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Topband: SPDC Plaque, Daylight Operation

To: "160" <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Topband: SPDC Plaque, Daylight Operation
From: "Milt" <miltn5ia@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 2015 11:45:31 -0700
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
Top Banders,

For those who might not have read closely the list of the numerous plaques being sponsored for operations in the upcoming (21 hours distant) Stew Perry Distance Challenge, better known as the 'Stew', I offer the following information about one of those plaques that I sponsor.

It is 'Highest Score Daytime operation only' plaque available to be won by any single operator in any part of the world.

The intent of the award of this plaque is to encourage all SPDC contestants to operate with another call sign outside the 14 hours of core operation. More operating, more FUN. Why be limited to the 14 hours when there is fun to be had in another 3-4 hours, or more, during the contest period?

I have been doing this operation for a number of years, and find it rewarding to see what I can do while the sun is in the sky, AND to add some points to others' scores who are operating in darkness.

I use a club call sign of which I am the trustee for my secondary, 'daylight only' operation. If the option of a club call sign is not available to you, then borrow a call sign from a friend, family member or otherwise. General class call signs can be used anywhere in the 160 Meter band, so an Advanced or Extra Class call sign is not necessary.

Below is my post to 3830 from last year to refresh your memories of how I do it to have more fun.

The definition I provided to the Boring ARC to administer the plaque award I sponsor was ‘Sun above the 0 degree horizon’. The BARC not only approves of this type of operation, but encourages it, as it provides more activity and more entries in the contest.

The 2013 winner was LY5E (LY2IJ). Last year’s winner was K8IA. Who out there will be the winner of this plaque in the 20th running of the STEW?

As the sponsor of the plaque, I am not eligible to win it. I could have won my own plaque each year by nearly doubling the score of the winners. But, I just try to lead the way and hopefully show folks how much fun it is to operate as two different entities in the contest. And also to show what really can be done while the sun is in the sky.

It provides more contacts for the folks already in darkness and participating in the core contest. For me it would be super to have a whole bunch of southwest and California guys be on the air just after 0000Z and contact me and all the others already operating in darkness, using a 2nd call sign while the sun is still in the sky for them. Then they could start operating the core contest, at their sunset, with another call sign. This same trend can be used ahead of the terminator as it moves westward, and after local sunrise and an end to anyone's core operations. That is exactly what LY5E (LY2IJ) did in eastern EU to win the plaque in 2013.

I have pasted below my 3830 report from 2014 for my daylight operation as N7GP. This will give each of you and idea of how I do it; the time frames that fit for me. I will again this year operate as N7GP during my daylight hours. My core 14 hour operation will be as N5IA. I hope to be able to contact many, many of you with one or the other, or BOTH call signs.

Merry Christmas to everyone in the world.

73, and good luck in the contest, de Milt, N5IA, and also operator of N7GP


==================================================================

-----Original Message----- From: Milt -- N5IA
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2014 10:12 AM
To: 3830@contesting.com
Subject: N7GP daylight operation in SPDC

Stew Perry Topband Challenge

Call: N7GP
Operator(s): N5IA
Station: N5IA

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: AZ - DM52
Operating Time (hrs): 3
Remote Operation

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 126  Total Score = 470

Club: Arizona Outlaws Contest Club

Comments:

This report is for my daylight only operation.

From Southeast Arizona the sun is nearly one hour high in the morning sky at the time the contest starts. 50 minutes of operation yielded 26 Q's; 11 LESS than 37 Qs last year. In 2012 I made 33 Qs during this morning operation.

In the afternoon I started at 2230Z for 1.5 hours of operation before it was sundown and time to start my N5IA core operation.

The conditions were decent, but not nearly as good as last year. 60 Qs were made with K1LZ being the most distant; a good 8-pointer. Krassy called in at 2255, a full one hour and 15 minutes before the sun set at my location. Last year, 2013, I made 51 contacts during this period (more FM & FN stations), and in 2012 I made 55 Qs during the same period of time.

At 1400Z I again resumed this daylight operation. 45 minutes of time as relatively 'New Meat' put another 44 Qs in the log. Not bad. Last year, 2013, I made 31 contacts during this period, and in 2012 I made 31 Qs during the same period of time. BUT, no DX other than Lloyd, KH6LC.

The recap is as follows:

2012 = 118 Qs and 504 points, with 3-JAs and 3-KH6s in the log. KH7X was logged at 1444Z.

2013 = 118 Qs (yes, exactly the same as 2012) and 544 points, which was helped by working 5-JAs and 3-VK6s while I was in hard daylight after sunup.

2014 = 126 Qs and 470 points, and only KH6LC for DX. The conditions were so poor that I copied Lloyd's call sign as K5BLC at first. I had been working weak W5s while the antennas were pointed east, so my mind was reading another W5.

So, IMHO, the propagation this year was significantly poorer overall than the two previous years.

And all of this has to be taken in the context that 2012 and 2013 operations were with a single vertical element. This year, 2014, that single element had 7 sisters to assist with the TX duties.

73 to all; thanks for the Qs, and I apologize to those whom I could copy well enough to decipher your call sign or GS exchange. I still have power line noise to deal with. That is the next project; to improve the receive noise floor now that the TX capability has made me a true alligator.

CU all in CQ 160 CW in 4 weeks.

Milt, N5IA, operator of N7GP
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