Since I can't lower the beam to repair the coax until
after Bartlett Tree Experts arrive this Thursday to
remove a section of the cottonwood tree, I used the
80 dipole and matchbox last weekend for NAQP CW and
still had a lot of fun, but the combo of 100 watts
and dipole really showed weakness, requiring not
other callers to get thru with one call, 3-4 calls
were more typical, but I was still able to give out
almost 400 Qs on CW.
Friday I installed the B&W All Band Folded Dipole
in place of the 80 dipole, and used it for NAPQ SSB.
One major purpose was band change without touching the
Matchbox, and on 40-10 that worked well - the SWR
was pretty much as advertised, below 2:1, often better.
However, it just didn't seem to work as well as the
dipole had done the week on the high bands, although
that may have just been due to SSB vs CW at 100 watts;
but whereas I could work everone I heard on the dipole,
I had to give up trying on a lot of SSB Qs on 40-10.
Then I moved to 80 meters.
Boy does the B&W Antenna SUCK BIG TIME on 80.
I could only call stations I had previously worked,
cause after 9 repeats of my call sign, I knew they'd
never get my exchange if this was a first QSO.
My other major purpose was to do better on 160 than
tying the 80 feedline together.
If you thought the antenna SUCKED on 80, you should
really try on 160; while SWR was in the 3:1 range
N5YA never heard me across town at 2200 local.
I finally was able to make 3 QSOs on 160 with other
locals, but only by turning on the AMP, and slowly
raising the power - at 800 watts they could almost
hear me!
I made only 260 Qs on SSB in 7 hours, 400 on CW in
the same time.
Barry W5GN
Preceeding was originally locally posted to the NTCC group,
causing the question:
I thought this was a 100 watt contest?
I replied:
It is definitely a 100 watt contest, for those
submitting logs, and I used exactly the 100 watts,
to make the antenna comparison valid with a weak
signal, all of CW NAQP and all but those last
three contacts on 160 meters, when I (honestly!)
turned on the Alpha and raised power 100 watts
per call to see at what power level I could be
heard across town with the B&W Folded Dipole.
I did violate the power limit of the contest,
and thus could only submit my log as a Check Log.
However, the power limit actually applies only
if you are going to compete and submit a log.
There's nothing in the rules that prevents me
from running 1500 watts to give out several
hundred contacts, even running, and then not
submit a log.
If I'm still stuck with only a dipole for the
high bands for the next SPRINT/SS/NAQP, don't
you want me to call you with 1500 watts instead
of 100, if I'm just giving out Q's?
Barry, W5GN
|