When I started in the CQ WW Phone it was mainly AM not SSB. My first attempt
was in 1958 using a Viking Ranger and 75A2 that I borrowed. I spent several
hours
and worked about 40 stations all on 15 as I also borrowed a 15 meter 3 el beam.
Best Dx was PY0NA which was a Dxpedition by a group of PY's to Trinidade.
In 1959 I had most of my K5MDX station assembled which was a Single 4-400A amp
modulated by 811A's
and my receiver was a HQ-110 with a HC-10 SSB adapter. I had a 3 el Gonset
Tri-Bander on a 50 foot telephone pole. My 75 meter antenna was the Trap
dipole right out of QST. The 40 meter did not do well
so I ran a 40 meter dipole from a tree to about 46 feet on the telephone. This
was broadside NE and SW. Actually running a few Europeans on 40 at 0700Z
including G2PU really got me excited. Then working a group of ZL/VK several
hours later was great. I heard ZS6KD (Empty) on SSB but never could get him to
hear me. Same for JA1AN so I strung up another 40 meter dipole broadside NW/SE
at about 65 feet. Wound up making just over 100K and making the top 10 USA. I
added a SB-10 so I could transmit SSB for 1960. And hay I worked ZS6KD and two
JA's.
The Gonset Tri-Bander was one of the first Contest Station/Dx Station antennas.
W1ONK and W1PDF both had them and I was forced to listen to them work Europe
and the middle east I could not hear. A W6 won the CQ WW in I think 1960 using
the 3 el Gonset which had an 18 foot boom. He modified it and my dad and I did
those mods but like NQ4I said it was not the greatest Dx antenna. But in the
ARRL Phone SS its was a terror! WA2CLQ (now K1ZM) said I had a killer signal
on 20. On most bands I could point the antenna to the NE or N and run W1-3 and
W8,9 and 0 for hours on a frequency. Boy being able to transmit SSB was so
great that by 1963 I almost quit using AM.
I won USA twice in the CQ WW Phone and then went to College, started a career,
and in 1973 got married. I do have several Single band plaques for 40 or 10 in
the CQ WW SSB.
Dave K4JRB .
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