Stew Perry Topband Challenge
Call: N5IA
Operator(s): N5IA
Station: N5IA
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: DM52 - AZ
Operating Time (hrs): 12.5
Remote Operation
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 422 Total Score = 2,359
Club: Arizona Outlaws Contest Club
Comments:
Well, this SPDC sure is not one to 'write home' about. I feel I was the most
prepared, both station wise, and mentally and physically, that I have been in a
long time. Top Band can surely deal a dose of reality in very short order.
The jet stream was diving straight south to our area and making a hard turn
right at the Mexican border before heading NE across my state of NM and the
Panhandle of TX and OK. Consequently the QRN level rivaled summer time, and
was so close that it affected ALL the RX antennas no matter where they were
oriented.
So the night went. I had the left ear listening to the 8-Circle TX antenna via
the main RX in the K3. The right ear was listening to the Beverages via the sub
RX in the K3. In the end, for most of the night, I simply listened to a single
Beverage which had the least level of QRN. And that was it.
The number of Qs and the final points tally are significantly below my effort
from last year. A very large percentage of the call signs and grid reports had
to be repeated, often many times, with a final query of the station whether I
had finally gotten all the pieces assembled in the correct order.
I humbly apologize to all those stations who called with whom I could not
complete a Q. And I am sure there were many others whom I never heard at all.
Every once in a while I would get a break and seem to hear well for a few
minutes and a quantity of stations could be worked. For the most part it was
onesy, twosey, and then a lull. Sometimes I could hear east coast stations
quite well for a short time and no one calling in from the Midwest. Strange.
>From out here in the west our only salvation is to make a decent run of JA
stations where a few dozen 20 pointers really helps offset the EU advantage the
folks in the east have. But even that opportunity did not materialize as the
storm system was still at hand just a couple hundred miles to my east.
I finally managed to put 17 JA call signs in the log. Many of them called at a
QSB peak while I was CQing to the NE and by the time I had switched the antennas
to the NW and returned the call, the signals had dropped into the noise level.
Then followed the repeat/repeat/repeat process to complete the Q.
I had a couple of highlights. One was planned. I was calling CQ directly to
VK at the sunset on the east side of the continent, and VK4KW came in with a
great signal for the best DX of the contest for me; a 25 pointer.
The 2nd highlight was being called by Jorge, CW5W. I was calling CQ pointed
NE. The direction to CX from here is SE, at right angles to my CQ azimuth.
The 8-Circle is 15 dB down off the sides and the Bev selected at the time was
to JA, to the NW.
Jorge's signal was good enough to get my attention and I finally figured out it
was a CW5 prefix and not another weak W5 calling in just above the static level.
Once the 8-Circle was switched to SE Jorge's signal was a true 579 and we
immediately completed the contact.
This is an example of the one downside to using highly directive antennas on
Top Band; not being able to hear stations calling from an unexpected
direction.
I made only one S&P foray through the band during prime time. I tried to
get the call sign and the exchange from the station I was going to call, before
calling, so I was not wasting their time.
I was able to find and enter into the log only 14 stations across the entire
band. Normally an excursion of this type will yield 30-50 stations added to my
log in an hour of time. So went the night with these very strange and noisy
conditions.
I also want to echo the comments I have already read in other reports reference
the many station who would only send their call sign ONCE when I sent AGN. Many
opportunities were lost for a Q in the log by these stations not recognizing the
conditions of the band.
Not understanding that when a station asks AGN, and perhaps sends a letter of
two he has deciphered from the noise, that he is needing to hear the call
sign/exchange 3-4 or more times to have a chance to put it all together, is a
loss for both stations.
I experienced this situation many, many times last night; a lot more than
normal because of the conditions.
But, it is what it is, and we all love the band so much that we keep coming
back no matter what the fickle lady deals to us.
CU all in the CQ 160 CW event in 4 weeks.
73, and thanks for all the contacts, de Milt, N5IA
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