CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW
Call: N1UR
Operator(s): N1UR
Station: N1UR
Class: SOAB LP
QTH: VT
Operating Time (hrs): 43.5
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 45 9 23
80: 246 15 70
40: 412 24 100
20: 889 26 92
15: 191 22 74
10: 34 9 20
------------------------------
Total: 1817 105 379 Total Score = 2,487,276
Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club
Comments:
I entered this contest feeling very prepared. I was not happy with the
performance of my CQ WW SSB weekend on 80 and had spent quite a bit of time fine
tuning the gain of my 80M wire yagii. This effort paid off well. My full size,
ridge edge, 160M inverted vee played very well in this contest and had performed
well in the SSB contest too. The other addition to my antenna farm this year is
a 1000 ft beverage to EU. It obviously works well on 80 and 160 but the best
thing about it has been its ability to transform 40M into a noise free band. It
is truly amazing in the f/b ratio to the US and noise reduction overall. I am
considering adding a pre-amp to it as well. The final addition to the farm was
a 160M inverted L with 8 raised radials. I didn?t find any situation where the
inverted L beat the inverted vee. A few already posted comments would imply
that radiation angles were quite high this weekend so the jury is still out on
this antenna. I think what it does prove is that having both is a good thing at
a minimum. I worked more EU in this contest on 160 than I ever have before. Of
course great Top Band conditions helped a lot!!
I was well rested and feeling good going in. I had also spent quite a bit of
time listening to 40 and 80 for the last few weeks. I knew going in that 40 was
sounding really good from 1900Z until around 0000Z into EU from here and then
again I was hearing at 1000Z EU coming in when I was getting up in the morning.
The only thing I didn?t know was if the middle of the night was any good at EU
sunrise. I also knew that 80 was where I wanted to be at the start. I wasn?t
sure I could run on 80 with 100W so I figured I would try a few times while S &
Ping and move on, frequently, if it wasn?t working. I didn?t even try to run on
40 until 04Z and tried several times on 40 from 04Z until 08Z (none with
success, either day). I was able to run periodically on 80 with some success
(20 ? 30 mins at a time with 40+ rates ? probably 75 run Qs in the log). I did
however have an okay run on 40M the first afternoon. Real good success S & Ping
on 40M as well on the first afternoon. But 40 REALLY happened for me from 21 ?
00 Z at the end where I had a 2 hour solid run at 70+ per hour. I was having so
much fun on 40 that I ended the contest surgically S & Ping 40 using the
beverage antenna and calling anyone (no matter how weak) that I could hear.
Worked a few really nice mults then (ZA, UK9, 8Q7, HZ, 3B8). Absolutely the
best finish I have ever had in a contest.
Saturday morning was very interesting for me. I started off S & Ping 40 and 20.
40 seemed to be open to everywhere at 11 ? 12Z from here. 20 was the typical
CQ WW start in the morning pretty fast S & P but no one hears me running until a
little later. I had just finished a bottom to top full band pass. I started a
new pass on 20M figuring I would start CQing in the first hole I find and try
and hold it. Keep moving and do it again when I get kicked off. I couldn?t
believe that I found a hole on 14005.7. Started CQing. Rate was IMMEDIATE. I
thought..wouldn?t this be great for 30 ? 45 mins until I go to 15M. Well, an
hour later I am still there with a last 60min rate of 140 and a peak rate of
188!!! By far, my best ever hour in CQ WW. Checks of 15M were showing serious
signs of ?sucker hole?. Real loud 9As (why are they always so flippin? loud)
and not a lot of depth. I figured, okay, I?ll do another hour. 2 hours of 140+
and 15M is still sounding puke. I made a very much ?bet the contest? decision
to go for rate until it dies (or until 15 is sounding better as I frequently
monitor on radio 2). Well, this went on for 4 hours of 140, 140, 110 and 90 and
finally I jumped to 15M and there wasn?t much left of it. Sunday morning I
needed G, DL, F, LZ and a lot more on 15. If 15 didn?t open I was toast. Well,
to me, 15 sounded no better on Sunday but I did work just about all of the
?usual mult suspects? so I think in the end my gamble paid off. Best ever 20M Q
total in any CQ WW contest period. In fact 160 ? 20M Qs were all personal bests
across the board. Mults were down for me this year but was expected based on
SFI.
Other notes:
10M: Heard CT8 and F6. Actually got a ??? from the F6 but that was it. Worked
Carib/SA and Africa. Nothing west of Zone 4.
15M: No JA, No VK, No KH6. Just ZL in the pacific.
20M: Nice opening at 0430Z snagged 8Q, FR, ZD and ZS. Worked only JA and UA9 in
Asia (not including the zone 21 crowd).
40M: Best I have every heard 40 but didn?t work JA (??). A serious 40M Single
Band Record could have been set this year. I believe that EU was workable
almost all 48 hours this year with 100W and a 2 el beam.
80M: Really solid into EU and Africa/Med/Indian Ocean.
160M: When you are getting first call responses with 100W from EU stations that
are S6 ?7 (wouldn?t even bother to call normally if they aren?t S8 plus) you
know the band is rockin?.
KL7 (never heard anywhere). Zone 2 (no activity). I think that the whole
world?s score dropped a few percent with no zone 2 and KH7X going single band
and D4 going single band.
By far, the best CQ WW effort that I have ever put in. What a blast. Thanks to
all for the Qs.
73
Ed N1UR
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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