NCCC Sprint - July 4
Call: K6VVA
Operator(s): K6VVA
Station: K6VVA
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: RF Hole
Operating Time (hrs): .5
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
160:
80:
40:
20: 35 13
15:
10:
-------------------
Total: 35 13 Total Score = 455
Club: Northern California Contest Club
Comments:
Thank God this was not an NS Ladder Night!!!
I had been in bed sick for 2 full days straight and really didn't feel like
operating tonight. The doctor said all the smoke & crap from the fires I had
inhaled for several days may added to the impact of the nasty bug I picked up
somewhere.
One of the recent California dry lightning fires burned to within about 1,000
feet of my home QTH, and watching the blazing inferno come down my RF blocking
hills to EU & the NE USA all through the night was not my idea of fun. I had
my SUV & small trailer packed with as much as I could, but some of my neighbors
and I decided to stick it out until the last possible minute in spite of a
'Mandatory Evacuation'.
The water helicopter & aerial tanker resources were deployed to another fire,
so we just had to watch fire keep coming down the hill to the firebreak and
prayed the winds didn't shift this way. Had they been stronger and blowing our
way, I'm sure the firebreak would have been jumped and our places would have
been toast. At the 11th hour & 59th minute, CalFire engines showed up and they
got it contained at the firebreak.
My basic SO2R station was not dismantled (Ventriloquist figures, computers
other personal stuff had had priority in packing), but did grab my Expedition
TS-480SAT, another TS-480HX and one ALS-600S for the road. Of course, the new
(used) Expert 1K-FA amp that arrived a few days before I hadn't even hooked up
yet). A few pix from the ordeal are at: http://www.k6vva.com/locustfires .
I had taken the Expert amp on a "Shakedown Cruise" setup here with one TS-480
on a folding table for a few hours during field day, and decided that's where I
would operate in the 20m only NS tonight.
The amp was in standby 'cuz I needed the internal coax connection to the A3,
but couldn't figure out why I kept getting beat out so much and so many
unanswered CQ's. About 2/3 of the way through the NS, I noticed the standby
screen reading 17.3 Watts but I couldn't figure out why.
Then I realized... I had kept the TS-480 at 20 watts to drive the amp vs. using
ALC control, so I was only running 17.3 watts tonight. DOUBLE DUH !!! I
decided the damage was already done, so just left it on semi-QRP. I really
hate it when that stuff happens.
73 & Tnx for all the Q's that were made in spite of my QLF ...
Rick, K6VVA * The Locust
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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