[3830] W7WHY ARRL RR 1999

[Tom Osborne]

ARRL RTTY Roundup 


Call used: W7WHY
Location:  OR

Entry Class: Single Op, All Band   

Band    QSOs   Pts   QTH    DX
80         0     0     0     0  Dipole that didn't work
40        29    29    19     1  3 Phased Verticals
20        68    68    28     2  TH-3
15        45    44    24     5  TH-3
10        34    34    19     3  TH-3
--------------------------------------
Total    176   175    43*    8*
--------------------------------------
* - Counted only once (not once per band)

Claimed Score: 8925

Equipment:  FT-840, FL-2100b (150 watts), AEA CP-1, MFJ784B DSP
filter

Soapbox:
This was the weekend from Hell!  

17:30:  A friend that I've been trying to get into contesting
calls and says his radio won't work.  I run over there real quick
to try and find the problem, and end up changing radios 3 times
before we finally get him going.  I get home 1 1/2 hours later.

1900:  Turn the computer on, load 4.2b rtty program, and get
"runtime error  216 at 001f: 0058."  First time that has ever
happened.  Fire up old 386 DX40.  Program loads fine and runs
OK.  Fire up rig.  Get things going and start on 20 meters.  I
hit the F-1 key, and CQ goes out.  At last the contest is under
way.  After the CQ, the transmitter won't unkey.  Crank the power
down to 0 watts and it unkeys.  That's with only 150 watts.  Try
it at 100 watts, and the same thing.  Computer hangs up and have
to re-boot it to re-start the program.  Finally get it to run at
50 watts.  Bummer!!  Spend the next hour changing leads, putting
toroids on leads, changing antenna feedline, nothing works. 
Keeps hanging up.  Finally re-boot the computer one more time and
get the message
"HDD controller failure"
"FDD controller failure"
This is with about 20 Q's on the drive.  I dig out an old XT
computer, hook it up, load WF1B RTTY 2.25.  Then I discover it
doesn't have a serial board on it.  I dig out another old XT and
it has a serial board, but no video board.  Tear down XT #1 and
put the serial board in XT #2.  Load WF1B 2.25, get things hooked
up and were off to the races again. I hear a station CQ'ing, hit
F-4, and 3 seconds later, it starts sending my call.  By then the
other station is calling CQ again. *%$@#^%$#@ computers
anyway!!!!  Turn everything off and take the XYL for a drive to
the beach.

2330:  Back home again. I've got about 20 Q's by now.  Then I
remember I have an old copy of RTTY 2.12c.  Load that up and
everything works fine.  Decide to try 20 again and at 150 watts
everything works fine.   Run the power to 500 for a check, and
everything works fine.  Go figger: 4.2 hangs up at 150 watts and
2.12 runs fine at 500 watts.  Crank things back to 150 watts and
everything works fine.  Later on, I go to 80 to work a few, and
the antenna won't work.  Infinite SWR everywhere.   By now I've
lost all interest and after 100 Q's just quit for the day. 
Sunday I make a few more, but spend the day watching foot ball. 
Oh well, I guess there is always next year.  There was lots of
activity this year on every band.  Sure good to see the spots
coming back again.  73
Tom W7WHY

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