[3830] N7KQ MO/HP CQWW 160M CW Score

[Scott Cowling]

Hi all,


N7KQ    MO/HP 1998 CQWW 160M test from AZ

oprs: W7GNP, K7OX, WA2DFI, WA7CPA


call	hrs	score	  Qs	PTs	ST/VE	DX
N7KQ	41	209,018	  895	2549	56	26


comments:

from K7OX:
After many frustrating years of operating from a city lot I have pretty
much reached my peak as far as what I could do: 600 to 700 QSO's, WAS,
maybe 15 to 20 JA's and about 14 countries.  I just couldn't get into that
second and third layer of JA's and Europe during a contest; it was pretty
much out of the question using only a loop for a receiving antenna.  The
idea came to mind to go up in the mountains of Northern AZ and operate from
our field day site that was on 13 acres and quiet.  After talking to the
owner of the site (W7GNP), he said that he would like to try it, even
though this was pretty much a summer site. There would be no water and we
were not even sure we could get into the site. It is about 2 miles off the
paved road in some steep hills on a zig zag dirt road. Would snow still be
there, could we get in?  I talked to another 160 meter contester (WA2DFI),
who also had been operating on a city lot with noise and small receive
ant's and he was a go. So with a plan to lay 4 Beverages and fly a 1/4 wave
130 ft vertical from the top of a 50 ft tower with a couple of sloping
radials off we went.  We managed to get three Beverages up before the
contest, but ran out of time for the VK/ZL pacific Beverage; this caused
us, I believe, later in the contest (on the second morning) to miss some
three countries.  We took two balloons, the first one was a "lifting body"
purchased from Fair Radio Sales: it was a "bust" in that it would not lift
the antenna wire. Our second balloon was a "real" weather balloon purchased
from Edmund Scientific. It was inflated to about 6 ft in diameter and
lifted the heavy wire and flew all weekend.  Worked more JA's and got down
into the second and third layer for a total of 59 JA's and several EU.  

from WA2DFI:
The story of the balloon(s) is long.  I am working on getting the photos up
on a web site along with the story.  I'll post the URL on the topband
reflector when it is ready.

73 es CU in the SSB test!

Scotty WA2DFI

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