CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW
Call: VA7ST
Operator(s): VA7ST
Station: VA7ST
Class: SOAB LP
QTH:
Operating Time (hrs): 35
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 141 6 6
80: 240 15 24
40: 230 17 33
20: 620 24 63
15: 244 15 36
10: 1 18 1
------------------------------
Total: 1476 78 163 Total Score = 775,297
Club:
Comments:
Gear:
* 1 x 160M Inverted-L (~80' vertical, ~50' horizontal)
* 1 x 80M inverted-V E-W
* 2 x 40M full-wave delta loops E-W
* 1 x trapped vertical with inverted-L entension (the 160M ant)
* 3 ele. CL-33 tribander at ~50'
* FT920 at 100w
* N1MM Logger (outstanding!)
* SP5CFD's CW TuneIn (software for visual CW tuning)
=================================================
Year-over-year comparison:
QSOs Ctry Zones Score
2002 675 147 63 313,740
2003 865 115 73 351,936
2004 1,421 146 79 697,500
2005 1,014 126 61 411,587
2006 1,476 163 78 775,297
=================================================
WHew. Conditions were lousy to EU again. Weak, short openings with only the top
tier heard for the most part. Still, that was my best contest ever. Had more fun
and operated longer than ever before. Don't think I've done 35 hours in years,
anyway.
Took Friday off to prepare. First real snow of the year arrived on Friday
afternoon as I did my final antenna inspection walkabout (2300z), and it fell
continuously all day Saturday and Sunday. The XYL and 2x boys went on a road
trip (200 kms away) for a hockey tournament, leaving dad with the dog (a
fuzzball) and cats. Worked out pretty well. Longest break was four hours. Had
three catnaps through the weekend, ate small but often, and kept hydrated. That
worked very well -- not dead at the end, though sleep will be welcome.
Was aiming for 1000 Qs, which is what I made last year. Final count of 1476
ended up beating my best-ever 2004 Q count of 1441. Felt very good with that.
Mult count was a personal best, too.
Best surprise: VK7GK calling me on 40M late Saturday night -- hope it was me he
was working... he was very big, but a few hertz low. Also, great fun with OX3JZ
calling in the final hour for the double mult. Made my weekend. Had a bit of a
polar path from 2300z Sunday for about half an hour, and worked a few new mults
there. Just in time, hi. Worked four VKs on 40M. Nice to see them and the JAs
aplenty!
Watched the live scores (www.W1VE.com/livescores) through the weekend -- VE1RGB
was phenomenal in mult-hunting. Well done!
Band experiences:
160M -- hey, never got more than 10 Qs there in CQWW. This time it was 141, and
well worth the trouble of getting the inverted-L running again. This time, it
shares the ground-mounted trap all-band vertical's ground radials. Worked
great, as I'd hoped. I think till the solar cycle rises, 160M is the new 10M
for rate, hi.
80M -- Inverted-V at 70' or so worked better than any delta-loop or pair of
loops have in the past. 24 countries and 15 zones made me happy. Seemed I was
able to find someone to work at any time of the night. Curious conditions
around 0800z Sunday. Heard an echo of my own signal after keying up -- one
element of the final letter, or the last character of my call (T). Every time,
for over an hour. Anyone else have that phenomenon?
40M -- what a pain. Tore down a 2-element wire inverted-V yagi last week and
put up 2 delta loops parasitically phased to aim either east or west. Nothing
-- verticals or delta loops -- worked on Friday night, which ended with only 70
Qs on 40M. Wasn't till late, late, late Saturday night (like, 1 a.m. Sunday
morning) that the loops and vertical started to play, and then they were
outstanding.
20M -- noisy with powerline QRM, but strong to Caribbean and Asia both days.
Sunday afternoon was incredible (often is in CQWW) with the whole world open
and workable. Was working JAs and Pacific mults on the yagi and picking off
Caribbean mults with the vertical system for instant switching. Previous high Q
count on any band was 2005's 466, which I powered through to finish with 620.
And I didn't feel like I had poached time from any other band, either.
15M -- not much Saturday (less than 100 Qs) but added another 150 on Sunday
with plenty of Caribbean action, and a few JAs Sunday p.m.
10M -- only one station heard, HC8N. Worked them for 5 bands. NEver heard them
on 160M, alas.
Not a lot of Africa from here, but Mali (20 & 15) and South Africa (15M) showed
up for me.
Now out to shovel snow in the dark before wifey and the hockey players arrive
home tonight. What a weekend. Hate to see it end.
-- Bud VA7ST
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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