CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW
Call: KR1G
Operator(s):
Station:
Class: SOAB HP
QTH: nh
Operating Time (hrs): 44
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
-------------------------------
160: 11 4 6
80: 142 12 57
40: 736 26 81
20: 478 29 84
15: 731 26 91
10: 668 25 85
-------------------------------
Total: 2766 122 404 = 4,233,774
Club/Team: yccc
Comments:
This contest started just like last years - all screwed up!!! I hoped it would
be as much fun.
For starters, this was the first Single Op contest since my son has learned to
walk and scream. The M/S for SSB turned out OK, although he started the test by
running in and out of the shack shrieking in delight and tripping the VOXs -
yeah, he likes contests. After much discusion with the XYL, it was decided that
I wouldn't try to hide in the shack, since he'd probably figure out I was
there. Instead, the door would be open and he could come and go as he pleased,
under her strict supervision (yeah, right!).
Also, I had gotten piles of sleep every night the previous two weeks, except
the last one. Napping that afternoon didn't work to well. The XYL and harmonic
napped, I decided to cook dinner for everyone since I was just too excited to
sleep.
I decided to start on 20 after much mental debate. My first QSO however was on
the second radio - seems that 10 seconds before the contest my ACOM decided to
shutdown and needed to go through it powerup sequence again - "Low Air Flow"
was the message. I had very very occasionally seen this the week before. Krassy
was baffled never having seen this error before but a new fan was on its way
from LZ. Seemed to only happen if the ACOM was TXing a lot.
So my first Q on 20 was actually at 0004, and the rate was only OK, partially
because the Amp kept shutting down every few Qs. Worked some great mults,
including HS, VU, VK6 until finally at 0045 it was obvious I had to switch
Amps. Now I thought that the ACOM would do fine on the 2nd radio since it would
have a fairly light duty cycle. I was QRT from 0046 until 0110. Seems some
moron decided to use different types of 220 plugs for the different Amps and I
had to physically switch them - screwdriver, OK, at least no soldering required
:) Hmmm, wonder who that idiot could be :) Probably some fat Greek guy.
Only worked 49 Qs the first hour - hmmm, seemed like last year. I put the main
radio on 40, where a recent upgrade has made me fairly loud. Much better,
worked 72 stations in the next 50 minutes on 40, plus 4 second radio Qs on 20
barefoot including Zone 23. About 0200, while CQing, I put the 220 plug on the
second Amp, and took about 2 minutes off to put in on the table and in line. My
son (remember him?) had been jumping up and down the last hour in the shack,
pulling ALL the books and magazines from my bookcase, climbing up and down a
folding chair , all while wearing a set of headphones and shrieking with
delight. He likes contests, and decided to take a more active role - he poured
a glass of water down my crotch and turned of the 1st radio Amp - he'd just
learned about switches. Now I shrieked for my wife, and operated seminude for
the next few hours. My son and XYL went to bed.
Until about 0700 rates were OK - not great, but OK. In the high 60s to mid 80s.
Not what I needed to acheive my goals - whatever they were, but I was having
fun. Trying to work the 2nd radio, and generally busting my butt for "barely
adequate numbers" yet truly having a BLAST.
The 0300 hour I spent 45 mins on 80, running mainly on 3505, and worked 47
stations. Last year I had a 92 hour at 0300 on 80 and hit a 200 ten Q rate - so
the band just wasn't as good. Also spent 20 minutes during the 0400 hour on 80
with similar results. In retrospect, this was as good as 80 got and I should
have spent more time there. Also picked off a few 2nd radio Qs on 20 and 160 -
including G4BUO, my only Eu on 160. Again, I should have spent more time on 160
as it just went downhill. 160 is the weakest band here, TX wise. I usually hear
very well, but am a 3rd or 4th tier station at best!
At almost exactly 0700 something amazing happened. A solar event that caused
all capacitors to experience temporary amnesia and forget what they were!
Everyone, if audible at all, sounded like a good ole Iron Curtin station from
the good ole days. 160 to 15 were open, none of them well. The strongest
stations were weak buzzsaws, yet they all answered me immediately. A 19 Q hour
- damn, and I WAS having fun. Just didn't care - obviously everyone was
effected. This is better than equipment problems anyday!!! Ohh, by the way, the
ACOM hadn't worked out on the 2nd radio - kept turning itself off, so I
replaced it with the Commander, which seemed to work OK. Except that on 80 it
took WAY too much plate current to put out 1.5KW, and on 40 it took WAY too
much plate current to put out a quite a bit under 1.5KW. And the amp on the 1st
radio wasn't super happy on 20 and only wanted to put out about 1400 watts for
some unknown reason. 08 and 09 I Cqed on 20, working about 40 Qs, while working
the 2nd radio hard (for me) for 10 and 2 Qs respectively. Now I was getting
somewhere - I was sure to be catching up on my competition due to mere
stubborness. Besides, my CW sucks so low rates make me competitive. I'm not
joking, I was having the time of my life! I was standing up and singing, while
working both radios. Even 10z was cool, working 19 Qs and taking my first run
to the toilet and back, and eating a few cold Greek Sausages from the cooler.
Rates generally sucked until 15, although I probably worked 30+ Eu mults on 10
via scatter on the 2nd radio. The 7 ele at 150 feet really helped here! However
eventually 10m opened on Sunday and everyone worked the same mults! The only
backscatter mult I couldn't work was HZ - he was 569 but just couldn't hear me.
15 and 16z were good, with rates at 92 and 105 mainly on 15, with the very
occasion 2nd radio Q on 10. Then things slowed down again and at 0240 I took my
first break for 1:50 minutes. I planned to sleep and make my first coffee, but
the XYL, having awoken and almost gone back to sleep again decided she should
shower while I watched the baby (sleep). So I slept? 15 minutes on the floor in
his room, maybe an hour on the shack floor on a mattress, and made coffee. In
reality I doubt I actually slept 30 minutes, but lying down with my eyes closed
was good. In retrospect, it was probably entirely unnecessary, at least as
unnecessary as the XYLs shower.
Oh, I forgot. My son spent most of the day Saturday in the shack, yelling and
screaming. He didn't cause me any trouble, but during his few absences he
unpotted a few plants and tried to flush the TV guide down the toilet. The
vacuum cleaner getting up the potting soil was most disconcerting.
>From 0415 to 0815 I jumped around a lot, not much SO2R at all, and rates were
from the mid 40s to mid 60s, with lots of mults. I layed down for a couple of
hours - this should have been my only nap, and quiet honestly I could have
skipped it too.
Things took off around 1100 and the next five hours had rates of 89, 127, 119,
122, 97. During the peak the XYL and son were playing *very* loudly in the
shack and being somewhat distracting. OK, they were both yelling, and a real
pain in the butt!!! Mostly on 10m, very little SO2R again. rates were decent
through 1900, when my son decided he should play with a radio, so I let him
tune the second radio until he bored a few minutes later. He had left me well
above 21100 on VQ9X, a double mult. No, I'm NOT claiming assisted :) He's only
18 months old.
They left for the rest of the day, and I took my first break since sunrise for
a very short 15 minutes and ate more sausage and made a large vat of coffee.
How can a seeming 100 seconds turn out to be 15 minutes I wonder????
The last 4 hours had rates beteen 40s to 60s, with lotsa S02R. I CQed on both
15 and 40. Probably should have spent more time running on 20, but I've got
this new big antenna on 40. 5H1X called in near the end, perfectly Q5 on the
new 40, but inaudible on the 2 ele cushcraft at 105. S&Ped a lot of JAs the
last 2 hours on 15 and some on 10 too - I was tired and couldn't distinguish
well between JS and JH. Hmm probably good I took those naps or I would have
been worse!! I had spent some effort Sat night working a JA on both 10 and 15
skew path - obviously unnecesarily.
So, not much broke, although one amp died and two were injured. My son wasn't a
problem and had fun in the shack. I had as much fun as any contest, and my
score was almost the same as last years which had great condx. So I've
improved.
Can we do it again this weekend??
73
Ted KR1G
Call: KR1G
Category: Single Operator
Power: High Power
Band: All Band
Mode: CW
Country: United States
Zone: 5
BAND QSO QSO PTS PTS/QSO ZONES COUNTRIES
160 11 21 1.91 4 6
80 142 394 2.77 12 57
40 736 2147 2.92 26 81
20 478 1391 2.91 29 84
15 731 2149 2.94 26 91
10 668 1947 2.91 25 85
---------------------------------------------------
Totals 2766 8049 2.91 122 404 => 4,233,774
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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