JARTS WW RTTY Contest
Call: AA5AU
Operator(s): AA5AU
Station: AA5AU
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: LA
Operating Time (hrs): 14
Summary:
Band QSOs Pts Mults
-------------------------
80: 0 0 0
40: 1 2 1
20: 134 321 49
15: 160 410 67
10: 170 460 66
-------------------------
Total: 465 1193 183 Total Score = 218,319
Club: Louisiana Contest Club
Comments:
I made 465 more contacts than I thought I would. I had basically blown the
contest off because I didn't have a high band antenna on the air at the start.
I had worked for 2 weeks taking down my KT34 from my 35' tower which was mainly
used for a second radio and putting up a converted 2-element SteppIR. I had
taken parts from my Isaac-damaged 3 element SteppIR and made it into a 2
element SteppIR in an attempt just to get back on the air. By Thursday before
the contest, the 2-element was on the small tower. Friday after work I had
hoped to connect the control cable and coax to it and see if it would work.
Then I realized my control cable was not long enough and would not reach the
antenna. I had ordered replacement parts and more control cable from SteppIR
earlier in the week but it hadn't arrived. With no 12-conductor shielded
control cable, there was no way I was going to get to test the antenna or get
into the contest.
Sore from climbing for several days in a row, I went to bed thinking about the
antenna when I realized there may be another solution. The cables coming from
the EHU's are 4-conductor shielded cables and I had some in the garage if I
could find it. If I took the connector box and mounted it at the base of the
tower where the 12-conductor from the controller would reach, I could run two
4-conductor shielded cables up the tower, one for each EHU, and make a splice
up at the antenna. So Saturday, I found new 4-conductor shielded cable in
garage and that's exactly what I did. I also ran a brand new RG-214
transmission line and installed new coax connectors. I took my time because I
wanted to do everything right because this may become a permanent antenna if it
worked.
I finished around 3 PM (2000Z) on Saturday afternoon and it was time to test
the antenna. I connected the SteppIR controller up in the shack and using the
base settings that were already in the controller for a 3-element antenna, I
checked the SWR on 10, 15 and 20 meters to find they were all under 1.5:1.
Wow!!! I went ahead and jumped into the contest and was amazed at how well the
antenna was working. When 10 and 15 meters closed well after sunset, I took out
my AA-54 antenna analyzer and started tweaking the antenna using the
CREATE/MODIFY feature of the controller. After several hours, I had the antenna
properly tuned for both NORMAL and 180 operation and all bands 10-20M. I didn't
get to bed until 2 AM.
I got up to a wide open 10 and 15 meters Sunday morning and spent nearly the
entire day contesting with an antenna I didn't even know was going to work. It
didn't just work, it worked great and MUCH better than the KT34 ever did at
that height. I ran mostly barefoot, but turned the amp on a couple of times to
work stations like BD3CB on 15.
When the parts come in from SteppIR this week, I will add the 30/40 option to
the antenna. I ordered a new 3 element SteppIR for the 55' tower, but that
won't be in until December. I needed something on the air quickly and this
antenna appears to work extremely well for only 2 elements at 35'. Looks like I
have a good one for a second radio when I get everything back to "normal".
Highlight of the contest was working 14-year old Rosabel, EA3HNM, who called in
on 10 meters Sunday. When I received age 14, I went to QRZ.COM to check out the
callsign and found a picture of a smiling 14-year old girl proudly sitting in
front of her radio. It reminded me that I started out at 14 years old too and
put a smile on my face as well.
So it was a wonderful contest for me to say the least. It's great to be back on
the air. The 2-element SteppIR is not on a 57" boom like it normally comes.
Instead, I took the old 3-element SteppIR boom and took it apart in the middle
to get two 8' sections of boom. On a suggestion from two people on the SteppIR
reflector, I used 72" separation of the elements intead of 57". When I get
parts from SteppIR, I will have the option of turning the antenna back to a
3-element in the future. By the way this new antenna worked this weekend, I'm
not sure I'll have to go to all that trouble.
Thanks to everyone who worked me.
73, Don AA5AU
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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