one of hose nights

[Ralph Bowen]

N5RZ  CW Sprint-1500 Watts  February 1996

Score:   55 x 24 =1320   Maybe a bug & low power is better???  -not!

I actually made 100 qsos, but here's the story.

Got everything set up about an hour before the contest.  I was really fired
up for this one because I knew it would give me a chance for some badly
needed 2 radio practice.  

I had some problems with RF in the shack before the test started, but
thought I had it all worked out.  

20M was lukewarm, but I knew it would fade fast.  At 2358 I was BSing with
N6TV when   ..oooooops  spilled my 44 oz glass of ice water on the table &
me.  No time to clean it up, so grabbed the little rag I had & pushed it off
on the floor.  Luckily the equipment & keyboard was spared.

0000Z - off to the races  -  was going 2+ a minute for about 10 minutes the
band started to crater.  My leg was freezing from the ice water & my feet
were sloshing in it  -  was an interesting predicament.  Ended the 1st hour
with about 80 qso's with more band changes than I'd made in all previous
sprints combined!  Condx sucked but I was having fun. I did notice, though,
that I was occasionally getting some RF into the computer keying.  Just
after qso #100, switched back to 20M, called a stn & everything locked up -
the keyboard, the keying line, everything.  No choice but to reboot.
Everything came up fine  except -   OH NO   only 55 qso's.  Checked the
files, but that's all there was.

No problem I thought.  I'd just start over & sort out the dupes later.  HOWEVER,
as I was pondering this dilema (sp?) something else was happening  -  that
noise with associated S-Meter readings of 60DB over 9 on both radios.  I ran
outside to be greeted with 50 MPH winds & blowing dust so thick I could only
see a few hundred feet.  The static discharge was totally wiping out the
receivers.

My decision was made for me.   I immediately disconnected everything (I
pulled a one inch spark when disconnecting the 80M ant!!) and went in to
watch TV with the XYL - except the TV antenna was wiped out too!!  So a
friendly game of Scrabble ensued.

I don't know what caused the computer glitch.  I don't think it was
software, but perhaps a voltage spike or some kind of static discharge.  Sue
said that right before I came in the house, all the TV/Stereo electronics
was clicking on & off but never completely died. We've only has 0.1 inch of
precipitation since last October & it is very dry.   It is a sight to behold
outside this morning (Sunday).  Our driveway is completely covered with sand
& the yard looks like Saudi Arabia sand dunes!!

Anyway, I'll tell Tree not to scratch the QSO's that I lost.  Here's my
score for the team  -  Sorry Eric!!

See ya'll in September with better results I hope!!


73,  Gator  N5RZ   rbowen at computek.net