a limb. Success! I'm claiming 60'. Highest I've ever had the dipole
at my QTH. Got to keep feeding those antenna support structures
otherwise known as trees.
N1MM+ says 21 hours, so another goal met. Just could not get a run
going anywhere, including calling CQ for 20 minutes on 20 (I think)
as an experiment to see if I was just not being patient enough.
After 2Q's (a VE and a zero point US station) I decided to move on.
Thank goodness for voice keyers.
Another one in the books. I had improved my station, adjusted my
expectations, managed op times to not get frustrated and had a blast.
Can't wait for the next one...
73,
Ken - WO1N
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