ARRL DX Contest, CW
Call: K8IA
Operator(s): K8IA
Station: K8IA
Class: SOSB/40 HP
QTH: AZ
Operating Time (hrs): 22
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
160:
80:
40: 592 91
20:
15:
10:
-------------------
Total: 592 91 Total Score = 161,616
Club: Central Arizona DX Association
Comments:
Ten-Tec Orion II, Alpha 91B (2), M-Squared 40M3L 3 el 40m yagi at 71 ft, K9AY Rx
Loops (a few times)
Special kudos:
1.MFJ-1026 Noise Canceler, without which the last part of night one to JA and
all of the second night to JA would have been nearly a bust. With a properly
chosen sense antenna acting on only a "point source" noise, that box really
works! RTFM.
2.N1MM and crew for their excellent contest logging program.Those of you not
using N1MM Logger are really missing something. Plus, its Free, a word all us
cheap hams like! It's been the primary contest logging program here for the
past 2 yrs.
3. Good friends KC7V and K7WP, who, finding out that I may be "ampless" for
this weekend, didnt hesitate to offer me one of their amps. You guys not only
can operate the hell out of a contest station, you're good guys too! Your
VooDoo Contest Group upbringing, no doubt. ;-)
4. Special mention too, to the countless JA's and others who stuck with my
repeat requests while I dealt with "the mother of all noises" that first night.
I normally dont need to ask for fills, so TNX!
--------
Three to four lost hours the first night and certainly not the score I was
planning on. In fact, I was about 150 q's below where I thought I would be.
Then again, it's a respectable score (would have been 4th USA the past 2 yrs,
wont be that high this yr) and I, mostly, had a lot of fun and got our local
club, www.cadxa.org, some needed points!
No detailed whining on this end, so no need for you to say "give that dude some
cheese with his whine", hi. Briefly though, problems here with exceptionally
high noise level in JA direction (S6 with 200hz filter!), Alpha 91B keying
vacuum relay that seized and some unusual rf interaction with cw keying serial
port.
The MFJ-1026 pretty much took care of the noise (a singular, still unidentified
"point" source noise, fortunately).I redid my station computer grounding/bonding
scheme mid-contest to solve the serial port keying problem and good friend KC7V
came thru with the loan of his Alpha 91B to relace my failed one.
I found 40 to be decent both nights, but exceptionally good the second night as
QSB was much less. The QSB the first night was similar to what we experience on
160, very rapid. I did seem to notice a lack activity from several regions as,
although cndx were better on night 2, it was still hard to find new stations to
work in Eu especially.
JA's were heard here beginning 3 hrs before their sunset, and were still being
heard here nearly 4 hrs past my sunrise! That's a BIG time window. Even with
noise problems, I still worked 326 JA's, more than half my total q's, and the
only thing that keeps us even remotely competitive here in the west. Could have
worked 100 more, I am sure, if I wasnt noise limited.The BY Jammer, aka The
Dragon, did mess things up somewhat the second night here.
All and all, a fun time once I got thru the "wrinkles". CU in ARRL DX SSB in a
few weeks and incognito for CQWW 160 SSB next week. ;-)
73, Bob K8IA
Arizona USA
http://members.aol.com/bobk8ia
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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