CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB
Call: FS/AH8DX
Operator(s): AH8DX, CRAIG
Station: FS/AH8DX
Class: SOAB HP
QTH: French St. Martin
Operating Time (hrs): 46
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 48 8 25
80: 213 14 41
40: 495 24 89
20: 1180 31 111
15: 1583 31 113
10: 2025 26 105
------------------------------
Total: 5544 134 484 Total Score = 8,433,228
Club: Willamette Valley DX Club
Comments:
STATION: Butternut Vertical 80-10, Inverted L and 160 Rx Loop for 160.
Icom 756PROII with Dentron MLA2500 Amp. so1r class, ONE RADIO.
ST0RY BELOW:
Thanks to you stateside boys. You guys are First Class in the pile-ups and I am
certain the DX knows as even with my small station the pile-ups really never
ever got out of hand. To the Euro's, you guys have shown great skill and
progress as the years have gone along. I understand that the mass qrm within
Europe makes it difficult to hear many times but you guys need a pat on the
back. Great Job.
As for the stateside ops. The CQWW contest is the main contest where you too are
the DX. It is cool to hear stateside stations running DX; which means that you
are even DX. I could hear the little pistol guys like myself running them on 10
with smaller stations. No big antennas, no amp and only one radio. You may have
had to go up the band a ways but I too have to stay low in the band because I
have a hard time keeping my frequency. I also try to maximize my score by
working more three pointers. Later in the day on the bands I move up when the
qrm subsides to run stateside.
My share of problems in this test. The storms this weekend down here have been
increasing and I realized why I was having problems on 15 when I took the
Butternut down and made an observation that the 15 meter section was getting
shorted out because of the loose wire blowing in the wind. The Butternut on the
beach with four radials per band seemed to work great. At times in Europe I
recieved 20 over 9 reports from Euro's on 40.
I operated 46 hours with the two hours of off time early Sunday a.m., I just
could not stay awake. I took a nap on the bed and woke up two hours later mad at
myself for taking time off. I truly know what the marathon runners experience
when they hit the wall. As I turn 44 next year, I am loosing steam. I felt like
throwing the towel in on Sunday as I was having amplifier and antenna problems.
My computer also had to be rebooted several times during the test becuase of
problems. RFI problems seem to be there in every contest for me even though I
purchased $50 worth of cores to wrap the wires with. Therefore I couldn't use my
function keys in writelog to save my voice. Later in the contest I just said
what the heck and used the function keys with the rfi at the beginning of each
message.
80 was not a great band for me this year. It always is difficult but Europe was
heard as just a whisper. Even stateside seamed to be so far away. It was weard!
I have never heard it like that. Saturday morning on 15, after starting to make
an early Euro run, I noticed that the band fell out. The signals just
disappeared. I moved up to 10 and tuned the band but no signals. I recognized
this before from last year. The bands recovered very rapidly though and the runs
started again.
I just could not really get any good runs going though as I am down from my
previous trips qso count. My mult count is up though and that tells me that I
may have been looking around more. I think maybe loosing my voice had something
to do with it.
I get so discouraged hearing other DX running them but then bring myself down to
reality that I am operating with a suitcase station that I continua to hall to
the Caribbean. How I would love to have a big station but the challenge of
trying to increase my yearly scores with a Butternut Vertical on the beach
cannot be overlooked as I love that aspect of it.
This contest was a difficult one for me as my dad was told that he has cancer. I
regret the day I receive a telephone call and am told of his passing. Dad, this
contest was for you as I worked my butt off to do my best and as you fight
cancer; you do not ever give up. Remember always as tuff as it is in a contest:
DO NOT EVER EVER GIVE UP.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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