CQ WW RTTY WPX Contest
Call: VA7ST
Operator(s): VA7ST
Station: VA7ST
Class: SOAB LP
QTH:
Operating Time (hrs): 29
Summary:
Band QSOs Pts
-----------------
80: 112 430
40: 166 662
20: 313 151
15: 111 241
10: 0 0
-----------------
Total: 702 2038 Prefixes = 284 Total Score = 578,792
Club:
Comments:
Comments:
N1MM Logger + MMTTY
FT920 (100w)
3 ele. CL33 @ 50'
40M 2 el. delta loop aimed E.
40M 2 el. inverted-V yagi aimed 45 degrees N.
80M 2 el. delta loop aimed E.
Score history
Year Qs WPX Score
-------------------------
2006 702 284 578,792 28.2 hrs
2005 584 264 422,664
2004 225 114 67,009
2003 344 149 147,212
Highlights:
===========
ZS2ES calling in on 20M early Sunday afternoon. I think third contest in a row a
ZS has called.
Working CT3, I, OH, S5, UR with the rather low 2 el. wire yagi on 40M.
LOTS of calls that were not in the SCP file.
The Long Notes:
===============
EU opening on 20M Sunday morning was like being a kid in a candy store -- had to
breathe deep and patiently work along the band picking those nice mults. Was
tempting to hop around the N1MM bandmap, but more efficient to slide up the band
slowly. Called a bit during the opening with acceptable results.
Built a 2 element wire yagi for 40M, strung about 50' up between a pair of
pines. Orientation is at about 45 degrees, so it covers EU and north Africa, I
guess. Worked like a damn on receive but could only work a hanfdul of the
stations I could hear (100W ain't enough, it seems). Still, did have stations
hear me that I couldn't hear at all on the twin delta loops facing E-W -- these
are mults I've been missing all along. Will reserve judgment on the wire yagi
till after next weekend's ARRL CW test, hoping 100W CW will push through if the
band's open.
Was pleased with the 40M delta loop array for working US/VE. Went from last
year's single loop with 79 Qs to 166 Qs and double the mults by adding a
reflector loop about 22 feet to the west. Driven element apex on the rope is
about 8' higher than the apex of the reflector, but seems to work all right.
80M delta loop array worked, too. But the band was noisy and my eternal power
line noise really played heavily on 80M and 20M.
Thought 15M was flat as a pancake -- signals sparse, and in general quite weak
but usually readable. Figured perhaps the 40M delta loops, which are 30' east of
the tower, and in front of the tribander, might be acting as a 15M reflector.
Loosened and moved the reflector delta loop to one side, but if there was a
difference in signals from US/VE it wasn't readily apparent. Maybe a little
better, but that could be placebo, hi.
Had a good night's sleep Saturday night -- bed by 12:30 a.m. and slept in a bit
till 7 a.m. Went to the rig to enjoy a nice EU opening, and realized the rotator
was dead at the base of the MARB. Ate up 50 minutes fixing it, laying on my back
in -10 C crisp weather removing said rotator, reconnecting one of the control
wires that had broken loose in the night, and reinstalling it under the tower.
The bottom-mounted rotator beats the hell out of climbing a tower, but was still
a pain in the neck (literally) at 7 a.m. while the band is sizzling over the
pole. May have to trade in the dog (Tippy) for tripping over the control cable
on the ground during the night. Or better yet, may have to give myself a slap
for leaving it unfurled on the lawn. Repair worked as hoped, and got in a good
two hours of the opening and had much fun.
Didn't think I was going to break the 700 Q mark -- had 10 minutes left and
needed five more. 40M was the only band giving me results by then (nearing 4
p.m. Pacific) so I plugged away with CQs. Managed to get 702 Qs. The real total
is 709 (the last serial number) thanks to 7 dupes.
One trend observed for folks working some (emphasis on SOME) SO2R stations...
The long moment of silence. Time spent waiting does matter, and adds up. If
seconds here and there were not important, why would many of us bother to pare
down exchanges to save a few characters per transmission? Like many, I hover
over the keys to be as prompt as possible on overs, for the sake of my own score
and so the other guy can get along to the next contact. I get the keys wrong
sometimes, or lose concentration, but the intent is always to spare both
stations any delay at all. More and more often, we wait for SO2Rs to finish
their business on some other band. It's not accident; it's built-in delay.
The timing issue may be inherent to SO2R practice, but IS an issue. Felt like
they were off bagging more points while I waited, bag in hand, for them to come
back. It's a one-way benefit I don't like giving away -- especially in contests
that lump 1R and 2R together. Separate classes would at least group together
those deriving the benefit. Often enough to matter, 2R Qs represent a penalty,
however modest per incident, to those working SO2Rs.
It's not a phenomenon caused by or spread out over everyone (which would be
fair, at least). The lad or lass with two radios is making contacts the whole
time while I'm waiting on stand-by after answering CQ, not realizing till it
happens that I've fallen into the "I'll be with you in a second" trap. The wait
impacts all callers -- SO1R, SO2R or multi-multi -- but when it happens only the
SO2R guy gets the benefit.
That said, running two radios looked like a good idea for this contest, and it
sure does work well. I'd join the herd if I could (honest, I am not against
SO2R, just the peripheral timing penalty it sometimes creates). Saw plenty of
guys pulling away from me at warp speed all weekend. I consoled myself comparing
where I was this year over last, and felt much better about how I was doing.
I had a blast for 29 hours and would do it again in a heartbeat. Looking forward
to ARRL DX CW.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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