CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW
Call: N2NL/MM
Operator(s): N2NL
Station: N2NL/MM
Class: SOAB LP
QTH: At Sea
Operating Time (hrs): 27
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 0 0 0
80: 0 0 0
40: 366 22 71
20: 436 29 53
15: 586 22 57
10: 676 21 55
------------------------------
Total: 2064 94 236 Total Score = 1,530,540
Club: Florida Contest Group
Comments:
Station: FT1000MP, Hamstick mobile whips, US Coast Guard Cutter
Photos: http://www.n2nl.net/gallery/album19
QTH: Southwest Caribbean
Very tough conditions - I was sucking wind the 1st night, and only seemed loud
into the USA. The QTH is awesome, the antennas not so, and I had a hard time
working anything out of this hemisphere.
I slept about 3 hours the entire weekend, but operated only about 27 hours. The
rest of the time was spent on my other duties - standing watch and ensuring the
engineering plant kept running OK. Just like the airlines, I had to QRT every
time the helicopter flew due to the possibility of EMI on the takeoff/landing
electronics.
Some random thoughts:
QSO total is decent, considering I didn't count for anything but points and the
zone. Thanks to everyone who called to keep me company. My mult total and
final score just plain sucks. I pretty much gave up trying to work mults
(exercise in futility) and ran stateside stations, the only place I felt loud.
If I do this from sea again next year (likely), I will have to mount a 2nd
hamstick on the other stack, and set up a 2nd radio. Things got very boring
with one radio, and I ran out of reading material (QST and Playboys, just like
old times) early the 2nd morning.
I need to buy whips for 80/160 meters. Things got slow early when 40 went long,
and it would have helped my multiplier and final score immensely.
Unlike the packet zoos I experienced from zone 27, packet actually helped make
things more interesting for me. The callers never were more than 3-4 deep and
everyone was loud, making it easy and fun to rattle them off.
Operating from zone 7 was cool! I was amazed how well I could hear and work the
other caribbean stations on 10/15m. It was never this easy from Florida. I'm
guessing the fact that I'm off the back and side of their antennas, it made it
easier to work everyone backscatter. The JA's were huge on 40m, the loudest
I've ever heard them outside of the west Pacific.
Nothing beats the escape I got during what would have otherwise been a boring
weekend at sea. It was great to get on, and say "HI" to a couple thousand of my
good friends around the world.
73, Dave N2NL/MM
Main Propulsion Chief, USCGC Thetis (WMEC-910)
Nov-Dec Caribbean deployment
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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