[3830] AA4LR NAQP Phone

[Bill Coleman AA4LR]

North American QSO Party Summer 1999

Date: 8/21/99-8/22/99  Call: AA4LR  State: GA

     Band         QSOs       Mults
     160SSB         0          0
      80SSB       105         28
      40SSB       107         33
      20SSB        32         16
      15SSB        12          6
      10SSB         0          0

Total             256         83     claimed score:     21,248
Hours: 5.8

Team: South East Contest Club #2

Equipment:
Kenwood TS430S - max output 90 Watts PEP
125 foot droopy doublet ends at 35 feet, middle at 15 feet (80m, 40m)
Cushcraft R7000 at 8 feet (40m, 20m, 160m (don't ask))
Attic-mounted Delta Loops (15m, 10m)

Comments:

Wow! The score my not seem like much, but this was only a part-time 
effort for me. And I bested my last NAQP Phone effort in summer 1997 
(which was 9 hours).

Family committments kept me from getting on until almost 2015Z. At that 
time, 10m was dead, and 15m showed signs of going out. 12 Qs were all I 
could dredge out of 15m. Switching to 20m, the R7000 doesn't play very 
well there, especially amoung all the beams on that band.

At 2110Z, I went to 40m. I couldn't believe I was going to 40m in the 
middle of the afternoon in the summer! Band was very quiet, but signals 
were very strong despite all the absorbtion.

I recently raised my 80m doublet from 15 feet to 35 feet, although it has 
sagged in the middle since then. (far halyard slipped off a tree branch) 
The R7000 works well on 40m, but because of trap problems, it has a 
fairly high SWR, and the Kenwood folds back power to about 40-50 watts. 
So I elected to use the doublet. Wow! I could actually call CQ and get 
some answers! That really makes a difference. Stayed with 40m with a 
brief stint on 20m until 2300Z.

Back on at 0130Z, and 80m. It was nearly as good as 40m! Right before 
0500z, rate meter briefly hit 180/hour. It is really amazing what you can 
work on 80 and 40 barefoot with a low dipole if conditions are right. 
NQ4I called ME, and he's got a monster 2-element beam on 80m.

Best of all, I didn't get a single Telephone RFI complaint!

Heard lots of TCG, FCG and SECC members active. Thanks for all the Qs, 
guys.





Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at radio.org
Quote: "Boot, you transistorized tormentor! Boot!"
            -- Archibald Asparagus, VeggieTales


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