CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB
Call: C5Z
Operator(s): AB6BH, K5OT, K6AM, K6JL, OH2KI, N6AA, N6VI, N6ZZ, W6XD
Station: C5Z
Class: M/M HP
QTH: Gambia
Operating Time (hrs): 47
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
-------------------------------
160: 72 11 41
80: 710 22 91
40: 1513 35 121
20: 3693 37 149
15: 4024 38 151
10: 4240 34 131
-------------------------------
Total: 14252 177 684 Total Score = 36,466,794
Club: Southern California Contest Club
Comments:
Our group had more than one battle with Mr. Murphy this year.
We thought we had found the ideal QTH for a bit of antenna experimentation:
SM0JHF made arrangements for us to operate from a broadcast station in The
Gambia that was no longer on the air. The station's building was located some
75 feet from the ocean at a point where the African coast runs east-west. So we
left the yagis at home and showed up with verticals, courtesy of Force 12.
Upon arriving in Gambia, we learned that the Gambian government had contracted
with a Netherlands firm to extend the coast right in front of our QTH, so that
the building and an adjacent highway would not get washed away! By the time we
showed up, this coastal reclamation project was in full operation, day and
night. It had added about 300 feet to the coastline, so instead of being 75
feet from the water, we were 375 feet from it. And we couldn't put the antennas
up in advance and leave them up, because there were two dozers moving sand
around, occasionally right on the beach in front of the radio station
facility.
Fortunately, the phase of the project that involved the beach in front of us was
completed some 11 hours prior to the start of the contest, so we could finally
place the verticals near the water. Some of our team's late arrivals brought
additional coax with them, and a loan of some coax from OH9MM let us place the
antennas by the water and actually hook radios to them. Of course, 400-foot
runs of coax weren't quite what we had in mind, but that seemed to be a better
option than having shorter feedlines and antennas far more than the prescribed
1/4 wavelength from the water.
We had already experienced several power outages during the week prior to the
contest, and had prepared for this threat by purchasing 6 12-volt automobile
batteries for standby use during the contest. We hadn't experienced any voltage
surges, until a dandy one came along the power lines while most of use were
outside setting up the antennas. This surge came along about 8 hours before the
start of the contest. It fried 4 switching power supplies for our TS850s and 4
computer power supplies. Now our battery solution was going to be critical.
They would have to power both radios and computers for the entire contest. We
had only one battery charger, so a shopping trip was quickly organized to
procure additional chargers before the stores closed Friday afternoon.
The antenna work was completed before dark and the battery chargers put into
place. Some food and naps were in order in the few hours remaining before the
start of the contest.
Upon returning to the station an hour before the starting gun, it was discovered
that the newly-created beach allowed the tide to come in quite a bit further
than we had anticipated. The verticals were intent on taking up surfing. They
had to be rescued and relocated further from the water. Gambia time is the same
as GMT. 2300Z = 11PM local. Therefore, it's quite dark, which made this chore
even more challenging.
During the course of the contest, the line voltage would occasionally jump
around. We got pretty good at noticing when the lights were getting brighter.
That would be the signal to turn everything off quickly to avoid further
damage.
If we went away during a QSO with you, that may well have been the reason why.
Still, the voltage fluctuations took their toll. During the course of the
contest, we lost 3 of our 6 amplifiers, only one of which could be brought back
to life with parts scrounged from the radio station's shop.
We lost power for only an hour during the contest. Since our batteries were
pretty well depleted, we opted to do some antenna work during the outage instead
of trying to keep operating.
Despite the various challenges, this may have been a particularly good weekend
to be located generally south of the U.S. and Europe. A number of stations
commented that with the solar events of the weekend, the only stations they were
hearing for awhile were in the Caribbean, the D4's, and C5Z. Hopefully, our
callsign found its way into your log. If it did, thanKS!
73 - Phil, N6ZZ
Equipment:
160: 930 / Alpha 78 (shared w/ 75) / Vertical
75: 850 / Alpha 78 (shared w/ 160) / Vertical
40: 850 / SB220 / Vertical dipole
20: 850 / Acom1000 / Vertical dipole
15: 850 / Clipperton L / Vertical dipole + reflector
10: 850 / Clipperton L / Vertical dipole + reflector
2 beverages that didn't work
Notebook computers, some of which ran well enough to function in a network
TRLog
We don't use packet
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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