CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW
Call: K7NV
Operator(s): K7NV
Station: K7NV
Class: SOAB HP
QTH:
Operating Time (hrs): 39
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 5 3 3
80: 82 22 42
40: 446 30 81
20: 206 28 73
15: 411 31 60
10: 395 27 60
------------------------------
Total: 1545 141 354 Total Score = 2,102,265
Club: Northern California Contest Club
Comments:
After 19 years since my 1st CQCW contest, I couldn't just not get in there for
another try. This contest is just too entertaining to not be involved in it. I
sure missed the two days that the Thanksgiving holiday normally provides to get
ready for it. Hadn't had time since SSCW to do anything with the amp that
died.
No problem! I'll just get up early Friday and replace the sticking T/R
relay.....
Oops! My spare isn't the same as the one in there...hmmm it's made by Kilovac,
look them up on the Internet and call tech service to get the details. After a
few calls, the tech service guy finds it is so old they don't have any tech
sheets on it anymore. I measure the coil resistance, the guy talks to some of
the old-timers, and we figure out it is a 12v relay. That's not real good for
replacing the 26v one that's bad. Ok, no problem, I have two of these amps so
I'll just take the T/R relay board out of the RF deck that has other problems,
(IE low power output, due to some component failures I haven't had time to/or
can't figure out yet).
Not real simple, but the board gets swapped, wait till the XYL is done with the
laundry (she understands no laundry on contest weekends, but she asked if she
could get it done first, to stay out of my way for the big weekend), and plug in
the 220v extension chord to check out the amp. Cool, it's making 1500w, and the
T/R relay is working just fine. POW! What's that pop in the power supply, still
making full power..... Uhoh!....There's smoke pouring out of the power supply,
better turn it off. Take it apart, this should be easy, just look for the black
parts. Hmmm....no signs of anything. Ok, use the old sniff checker, oh great,
the transformer stinks "big time". No, problem, I'll put the one from the other
supply in there. Fire that one up, and poof, there's a big groan, then all the
lights go out. Ok, so much for an amp on radio 2.
It's 2 hours before the contest starts, I'll just pack it in.
No way, can't miss this contest, I'll just do a singleband deal. Which one
should I do? Well, my station stinks on all bands, so that's not going to be
very much fun. What the heck, I'll just do AB and have a good time. Time to get
a shower, and be fresh for the marathon.
Pretty good 1st hour for here with 120 on 10m. Worked a half dozen on 15 with
the low power second rig. But, after the sun goes down rig 2 is absolutely
useless. But, generally more fun than a barrel of monkeys to qsy the run rig to
work a mult and get back to running without losing the freq. 40m is really good
Friday nite, 20 is non-existent to the pacific, for those hard to get mults.
At 07:00 it starts raining, that wasn't in the wx forecast (I checked it all
out!), can't hear much of anything thru the rain static. Cool! I'm really tired,
I'll take a nap. A couple of hours later, waking up groggy, the rain has
stopped, but all the places on 40 are taken. Finally grovel into one and get a
run going.
Lot's of fun navigating those obnoxious pileups and trying to figure out this
goofy propagation. Great 40m LP opening Sat morning, spent too much time there,
but what the heck, this is for fun. At the end of the first day, I'm 100 q's and
40 mults ahead of last year. Then it sinks in, I remember now, last year we had
that solar blowout Sat morning, and I didn't work any EU on the high bands. That
explains it.
Mults are way low on the 80 & 160, I'll make that up Sat nite. 80 is good, 160
is impossible. Why do I have 10 over S9 noise on 160? I can hear west coast
guys, that I know don't have much better than I have, working stuff I can't
hear. Run around the joint turning everything off. Oh, great, it's the
computer.
Wanna go back to paper logging? Nawh! Sometimes, "ya just gotta run what ya
brung."
Lot's more naps cuz I'm still exhausted, but the fun stuff is great fun!
Specially those obnoxious pileups, with all those guys that haven't yet been
taught: 1) if you can't hear them (like by listening when the Dx guy is
sending), you can't work them, and 2) if you don't call where the guy is
listening, he won't hear you. Some have learned that if you run enough power,
and big enough antennas, it doesn't matter. I tip my hat to those very gifted
operators that know how to get themselves worked quickly with great or very
modest stations. They know who they are. I think the LID's just make the game
more challenging for them.
Sunday morning.....Great LP opening on 80m! Worked several all time new ones.
Hmmm...so what happend to 10m, why is everything on rig 2 esp level, or
non-existent? Take another hour off while EU is open on 15 & 20, to find out
that the 8 pin DIN jack on the back of the R2 TS930 is dead. It won't hear with
the plug installed, and the same with it unplugged. Spend another 2 hours
routing the RF recv lines past the jack? Nawh, just turn the turkey off. The
last 8 hours we go SO1R, just doing the old "better make your rounds on 10m-20m
faithfully" to get those missing mults. Not too much running on Sunday. I could
usually raise the rate by 10-20 q's by just digging into S&P.
Only had 90 R2 q's this time, ended up beating last years claimed score by a
little bit, just got there by a different path this time.
At the end, I find P3A on 20 (didn't know he was on) with 30 seconds to go, and
get right through, sit back and say to myself "yep, just as exausted as when ya
started, but....wasn't that some kinda fun?" Sometimes, it's just all about
being there.
Many thanks to the guys that tried to qsy to other bands, whether it worked or
not, and those EU's that hung in there to try and copy me thru their QRM.
For those that like to follow these things:
The station got changed this year, in about 4 weekends of questionable spare
time (which included a new fence around the back, and a patio cover to keep the
snow off the dogs).
TH7 @ 45' on AB577 #1
Homebrew C3 knockoff @ 25' on guyed 3" dia mast
40-2CD @ 50' on AB577 #2
40m 4 sq
40m Inv Vee apex @ 43' on guyed 3" dia mast
80m vertical (shunt fed TH7 tower)
80m Inv Vee under TH7.
160 Inv Vee apex @ 45' on guyed 3" dia mast
The 40-2CD (thanks K5RC) is a blessing, the C3 for R2 is a bit goofy at this new
height. Great for SS, JA reports no difference between tribanders to JA (that's
a terrain feature), it can work any SA station when no one else is calling. But,
to EU, the low antenna is way marginal without an amp, still worked folks with
it. That proves the maxims, that "any other antenna is better than no other
antenna, and you just can't have enough of them."
73, Kurt
P.S. Does anyone know where TV8K, sending zone 8 is located? I could sure use
another mult.
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