[3830] ARRL10 VE7FO SO CW LP

[jimsmith at shaw.ca]

                     ARRL 10-Meter Contest
                    
Call: VE7FO
Operator(s): VE7FO
Station: VE7FO

Class: SO CW LP
QTH: BC
Operating Time (hrs): 28
 

Summary:
 Mode     QSOs  Mults
----------------------
   CW:    972    109
  SSB:              
----------------------
Total:    972    109  =  425,100

Club: 

Comments:

CURRENT STATUS:
Rotor control box now on desk where it belongs.

Those who have been following my stories on 3830 may be wondering how we made 
out with blaming cableco for the TVI problem.  The guy showed up as promised.  
We tried various things with no luck.  Then he replaced the cable between the 
box on the outside of the house and the TV and BINGO, no TVI.  Bought an AC 
Line Filter for the daughter's CD player and internet connection, installed it, 
took mine back and collected the money for the new one.  All in all, a happy 
ending.


PREPARATION:
Sound card still not working.  The next step is to reinstall Windows over 
itself.  Makes me nervous, to say the least.  Consequently, no DVP for phone 
and need the cw practice so entered as cw only.  

I have devised a method of simulating SO2R with one MkV and TRLog.  It isn't 
really SO2R as you can't hear anything while transmitting.  I call it SO1.5R.  
I haven't published it yet but I have had others trying it and making 
suggestions.  I thought I would try out the final version in this test.  When I 
bought the MkV I got a 500Hz filter for the sub-Rx but have never really tried 
it out.  Well, I can't get it to work.  Not even by using K6SE's MPFilters.  As 
SO1.5R requires running on the sub VFO and as I'm not nearly a good enough op 
to pick out responses to cqs in a 2.4kHz BW while simultaneously tuning for 
mults, I gave up on this idea.  Maybe in RAC Winter contest.  (If you're 
interested in SO1.5R keep an eye on the 1000MP or TRLog reflectors.  I just 
have to tidy up the documentation and ship it off to Tree to put on a web 
site.)

As I do more contests my total Qs are increasing.  Maybe this time I can break 
the magic 1000 barrier.


WHAT HAPPENED:
All times are local.

Well, the neighbours were in Mazatlan so there weren't any TVI surprises.  For 
a variety of reasons I was half an hour late getting started.  (See SO1.5R, 
above.)

1 hr and 45 min later band is dying.  Quit for pizza night with wife as she was 
getting hungry.  127 Qs 28 mults.  Hey, not too bad, better than 60/min which 
is good for me.  Thought I'd got a rare one when VX7CC called me.  TRLog says 
its BC.  Sigh!

Got back on about 0900 local time.  Hardly any Eu stations.  Worked the last 
one at 1035.  I was surprised to work ZL1AIH at 1007.  I wonder if it was 
DL1AIH?  Worked a ZS which is always nice as don't hear very many here.  Was 
really happy to work H44.  Sure hope I got his call right.  At the halfway 
point had 465 Qs, 77 mults.  The 1,000 Qs may be within reach.  Had an 86 hour, 
a personal best.  Quit at 1830 to go to a neighbourhood party with 576 Qs and 
84 mults.  Vowed I was going to get up at 0630 local time to try to do better 
into Eu.

0650 and I'm eating my breakfast, listening to the band wake up and trying to 
wake up too.  Decide to S&P for mults.  First Eu Q at 0730.  In the next hour 3 
new ones, ER0, a very exciting HN8 and CU.  I sat and listened to HN8V work 
several Qs to make sure I had his call right!

Was pretty excited to hear ZS1J/6V calling.  Senegal!!  Something odd, though.  
There was no one calling him.  Also, he kept sending de and his call over and 
over.  Not only that, there was a space between the 6 and the V.  It was no 
wonder he wasn't working anyone, he wasn't allowing time for anyone to call.  I 
decided he must be using QSK and all I had to do was call to get his attention 
and he would respond.  This being the first 6V I had ever heard, I brushed all 
doubts aside and called him.  I called him a lot.  No response, just endless 
repetitions of his call, so, sadly, I gave up.  On later reflection it occurred 
to me that I may have been trying to work a beacon!  A search on the net 
reveals the embarassing truth.  Can anyone tell me the significance of the V?  
He had a nice sig for 5W.

Signals weren't strong and last Eu Q at 1013.  Now have 622 Qs and 100 mults.  
Hmmm.... 5-3/4 hours to go and need another 378 Qs.  That's 65 Qs/hr every 
hour.  Never done that for 6 hrs before.  Curse myself for not paying attention 
and start running.  Hey, not bad, 46 Qs in 45 min.  Next hour 69, I gotta 
chance.  Then a 47 followed by a 70.  

When I was a kid the thought of working W1AW made me very nervous.  What if I 
sent bad code?  Besides, they probably wouldn't want to bother talking to me.  
All silly, of course, but it was nice to have them call me for my first Q with 
them.  

Somebody started making a racket near my run frequency.  My usual practice is 
to stick it out and they often go away, but this one didn't.  Gotta get those 
250 Hz filters.  Listened to see who it was.  Oh no, W0AIH.  Having recently 
looked at his site on the net I worked him and found another spot.

Couldn't believe how many dupes called near the end.  I just sighed and worked 
them again.

At one point I had a 10 min projected rate of 120.  Best I've ever done.

I was surprised how relatively strong the close in stations were and how 
relatively weak all other signals were.  Not a single W5 at 40 over.  Managed 
to do WAS which I thought would be difficult on 10.

Does anyone know how Qs made at 0000Z at the end are scored?

Did I make my 1,000 Qs?  1000 - 28 dupes = 972


See you in RAC Winter.  A nice, laid back contest.  People actually stop to 
chat!

73 de VE7FO


Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/


--
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/FAQ/3830
Submissions:              3830 at contesting.com
Administrative requests:  3830-REQUEST at contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-3830 at contesting.com