[3830] SS SSB flub: KA9FOX

[Scott Neader KA9FOX]

Worked on my new antenna (C4XL) most of Saturday and decided to wait
another year for a full SS effort.  However...

Sunday night around 7:45pm I got a bug up my butt to play in SS, so I
called a nearby ham's place for SS SSB.  He just got his ticket about 3
weeks ago, but he has more ham gear than I'll probably every have, although
the only HF ham antenna he has is a Cushcraft R7000 Vertical at about 60 feet.

I walk in the door a little after 8pm (one hour before end of contest) and
take a listen to the bands.  20m is dead and 40m is pretty bad, but since
he has no 80m antenna, I decide to get on 40m anyway but go high power.  He
has an Ameritron 80 something. He quickly tunes the thing up and gets it to
do about 700w.

So, I call CQ and thinking that I'll be 'fresh meat' and there will be a
big pile up.  Nada. So I S&P around and it works OK, most guys work me
first call.  Try CQing again... nothing.  Give up on 40m and decide to go
to 80m, but since no 80m antenna, I use the built in antenna tuner on his
870 and tune up the R7000 on 80m and turn off the amp.  Yuk!  Most guys
can't hear me, but I do work a few. End the contest with about 30 Qs.  :-(

We get done with the contest and, frankly, I'm not too impressed with the
R7000 vertical.  We talk about 'real' HF antennas for a while, then I go home.

Today, the ham e-mails me all embarassed.  Turns out that the TS-870 has a
built in antenna switch.... and while the normal external antenna switch
said we were on his R7000 vertical... instead I was on his 11 meter
vertical the whole time!!!!!

... And now you know... the REST of the story!

See you in '98.

73 - Scott KA9FOX
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