Wow…great stuff Joe!
Thanks for that info.
On a "miles per watt” I think N3HEE qualifies as my best DX during the
contest..by a long shot!
At 2,000mi/ 5 watts you were 400 miles per watt.
EU ranges from 4,000-5,000, **assuming** 1 KW, that is only 4 or 5 miles per
watt.
My most distant DX was BD4WN at 6,000 miles so at 1 kw still only 6 miles per
watt.
Of course the big issue with EU and AS DX from VE6 is trans-polar AU
absorption, but fortunately the ionosphere wasn't lit up too bad.
de steve ve6wz
> On Dec 9, 2019, at 11:18 AM, Joe Galicic <galicic@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> Steve, I'm sure glad you stayed in the chair long enough to hear and work me.
> I was running 5 watts. I called you many times throughout the contest
> before you heard me Saturday evening during prop enhancement. Thrilling to
> work 2000 miles QRP on 160 meters. You did all the heavy lifting for me ! :)
> TU es 73 -Joe N3HEE
>
>
>> On December 9, 2019 at 11:35 AM VE6WZ_Steve <ve6wz@shaw.ca> wrote:
>>
>>
>> This was the first time I made a serious attempt at the ARRL 160m contest.
>> Usually I will just poke around and hand out mults. Since condx were
>> looking pretty good, I decided to stay in the chair a bit longer.
>>
>> I must say I forgot how this contest is really more like SS with some DX
>> thrown in rather than a real DX contest. I knew the band was in great shape
>> to EU because of how loud the EU callers were, at least 4 of which were
>> dupes. At around 4 AM, John SM5EDX called in to tell me I had a great signal
>> at his local NOON! So I knew the band was in good shape over the pole at my
>> morning. The band was wall-to-wall during prime-time, but I could usually
>> find a CQ hole somewhere. If you left a run spot to go pee, it would be
>> gone within about 1 or 2 minutes.
>>
>> 1319 QSOs (1381 total QSOs but 62 dupes!!! some guys just kept duping me,
>> multiple times…I just kept logging them)
>> 83 sec (I worked all sections before I went to bed Friday night)
>>
>> 52 DXCC:
>>
>> EU- 114 QSOs, 25 DXCC
>>
>> AS- 97 QSOs, 5 DXCC: 86 JA, 7 UA9, 2 HL, 1 BY, 1 JT
>>
>> OC- 8 QSOs, 2 DXCC: 7 KH6, 1 5W
>>
>> SA- 3 QSOs, 3 DXCC: 1 CE, 1 YV, 1 PJ2
>>
>> AF-1 QSO, 1 DXCC: 1 D4
>>
>> I was operating my remote station using the Flex 6600, ACOM 2000a, 2 el TX,
>> and multiple RX.
>> My preferred radio is the K3s because it has superior weak signal RX, but it
>> has no waterfall via the remote.
>>
>> My remote station is a challenge to operate a contest like this. Here is
>> some info on how things are set-up.
>>
>> I am not "a boy and his radio", I am "a boy and his PC". I use the Flex
>> 6600 PC software on one monitor, and the remote station PC is on the other
>> monitor where I log with N1MM and control the station. There is no physical
>> radio or switching at the operating table. Just the PC, a mouse and a
>> keyboard.
>> I always use diversity RX with my 9 circle array in one ear, and the
>> Beverages in the other. Each has 8 compass directions and each are
>> controlled with a clickable rotor compass dial on the PC. SO...to change
>> directions I need to click the 9 circle, then click the Beverage selector,
>> and then click the TX array direction, then get the cursor back to N1MM to
>> log. Often I would be RX in multiple directions in each ear which was handy,
>> but boy....Im pretty sure I'm developing carpel tunnel syndrome from using
>> that mouse! During the morning run was really crazy...JA, OC, NA, N polar
>> and EU all possible signal arrivals!
>> If I was RX for JA, and some polar EU would call if I had one ear on EU I
>> might hear them, but then if they are weak, I need time to switch the other
>> RX to have good copy. If the callers are only dumping their call once…I
>> might not get it. Same with NA calling from the back of the RX. The
>> Beverage broadside phased pairs are very sharp, and the difference can be
>> copy-no copy just between N to NE. I may consider adding my RBN skimmer 30m
>> loop into the RX mix so I can have “omni” rx, but it does not hear as well.
>> So if I missed any callers, or seemed really slow responding, it was
>> probably because I was busy switching my RX and struggling to get the mouse
>> back into N1MM to type in a call. This is one disadvantage of the remote
>> compared to having a physical direction switch so I could keep the focus on
>> N1MM.
>> There were some very exceptional EU signals, some of which when they called
>> I was sure they were NA.
>> On Friday night at 0730z JE1BMJ and JE1CKA got my attention even though I
>> was RX for EU. This was just at JA sunset. I switched to JA and had a nice
>> run on 41 JA till I went to bed at 0830z.
>> Congrats to Joel VE6WQ at VE6JY and Eric VE6BBP who were both rocking the
>> band during the contest.
>>
>> Thanks to those how called me and could hear me.
>> Lets hope these great conditions persist throughout the season.
>>
>> 73, de steve ve6wz
>> _________________
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