ARRL Sweepstakes, CW
Call: N7JI
Operator(s): N7JI
Station: N7JI
Class: SO QRP
QTH: OR
Operating Time (hrs): 18
Summary:
Band QSOs
-------------------------------
160:
80: 7
40: 123
20: 53
15: 121
10: 5
-------------------------------
Total: 309 x 75 = 23,175
Club:
Comments:
Wow, what fun! I didn't even think about setting up until Saturday morning.
But then, Saturday morning came, and I got the bug that hadn't managed to bite
me for three years. I started digging stuff out of the boxes in the garage...
I'd picked up an OMNI V about two months ago and hadn't even powered it up.
Found some antenna wire, insulators, transmatch, keyboard, 100' coax, 1/2" PVC.
Dragged out my 30' collapsible aluminum mast, rope, guys.
Found a use for the hockey stick I broke last weekend (it became a mast!).
Built a 10-20-40 parallel dipole - Spare 1/2" PVC became spacers. I live at
1,050', 600' above the valley, looking eastward. Antenna was broadside
east...no room to put up a sloper unfortunately.
Obtained help of pregnant wife in getting the mast vertical. Tested antenna at
12:55, 5 minutes before the contest, never having made a QSO on it. Hooked up
the RF-1...hmmm...not exactly a good match...anywhere...
Finally powered the rig up at 1:00, time for the contest. Decided on going QRP
(as usual - 4 watts), but had made a QSO on the OMNI - never even powered it
up! First was K8BL on 15m in Ohio. Guess everything was working at least
adequately well.
Head a headache the entire time. Watched college football, World Series, pro
football (all with no sound). What a GREAT weekend of sport! Go Ducks! Go
D'Backs!
Took a 6-hour round trip Sunday afternoon to the coast for BBQ and playing on
the dunes. Operated while mobile - 26 Qs, all QRP of course, logged on
microcassette recorder. While all callsigns & sections made it to tape, some
of the contact info didn't. Oh well, hope ARRL will understand that safety
comes first, especially with two dogs in the car on a windy mountain road.
Anyway, sorry to everyone for the lack of duping. I was doing the best I could
with limited logging resources (a pen and a notebook).
Called CQ infrequently, but was answered by the only contact made into Maine.
Heard W2NNY. Heard several VE7s (too close, I guess?). Heard a VE1.
Never heard Vermont or Newfoundland/Labrador. Even so, I'm pretty happy with
an operation that was thrown together truly at the last minute. Everything
performed as well or better than expected, and I realize how stupid I was to
have ever sold my original OMNI V.
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