ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW
Call: W8FN
Operator(s): W8FN
Station: W8FN
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: NTX
Operating Time (hrs): 23.5
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160:
80: 49
40: 199
20: 294
15: 216
10: 162
------------
Total: 920 Sections = 82 Total Score = 150,880
Club: DFW Contest Group
Comments:
This year I worked really hard getting the station ready, with some hardware
improvements and a new 10-15-20 dipole for the 2nd radio on the high bands. All
the preparation paid off, as I had ZERO hardware problems. But... Even with
extensive prior testing with N1MM+ when I first went to the second radio for
SO2R I discovered the audio configuration for the microHAM MK2R+ had somehow
been corrupted. It did all kinds of weird things, none of them correct. As a
result I was essentially without the 2nd radio for the first part of the
contest. On Sunday afternoon I finally took a half hour off time to try to fix
the problem and did manage to come up with a work-around that let me use true
SO2R for the rest of the contest with a bit more button pushing than normal.
The lack of the 2nd radio undoubtedly cost me quite a few QSOs in the busiest
part of the event. I had set my sights on the elusive 1K QSOs, but it was just
not to be. Nor was the sweep. Like many, I never heard the NT.
Conditions seemed to be pretty good on all bands, as the band-to-band QSO
balance reflects. The high band dipole turned out to be a great thing to have,
even with a single radio. I turned the SteppIR to a 70° heading and put it in
Bidirectional mode at the beginning and never turned it once. The dipole runs
NE-SW and gave me good coverage where the SteppIR pattern has nulls. It was
about 20dB stronger to the Pacific NW and the SE.
Even though I was whup-dog tired at the end and suffering from intermittent
sinus trouble throughout the contest. I still had a good time. Thanks to all
for the QSOs. Next year I'll do 1K for sure!
73...
Randy, W8FN
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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