[3830] CQWW SSB P40B SOAB HP

[p43p at hotmail]

CQ WORLD WIDE DX CONTEST -- 2000

Call: P40B
Operator: P43P
Station: P43P
Category: Single Operator All Band High Power
Country: Aruba
Zone: 9

BAND QSO ZONES COUNTRIES

160   104         9         17
80     257       18         40
40     559       20         64
20     1090     29         92
15     1487     35         98
10     3660     34       115
---------------------------------------------------
Totals 7157  145       426 => 12,080,647


Equipment:

FT1000MP, ACOM 2000A, WX0B Stackmatch, TOPTEN Band Decoder

FORCE12 Antennas on a 60ft Rohn45
5 el 10m, 5el 15m 12 @ 75ft
5el 20m and 3el 40m @ 60ft
C4XL (w/ 2 el on 40m) @ 33ft
C3E+ @ 18ft
3 el 80m wire beam at 58ft
2 el 160m wire beam at 60ft
CT 9.45

Soapbox:
Plenty of time needed in the last couple of weeks to get some last minute
stuff  done and get my station ready for the contest. It consisted of
upgrading the current  Force 12 Magnum 520/240 Antenna to the new 3 beam 40m
from Force12, installing low band wire beams and some other miscelanous
stuff. Equipment and antennas worked great during the test. Considering all
the different antennas on the tower, changing bands was still a piece of
cake, all I needed to do this time was push the correct band button on the
MP. The auto tuning feature of the ACOM 2000A amplifier combined with the
TOPTEN automatic band decoder worked like a charm everytime. Improved my
scores quite a bit compared to my AB HP entry from 2 years ago, where I had
to tune the Alpha 76A each time when switching bands. Jay's (WX0B)
Stackmatch was also very effective in allowing me to switch antennas
directions on demand, especially when beaming EU and needing to pick up a
weaker QRP, US, Oceania or VK/ZL station.

Conditions on 10m were excellent with  lots of stations way below 28300 all
the way up to above 29700 over here.  It's difficult to describe the thrill
and feeling of being in a continuous pileup for 2 days, but it sure is an
exhilarating, goosebumps causing, experience. Still made some costly
mistakes, like not switching bands at the correct times and resting at the
wrong time, but it is all part of the fun and learning experience.
I must still laugh everytime I think about what a funny friend of mine told
me once:
"REAL OPERATORS NEVER SLEEP DURING A CONTEST", sure, I'd  like to see him
after a 48 hours non-stop test.  ;-)

Worked quite a few QRP'ers, of which the loudest one was John, P40W,  who I
worked on all bands.  Tried moving KH7R (CT1BOH) to 160m after working him
on 80m, but low band conditions were lousy. I could barely hear him on 80m.
Congrats to both of them with their new records. Nice to have worked K5K and
JW2E on 2 bands also.

Heard some very loud Italian stations on the low bands, but could not work
them even after repeated trying. Guess Krassy needs to make my ACOM louder
to work them next time!! Lot's of AF and Oceania stations in the log this
year. Nice to see activity from these areas. Maybe propagations had a little
to do with getting them in the log this year.

Special thanks to all those who QSY'd for me and to all of you who I worked
this weekend in what seems to have been a continuous avalanche of QSO's!!
The list of stations worked on all 6 bands just keeps growing everytime.
Also thanks to Mario, I2MQP, who'm I have been keeping quite busy lately
with as my QSL manager. Seems like the photo QSL cards have have been flying
out the door at his qth.

See you all for the next one........

73's

Jacob P43P/P40B








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