ARRL 160-Meter Contest
Call: N3UM
Operator(s): N3UM
Station: N3UM
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: MD
Operating Time (hrs): 14
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 356 Sections = 52 Countries = 7 Total Score = 43,247
Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
Comments:
Landed at airport between snowstorms Fri. afternoon from out of town trip; went
right outdoors to lower ant. halyard and connect jumper to make 160-meter
inverted-L. Then quick, just before the contest started, got on 160 using new
radio for the first time (but same amp. and antennas). Big mistake: power out
surges wildly, panel LEDs flash like Las Vegas, amp trips off. Panic: change
power tubes, check SWR, nothing helps. So, a late start, at Low Power; find out
what it's like to do a 160-m. contest at 100 watts. Result: about 60% as many
QSOs and just over half the score re 2002. QRN not bad, but worked no W6s, and
no W7s except AZ and UT: in fact, never even heard any W. coast. Heard several
EUs, but worked only one; not so easy to break even small pileups with 100 vs
1500 watts. After the contest, found out the amp was fine: turns out that power
picked up on the Beverage and going into Aux. RX antenna input seems to bleed
into the radio's TX output and either make the amp. oscillate or (most likely)
mess with the tiny silicon mind of the radio's ALC system so that the control
loop goes unstable. A relay on the amp.- keying line to disconnect the Beverage
from the Aux RX input and terminate it while TXing should fix it.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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