CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW
Call: PJ2T
Operator(s): K8ND, W8WTS
Station: PJ2T
Class: Multi-Op HP
QTH: Curacao
Operating Time (hrs): 28:47
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 1551 State/Prov = 57 Countries = 83 Total Score = 2,158,100
Club: Mad River Radio Club
Comments:
Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me!
(http://www.k8nd.com/Radio/Planning/CQWW160/Clown_3588.jpg)
This was the second time Jim W8WTS and Jeff K8ND have operated the CQWW 160 CW
Contest from the PJ2T station, having had to miss last year due to the demands
of our mutual employer.
This year, we had two significant new technological resources to test: 1) an
Elecraft K3, and 2) CW Skimmer, using RF Space SDR-IQ.
Elecraft K3: This was the first time that we had a chance to test the K3 in the
challenges of the PJ2T on-air environment. We often have loud, very deep pileups
(more outside of the contest on other bands, but even on Topband). The K3
acquitted itself well, allowing us to pick weaker stations off the side of
louder callers and CQers. A++. We'd like to start replacing our FT-1000MP
radios with K3 radios as finances allow, although the tolerance of the K3 to
the constant, unrelenting salt-air environment at Signal Point is still a
question mark.
ADSL vs CW Skimmer: We have had a continuing problem with the ADSL network feed
for the station when transmitting on 160 meters. We've tried commercial filters,
tons of appropriate ferrite, and makeshift shielding. We tried to determine if
there was a connection between wet ground/dry ground and the failures. Prior to
the contest, we tested the ADSL connection, and were unable to make it fail.
Five minutes into the contest, the DSL link failed, and continued to fail all
night.
We set up a CW Skimmer using an RF Space SDR-IQ radio, and had it running on a
laptop which also ran a copy of VE3NEA's DX Atlas showing the greyline map. It
was connected to our full RX antenna system through the K9AY RAS-8x2 RX
antennas switching system. It could have any RX antenna connected at any time,
with the operator able to select the antenna with a pushbutton as he does for
the antenna he is listening with. The CW Skimmer mostly was left on the Europe
Beverage (during EU dark hours), or USA/JA Beverage. Ideally, it should
automatically switch constantly among all the possible RX antennas to pick up
all pop-up multipliers that can be heard from Curacao.
When ADSL failed and took our packetcluster link with it, the CW Skimmer
provided a good bandmap of active stations. We were able to pick up multipliers
that may not have otherwise called ot been heard in our pileups. Writelog
version 10.69D allowed us to simultaneously connect to the CW Skimmer and the
K3LR Packetcluster. CW Skimmer gets an A++ for the weekend. (K9AY's RAS-8x2
continues to score A++ from us in reliability and ease-of-use).
The good Topband conditions in the North were not good to us at 12 degrees
above the Equator. With the North American stations and the Europeans in a
feeding frenzy, they didn't listen down our way. Our usually-loud signal was
lost among the European and USA stations CQing at and among each other. Our
pileups were not as deep as usual, and were often encroached by others seeking
a CQ frequency of their own, making it difficult for the "second tier" stations
to hear us. The result for us was just a few more QSOs and a few more
multipliers than we made in 2007, with only a slightly higher claimed score.
We had only two hours with rates over 100, two with rates over 90, and three
with rates over 80.
We have never worked so many JA stations on Topband from the PJ2T station! A
total of 76 Japanese stations were logged, mostly on the first night, between
0800Z and our sunrise around 1100Z. This is more stations worked for any single
country besides the USA (1011), even more than Canada (63)! We attribute this to
very low Auroral activity during that first night, so our usual aurora-skimming
signal path was clear to Japan. Our breakdown by continent is shown below:
160 Total %
NA 1112 1112 71.7
SA 19 19 1.2
EU 320 320 20.6
AF 5 5 0.3
AS 90 90 5.8
OC 5 5 0.3
Congratulations to the many European multi-op stations who have made
outstanding scores, and to CN3A, who (apparently) did very well indeed from the
African continent!
Station Equipment:
Transciever: Elecraft K3
Amplifier: Cary LK-800 (2 x 3CPX800A7)
TX Antenna: Inverted-L over ~60 radials (~60' vertical, sloping up to ~90')
RX Antennas: 1000-foot Beverage - Europe
650-foot Beverage - USA/JA
DX Engineering RX 4-Square
Flag - Northern Europe
Flag - VK/ZL
RX Antenna Switching: K9AY RAS-8x2
Contest Software: Writelog v10.69D
CW Skimmer: RF Space SDR-IQ receiver
CW Skimmer v1.4 Software
We had a great time! Jim W8WTS's XYL Janis and Geoff W0CG/PJ2DX and YL Dorothy
provided logistical and moral support, including a memorable birthday
celebration for K8ND during contest operations.
Thanks as always to our club (www.pj2t.org), the Caribbean Contesting
Consortium (CCC) for their support of the club station at Signal Point (PJ2T),
and to Geoff W0CG/PJ2DX for his extraordinary work as house owner and as
self-described "Signal Point Maintenance Man"!
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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