North American QSO Party Summer 1999
To: <3830@contesting.com>
Date: 8/21/99-8/22/99 Call: AA4LR State: GA
Band QSOs Mults
160SSB 0 0
80SSB 105 28
40SSB 107 33
20SSB 32 16
15SSB 12 6
10SSB 0 0
Total 256 83 claimed score: 21,248
Hours: 5.8
Team: South East Contest Club #2
Equipment:
Kenwood TS430S - max output 90 Watts PEP
125 foot droopy doublet ends at 35 feet, middle at 15 feet (80m, 40m)
Cushcraft R7000 at 8 feet (40m, 20m, 160m (don't ask))
Attic-mounted Delta Loops (15m, 10m)
Comments:
Wow! The score my not seem like much, but this was only a part-time
effort for me. And I bested my last NAQP Phone effort in summer 1997
(which was 9 hours).
Family committments kept me from getting on until almost 2015Z. At that
time, 10m was dead, and 15m showed signs of going out. 12 Qs were all I
could dredge out of 15m. Switching to 20m, the R7000 doesn't play very
well there, especially amoung all the beams on that band.
At 2110Z, I went to 40m. I couldn't believe I was going to 40m in the
middle of the afternoon in the summer! Band was very quiet, but signals
were very strong despite all the absorbtion.
I recently raised my 80m doublet from 15 feet to 35 feet, although it has
sagged in the middle since then. (far halyard slipped off a tree branch)
The R7000 works well on 40m, but because of trap problems, it has a
fairly high SWR, and the Kenwood folds back power to about 40-50 watts.
So I elected to use the doublet. Wow! I could actually call CQ and get
some answers! That really makes a difference. Stayed with 40m with a
brief stint on 20m until 2300Z.
Back on at 0130Z, and 80m. It was nearly as good as 40m! Right before
0500z, rate meter briefly hit 180/hour. It is really amazing what you can
work on 80 and 40 barefoot with a low dipole if conditions are right.
NQ4I called ME, and he's got a monster 2-element beam on 80m.
Best of all, I didn't get a single Telephone RFI complaint!
Heard lots of TCG, FCG and SECC members active. Thanks for all the Qs,
guys.
Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL Mail: aa4lr@radio.org
Quote: "Boot, you transistorized tormentor! Boot!"
-- Archibald Asparagus, VeggieTales
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