CQWW WPX - SSB
Call: NT1E
Operator(s): K3BU
Station:
Class: SOSB10 LP
QTH: Frisco, NC
Operating Time (hrs): 28
Summary:
Band QSOs Prefixes
-------------------------------
160:
80:
40:
20:
15:
10: 1538
-------------------------------
Total: 3720 x 738 = 2,745,360
Club: YCCC
Comments:
Whata adventurous contest! Couldn't fall asleep Thursday night, get up at 2 am
and take off for Cape Hatteras, NC beach adventure. Had car problems, got there
late, barely set up antennas. Rig problems, amplifier relay quit, two radio
switching doesn't work (labels faded, forgot how wired :-), contest started and
I am trying to figure out this mess. Wired it all for straight 1 radio, 1 foot
switch, two antennas, single band 10m. Made few QSOs Friday night. After band
dies, still trying to figure out two radio switching. No luck, 3 am finally
dead tired I hit the bed. Set the alarm for 5:30 am, next to my ear. Usually I
don't need no alarm, wake up 5 min before alarm goes off.
Not this time. Wake up, bright day 8:30 am, band is in full swing and I am
like a moth next to the lamp. Oh well, do our best. Limping on one radio, low
power. Maybe more time to test the antennas. For the first time trying 4 square
and 3 el. dual polarized quad on the beach. Quad seems to have advantage most
of the time, but there are few cases when three calls on the quad would not get
attention, one call on 4 sq would get immediate response. Hmmm! Ugly weather,
strong winds, horizontal rain, antennas dancing in the wind, quad shifts on the
mast, need to check the headings from the window. Hope for LP US record? Not a
chance when closing bell rings. Disassembling antennas in the wind. Get ready
to leave in the morning.
Wake up to beautiful calm sunny day, at least drive home would be more
pleasant. Few mobile QSOs on 10m to check the effect of salt water. Sure
enough, works like an amp. Get away from it, signals drop. What a magic.
Past Richmond, VA I figured time to reward myself with a fine cigar. Stop the
car, to check on fluids, trying to light the cigar, no lighter. Just remembered
I have pencil soldering torch gun, get it from the trunk, light up cigar, put
the torch on cassette tray, fasten belt ready to leave, only to notice black
smoke (from cigar?), look down and see my cassette tray on fire. Quickly throw
it out, sprinkle club soda on rest of fire, extinguish burning cables under the
dashboard with my fingers, looks like no more flames. Ouch! Bye, bye cigar,
lucky fire didn't spread under the dashboard, I have seen cars burning on the
highway, not a pretty sight. rest of the trip is uneventful :-) That torch had
some defect, it would not always shut off immediately, kept going for few
seconds and that's what casued fire.
Happy with results of antenna tests. 4 square performs much better than
triangular parasitic array, 3 el. quad performs much better than parasitic
vertical arrays I have tried in the fall. Good base for low band antennas, good
cells for higher performance high band arrays. Back to the drawing board.
Thanks to all for points!
I wish people checked their own signals, make sure you are readable and power
meter doesn't show more power when not talking, than when talking. That means
too much audio gain/compression, ugly signal hard to understand and unnecessary
QRM on the bands.
73 Yuri, K3BU
Tesla RC NT1E
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