CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY
Call: W6QU
Operator(s): W8QZA
Station: W8QZA
Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: San Diego,CA
Operating Time (hrs): 38.7
Summary:
Band QSOs State/Prov DX Zones
-----------------------------------
80: 76 30 4 5
40: 80 34 5 6
20: 172 39 29 19
15: 17 4 11 9
10: 0 0 0 0
-----------------------------------
Total: 345 107 49 39 Total Score = 101,205
Club: Southern California Contest Club
Comments:
STATION W8QZA (San Diego, CA):
Radio: Yaesu FT-817, 5 Watts
Antennas:
10-15-20 Meters: 3 el Stepp-IR up 32 feet
40 Meters: DX-LB trap dipole up 30 feet
40-80 Meters: Butternut HF-2V Vertical with 3 radials
80 Meters: Inverted L
------------------------------------------------------
Well, my family has finally learned that no grandkids in the house during a
major contest (8 weekends a year), ....at least for now, ha!
This was my second use of the N1MM+ logging program. (My first use was the last
contest of the last season, WPX CW). N1MM+ is VERY challenging to install and
get working, especially for RTTY. But it works fine once it is going except for
the annoying tendency to lose connection with the radio at various times.
Conditions were not good, but decent for this time of the cycle. I had 17 Qs in
Europe, all on 20 M. 68 of my Qs were off the continent. DXCC was 31 compared to
34 last year and 71 at the peak. WAZ was 19 compared to 24 last year and 29 at
the peak. ...so is this the bottom??
The big improvement for me was 80 Meters. I have a small city lot which makes
low band antennas difficult. So out of frustration, I converted my old useless
160 M inverted L to an 80 M inverted L. It wound up being much better on 80 than
my old Butternut HF-2V! I was able to work the east coast which I rarely did on
the HF-2V! And I had an amazing 76 Qs on 80 compared to 10 or 15 Qs in past
contests.
And my best QSO of the contest, by far, was working CB1H near his sunrise on 80
M! KH6 and a rare JA are the best I have ever done on 80 before.
The rest of my Qs were regular stuff. ...except once when I was desperate for Qs
when the high bands weren't working well. So on a lark I went back down to 40
and was amazed to work KH6CJJ about 2 hours after my sunrise. He was incredibly
weak but I copied enough to know it was a contact! 40 is supposed to be dead
here at that time!
I never heard a "peep" on 10 M. ...I wish I had a ham neighbor that
could have given me the double mult on 10!
I went back to sleeping 3 hours the first night and 4 the second night. Also, if
that N1MM op time of 38.7 hours seems high, it is because I sort of gamed the
system. Instead of taking two or three 1-2 hour breaks to clean up and eat, I
took many 15 to 30 minute breaks to do the same and even get in some power
walking to get rid of some ankle edema I get now from sitting too long! N1MM
does not count those as off time, so my op time looks considerably longer. And
it worked well because I was never away from the rig for too long.
I did try CQing for about 8 minutes in a clear space on 20 M in the last hour or
so of the contest but never got one response! ...not recommended for QRP with
modest antennas!
73 es hope to see you in the contests, ...especially on 80 M!!
...Bill W8QZA - W6QU
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