Hi everyone,
Here's my fourth contest report. Thanks to those who wrote back after my
other reports. I always enjoy hearing from you. Some of you gave me some
good tips and encouragement in my 'pure' QRP efforts. I appreciate that.
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K3WWP's Contest Station
I operate 'pure' QRP (and CW only) with an actual radiated power
around 5 W using the following:
Transmitter: Homebrew tube rig with a 6Y6 final amplifier
Transmitter Power Output: 5 W on all bands
Antennas: 160/80/40/15 - Random wire with apex 30 ft high
20 - Ground mounted vertical dipole
10 - Sloping dipole with center 20 ft high
Receiver: ICOM R71A Transmatch: Homebrew
Keyer: CMOS Super Keyer II with a homebrew paddle
QTH: On a small lot in a town in a river valley.
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As usual in a DX contest, my entire contest totals can easily be topped in
much less than an hour by a top contest station, but I don't mind, because
I had fun in the contest, and that's the bottom line after all. I think I
did just about all that could be expected with my 'pure' QRP, QTH, and the
low Solar Flux.
There were some periods of quite good conditions. The low bands were
especially good. Worked EU on 80M both evenings - unusual for my 'pure' QRP
and low antennas. There was a good opening to EU on 20M Sunday afternoon.
And 15M stayed open late on Sunday till 2330 or so.
Only two things upset me about the contest. The first happens in most DX
contests. I get upset when some contesters will not send a corrected call.
For example a station will come back to me with a K3W?, K3WWW?, WP?, etc.,
send his exchange, and turn it back to me. I send my call once or twice and
my exchange, then the station comes back with a TU, CFM, etc. Now, did he
actually get my call right or not? If I were a big contest station making
thousands of QSO's, I think I just wouldn't bother logging those contacts,
but as a pure QRPer, each and every contact is precious, so I assume he did
get my call right and log him. If he didn't get it right, then that hurts
me more than it does him when the log is checked. It just doesn't seem
fair.
The second thing that upset me even more was having V51Z all to myself for
10-15 minutes on 40M, and him not being able to hear my calls. Maybe there
were others calling also that he didn't hear, but I couldn't hear anyone.
I didn't work any overall new countries, but did manage several new
band-countries. Besides the V5, I heard a couple other new ones including
9G, but all had HUGE pileups.
My totals:
BAND QSO's MULTS
160 0 0
80 13 11
40 16 13
20 40 25
15 22 15
10 0 0
TOT 91 64 = 17472
Stations worked on 4 bands: 6Y4A KP3Z P40W P49V PJ9C .
I found myself hating to see the end of the contest come. That says
something right there as I am usually frustrated and glad to see it end.
If you want to learn more about my ham adventures with 'pure' QRP, come
visit K3WWP's Ham Radio Activities on the web at:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/3852
73, John, K3WWP
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