ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB
Call: AA4LR
Operator(s): AA4LR
Station: AA4LR
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: GA
Operating Time (hrs): 22
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
160: 0
80: 237
40: 169
20: 261
15: 85
10: 2
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Total: 754 Sections = 78 Total Score = 117,624
Club: South East Contest Club
Comments:
Equipment:
1st Rig:
Elecraft K2/100 w/ SSB, NB, 160m, DSP
Heil BM-10
Homebrew K1KP-style voice keyer (1 message)
2nd Rig:
Kenwood TS-430S
Homebrew 2-radio switchbox
Antennas:
Cushcraft A3S at 15m (20m, 15m, 10m)
1/4 wave 40m sloper (NE) at 12m
1/2 wave 40m sloper (NW) at 12m
125 foot 80m doublet at 10m
Shunt feed 15m tower with 13 60 foot radials (80m)
R7000 (2nd radio)
Comments:
First, I'd like to say that this effort would not be possible without
coordination by my family. It's taken a long time to get this right, the
credit goes to my wife for putting up with my strange hobbies.
While it's not my first time using 2 radios, it is the first time I've
actually had a proper setup for SO2R operation. Built a switchbox just
hours before the contest started. I can count the 2nd radio QSOs on one
hand. I'm going to need more practice to properly coordinate this.
Also hung a 40m 1/2 wave sloper toward the northwest, roughly 330
degrees. Previous experience showed that the 1/4 wave sloper just didn't
cut it into the midwest. The 1/2 wave sloper worked quite well, and
improved my 40m numbers. Next step will be a 40m attachment for the A3S,
which is about as much as I can put on the tower from this location.
K2/100 worked (almost) flawlessly. I was amazed at how hot the heat sink
would get during the higher rates. RIg just kept on plugging away. My
first contest using the DSP module. It worked great. I left the
auto-notch on all the time, which took care of the tuner-uppers and many
of the strong heterodynes on 40m. The DSP filters also reduced the
splatter and grumble. Left the DSP on the S2 filter all contest.
K2 does have a VOX insensitivity problem. Every once in a while, it would
appear to go nearly deaf. Rig could be keyed by shouting, but the voice
keyer would drop out. I think I have a fix for this. During the contest,
it required the power to the cycled on the rig, which often meant my run
frequency was forgotten.
Got off to a good start. First 6 hours, I maintained nearly 50 Q/hour
rate. After 0300z, however, things went into the tank quickly. Tougher
conditions halved my rate.
I'm pretty happy with the overall effort, though, since conditions were
really bad. Usually 10 and 15m are bustling with western stations well
into the early evening. 10m never really opened, and both 15m and 20m
died shortly after sunset. This meant everyone was squeezed down into 40m
and 80m after 0100z. You know it is bad when you hear PR and VI stations
on 40m at 0100z. And when you hear CA stations on 80m before about 0400z.
Bad. The unsettled conditions made for tough going for those guys at high
lattitudes, like AK.
Spent 1/3 of the contest time on 80m! This is not my best band, as my
doublet is too low, and the shunt fed tower doesn't work much better.
Even so, go a good run there from about 0150z to 0240z, which was my best
rate of the contest. My youngest daughter asked to be tucked in bed just
as the run started. I finally did so an hour later.
Spent almost 1/3 of the time on 20m. Except for the start of the contest,
never got a good run there. 20m is the strongest band for a domestic
phone contest from this part of the country, but it depends on relatively
short skip, which we never really got. In a good year, I'd spend half my
time on 20m.
Only 78 mults. Never any sign of NT at all. Only heard AK (KL7J) at 2350z
on Sunday. Called him for 10 minutes, but he was being called by half the
contest participants.
My last Phone SS (2001) netted me #78 place, low power. (Isn't the Web
results cool?) This score isn't much higher, but likely to be in the top
50 for low power, given the conditions. #2 personal best score, and the
best from the current QTH. Shy of the 1993 127k, but beat the 117k 1995
score from the KM9P superstation. (Conditions in 1995 were even worse)
Heard some very big signals, especially on 20m. Some stations lit up
every segment on the very scotch K2 S-meter. Glad it has such a great AGC.
Have two pet peeves:
1) You need to send the stations call! Every time. More than once, while
calling CQ, I was actually on top of someone else I couldn't hear. This
sort of thing is common on 20m and higher, but was clearly happening on
40m given the conditions. Some guy would answer the other station, not
me, but the timing sounded right. If you send the stations call, then it
is clear who you are contacting.
2) Got run off by a "net" once. Was at a nice spont on 40m for more than
15 minutes, then it got close to the hour. An anonymous station comes on
and announces to me that I'll have to QSY. Well, you know, I'm using this
frequency, so I ignore him. Naturally, I had to QSY once the rate
disappeared. Just because a net is commonly on a certain frequency
doesn't mean they own it.
A couple of cool moments in the contest: At about 2200z, heard someone
say on 14294 "this frequency stinks, you can have it." Not hearing
anything after that, I started calling CQ, and had a good run for about
20 minutes.
A CA station on 15m was run off by a net. His comment was something like,
"Come on, guys, you leave me no choice but to QRT. I realise that nets
provide important services, but just because you happen to use a
frequency over a period of time doesn't mean you own it. It's not fair to
spoil my half hour of fun this way." Amen, brother.
Late Sunday, found W3GH (where has Dr. Bafoofnik gone, now that we need
him?) running on 80m. Called him a couple of times, but he disappeared.
After about 30 seconds, I started calling CQ on the frequency. Worked one
station in two minutes. After that, W3GH comes back on, and I work him.
Since the frequency wasn't doing much for me, I gave it back to him.
Turns out, he had a computer crash followed by a phone call. Go figure.
Heard a number of SECC stations on. K4BAI worked me about half way
through the contest and commented I had nearly as good a score with low
power as he did with high. N4LR did quite well in the U category, dispite
running barefoot with nothing but wire antennas. Gosh, Gordon, having all
that land probably helps! W4ATL put in a great score from GA on low
power, although he didn't beat his record setting score from last year.
Great work, Sherman!
Next time, I have a couple of things to change in my strategy.
First, I missed the early morning opening on 40m. I got on the air around
dawn, but fooled around on 80, (where I'd already spent too much time)
and got to 40m late. By then, 40m was crowded with activity. If I had
gotten there earlier, I might have had a good run.
Second, the rates late at night got pretty low. Usually, I try to be on
for the first 12 hours of the contest straight. This year, I only did 11,
and in retrospect, should have done 10 and gotten on earlier. Rates
Sunday weren't so bad until after 2300z, probably because the bands
closed down again.
Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL Mail: aa4lr@arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
-- Wilbur Wright, 1901
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