CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB
Call: VK3TZ
Operator(s): VK3TZ
Station:
Class: SOAB LP
QTH: Melbourne
Operating Time (hrs): 40
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
-------------------------------
160: 3 3 2
80: 9 7 6
40: 83 18 24
20: 591 32 90
15: 248 26 59
10: 342 29 55
-------------------------------
Total: 1276 115 236 = 1,273,536
Club/Team:
Comments:
What an interesting contest. As usual my preparation was poor, I had hoped to
operate from a Scout camp using a 60 ft tower in a rural location with no
noise... but the 600 Girl Guides took precedence of course. So it was operation
from home again.
I pulled the tower down and attempted to convert the 2 ele yagi on 30m back to
the 40m rotary dipole. It worked, but after 2 or 3 QSOs something failed. Used
the wire dipole for the rest of the test, even climbed the tower to replace the
balun but it must have been an open circuit loading coil.
Got the computer running one minute before the start, the antenna back in the
air 10 minutes before that. At 0100z I had 104 Qs in the log on 10m. Condx were
fantastic, but it didn't last. After 2 hours about 200 Qs... and a 140 hour
between 0530 and 0630z was great with peaks of 300/hr for the last 10. After
that I heard the hiss start and the bands close. 10m did not open to EU like it
had to the USA. Search and pounce was the order of the day for most of the rest
of the test.
Interesting that NA and EU seemed to indicate Sunday was better than Saturday.
It was the opposite here for sure. The JAs seem to have gone missing. I did not
get one run of JAs despite them being due North. I could here JAs working NA
and EU but had no propagation here. Also 10m was open but 15m dead. Seemed like
the A index was absorbing the lower frequency signals. Worked a few EU and NA
long path on 15m.
It was great to be called by JW5E on 20m for zone 40 and to finally work a zone
2 during the contest. First in 13 years! The ONLY africa I heard or worked was
EA8s, IG9 guys in zone 33. I beamed there several times... nothing. Great to
work the South Americans on 10m.. this is quite rare from here.
Broke the VK LP record with about 2 hours to go but the bands did not open for
me to clear it enough to be sure that log errors will not pinch it from me.
Perhaps someone else broke it by more anyway? Considering how bad condx got
here I am really pleased to have got there.
Some great DXped mults... thanks for travelling guys! Also many USA and EU
commented on the great signal on 20m. Surpised the hell out of me with the amp
off. Heard a US signal on 160m on Sat night and an LY with a MASSIVE signal on
Sunday morning, but neither could hear the 100W.
Station : FT-1000MP, TH6DXX @ 15m, Rotary dipole @ 18m for 40m (failed) wire
dipole at 14m, 80/160m 1/2 slopers.
I'm stoked!
Regards all
Tony (not AL as the callbook says)
VK3TZ
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