CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW
Call: AC6DD
Operator(s): AC6DD
Station: AC6DD
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: CA
Operating Time (hrs): 26
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 689 State/Prov = 58 Countries = 25 Total Score = 206,836
Club:
Comments:
I started setting up the station at the Lighthouse on Thursday, but due to some
usual setbacks it was not operational until Friday afternoon.
It hasn't rained for a long time and I was expecting some noise from the site
power line, but to my dissapointment in addition to strong noise from the power
line in the SE direction there was substantial static crash type noise to the
SW and widespread noise to NE.
This was by far the worst noise I have experienced at this location.
If this was at home I probably would have skipped the contest, but here I
already set everything up and there was no option but to continue.
The conditions on Friday hinted to an even worse result than last year when
various problems ended the contest early for me.
I found out that it was actually some law enforcement vehichles which drove
over my RX antenna cables and smashed them in the middle of the night last
January. There has been lots of smuggling activity in this area with panga
boats from Mexico landing in the Lighthouse vicinity and unloading loads of
Marijuana. This year I came prepared. I brought with me some extra cash, just
in case I run into the smugglers.
>From the few multipliers I heard on Friday I could not contact PZ1AA. I heard a
PY calling someone else, but never heard him again. There was no EU or AF heard.
Finally the band opened to the NW where the noise was minimal and the Ja's came
rolling in. ZM2IO and VK2GR called in for new multipliers and that was it for
down South. I heard a W6 working an XV station, but I could not hear the XV. I
ended the first night with a fairly low score.
On Saturday afternoon I got a big surprise when the noise from the NW
completely dissapeared. Usually the second night is pretty slow, but things
started looking pretty good and I was making up lost ground.
Many were calling the loud DX1S, but he was only working JA's.
Getting closer to daytime I turned on the heater and actually dozed off for a
few. I awoke with VE5ZX, the missing SK multiplier calling CQ on the
frequency. What makes it incredible is that two years ago exactly the same
thing happened to me with a different SK station. I need to take naps more
often. Just before the end ND shows up to complete the US mults.
In the beginning it looked ike this was going to be my worst performance in
years, but I actually ended up uith a better result than the past two years.
If you find yourself visiting the area and driving by on Highway 1 stop by for
a tour of the Lighthouse.
There is an engraved brick out there that reads "AC6DD 160 Meters".
Even better, put your own callsign out there: http://piedrasblancas.org/
K3, Alpha 8410
Vertical
RX4S
Niko AC6DD
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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