CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW
Call: W7RH
Operator(s): W7RH
Station: W7RH
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Arizona
Operating Time (hrs):
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 643 State/Prov = 56 Countries = 33 Total Score = 186,811
Club: Arizona Outlaws Contest Club
Comments:
160 meters is like no other band. The conditions are predictable only on a
very relative and speculative basis. A dramatic and dynamic change can occur
in a period of one hour. This year was no exception.
For those that don't really know me I operate from my remote outpost NE of
Seligman. I arrived home this late this morning after spending almost four
days in a stinky , cold, old camp trailer deep in the high plateau
wilderness. My wife no longer knows me. My attorney friend calls it "The
Bunker", a la Armageddon Resort.
My station is a lowly TS-480 feeding 800ft of animal chewed LMR400 to 5 50ft
verticals via another 1500ft of LMR400. The verticals are arranged to give
single as OMNI, a 4EL Broadside CEL for East/ WEST and 3EL end fire to NE, SE,
SW and NW. All of this to make up for the physical abuse I've put my body
through over the years, my lack of operating skill and deafness. Throw in
90,000 feet of copper radials, a barbed wire and electric fenced corral for
antenna system. Missing running water, commercial power and easy access not to
mention a nice comfortable warm bed. All of this is true.
What results is a whole different experience. I have no separate RX antennas. I
don't need them and even when tried, good working beverages don't work as
well here.
While the ARRL says there is a DX window it really only provides room for
Caribbean contesters to compete with EU. The feeding trough is a 15Khz window
between 1810 and 1825 where all the "Big Guns" like to line up and hang out
for 30-40 hours. The Feeding, is the potential JA run on Saturday mornings.
In this contest an almost endless string of 10 pointers.
On the other end of the Spectrum you have a large assortment of big guns,
pistols and cap guns all crammed into 100Khz. Makes for an interesting mix
especially when a power house lion is calling CQ on top of a weak EU station
that can actually hear!
Once again I failed to establish any domestic rates on either night. Saturday
night was a total drag calling CQ on 1856 for 6 hours to work 150 Q's. S&P is
far more fun. WAC and WAS in one night. A couple new countries and a whole lot
of work. The 0300-0400 Z periods both nights were fantastic for EU DX. Many EU
stations came back with just one call. My JA run Saturday AM was a gift from
God to make up for the lousy US non -runs. Seemed like stateside activity was
a little lower. (16 hours for WAS)
They say these were declining conditions. Hard to tell as I beat last years
score in the RAW.
I need more sleep. GN Bob, W7RH
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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