ARRL 160-Meter Contest - 2023
Call: KH7A
Operator(s): JA5DQH
Station: KH6ZM
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: HAWAII
Operating Time (hrs): 13
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 151 Sections = 45 Countries = 5 Total Score = 18,250
Club:
Comments:
Thank you to everyone who engaged in QSO with me.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Max KH6ZM, who always allows me to
use his wonderful station, and to the kind Kathy.
However, the conditions in this contest were extremely challenging.
With an A index of 56, the conditions were exceptionally poor, and I heard that
there were vivid auroras in Hokkaido (JA8) according to the news in Japan.
Seeing auroras in Japan is truly a rare occurrence.
Despite the conditions, KH6AQ, operating from the same Big Island, showed
excellent performance.
While effortlessly making QSO with stations that didn't respond to me at all,
and working stations I couldn't hear.
I could easily imagine them operating from their usual beach location.
I marveled at KH6AQ's performance.
In the middle of the night, I had a short chat with them, and they kindly
invited me to visit their beach station.
I happily visited them the next day.
There was a feed point right near the coast, and a thin full-size wire radiator
was attached to the top of a 120ft Norfolk Pine tree.
Two elevated radials were spread parallel to the shoreline.
It may be a low-cost setup, but it's the most fantastic location in the world,
and there's nothing more efficient for an antenna.
I could fully understand how they could achieve such great results.
The operators, Dave KH6AQ, and Rob NH6V, warmly welcomed me and shared details
about their antennas and equipment.
They are truly excellent operators and nice guys.
We lost track of time while talking, and they had to start operating. I hurried
back to my home station.
Max's station here is realistically the best setup achievable. It performs
exceptionally well, and there's hardly any station on land that can beat it.
However, amid the poor conditions, I faced challenging times.
The prolonged state of One Way Path conditions persisted, and I called 100 or
200 times against the CQ of K1ZM or AA1K and never got a response until the last
minute.
When the contest ended, there were no QSOs with the East Coast, and I couldn't
hear signals from Europe.
These unfavorable conditions might continue for a while, but I plan to return
here for the CQ 160 at the end of January next year.
See you in the next contest.
KH7A @KH6ZM Station
FTDX-5000, KPA1500 amplifier 1.5KW Output
TX ANT; Vertical with bunch of Radials
RX ANT; Beverages
73, Aki KH7A aka JA5DQH
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
______________________________________________
3830 mailing list
3830@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/3830
|