Part 2:
After three hours I am a bit behind the '97 Low Power rate and the
band isn't opening up to the east very well. Then I get NE, WA, XE, OR,
OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, ME, MO, ON, FL, AB, MS MN, TI, GA, & IL, all in the
space of 20 Qs. NOW WE'RE COOKING!!!
By 0400 I have 46 Mults and over 200 Qs. The band sounds great and
they're going in the log at a rate of 2-3 per minute at times. 0400-0500
turns out to be the best hour by far. 92 Qs for the hour and none of the
signals are difficult to copy. I check last year's log and I am 1.5 hours
AHEAD of that rate. POWER does make a difference, I say.
The 0500 hour was good at 74. Then it went you know where in a
hand basket. The QRN started with a vengeance about 0600. It did not
matter which antenna I used to receive. All were equally poor. Listening
East I couldn't hear the weaker stations and couldn't hear most California
stations to the West. Listen West, and I was hearing nothing from the
East. TEXAS stations were difficult copy. Folks, that is BAD!!
I trudge on; 0600 is less than half the hour before. 0700 is the
same, 0800 is down another 30%, 0900 &1000 are 1/2 that amount. Jack,
VE1ZZ calls me and makes me feel good. It bottoms out in the 1100 hour with
SIX Qs in the log. In '97 I ran 23 during the 1100 hour with 100 Watts. 6
Qs in one primetime hour running 1.5 KW is ridiculous. I tune the band and
there is no one above 1.9. Last year it was full to 1.970. I could not
find any station calling CQ that I had not already worked. And when I
listened to stations calling the CQers, I had worked all of them also. The
autodupe really got a workout.
The rate picks up to 16 in the 1200 hour and 11 in the 1300 hour.
Nothing at all from the Pacific. I worked the four KH6s earlier, and that
was it. Dan, KL7Y, called me for the only Alaskan.
I call it a night. 61 Mults and worked all states except DE. Nver
heard them or DC either night. Q count is 50 less than '97. I make it to
bed about 1400.
Up at 2100, take a shower, check out the station, and say to
myself; "There can't be two nights in a row like last night!" I'm
optimistic and get everything ready for night two. First Q in the log at
2350. I work ten in the 0000 hour; more in broad daylight the 2nd night
than during a prime night hour the 1st night. Maybe it's picking up.
Then Murphy strikes again. A couple of stations inform me that my
audio is very raunchy. Mike audio is OK they say, so must be the digital
voice keyer. I turn on my monitor and sure enough, it sounds like RF is
getting in. That can't be because the mike audio loops through the DVK
board in the PC. HMMM. No time to take the PC apart, so it's REAL voice
CQ from here on out.
NOTE: TOOK THE PC APART AFTER THE CONTEST, BLEW OUT THE DUST AND CLEANED
THE CONTACTS ON THE BOARD AND EXPANSION SOCKET. DVK ALL OK.
Each hour increases some, with the 0400 hour reaching 54. VE2RP
and YV2IF call in for the only two mults of the 2nd night. Then like
clockwork the QRN curtain comes down. I work 33 at 0500, 19 at 0600, and 7
at 0700. Then nothing.
--
FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/topband.html
Submissions: topband@contesting.com
Administrative requests: topband-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems: owner-topband@contesting.com
|