[3830] CQWW SSB M6T(G4PIQ) SOAB HP

[g4piq at btinternet.com]

                     CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB
                    
Call: M6T
Operator(s): G4PIQ
Station: G4MRS

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: JO02PB
Operating Time (hrs): 45
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band     QSOs  Zones  Countries
-------------------------------
  160:    129      7     46
   80:    475     14     67
   40:    659     23     78
   20:    953     33     91
   15:   1473     37    114
   10:   1629     36    123
-------------------------------
Total:   5313    150    519  =  8,095,569

Club/Team: Martlesham DX & CG

Comments:

Rigs : 2 x FT1000MP + PAs

Ants :   160 - Dipole @ 23m + 90m Beverage
          80 - Delta Loop @ 23m + 90m Beverage
          40 - 402CD @ 24m
          HF - TH5 @ 24m + KT34A @ 15m
2nd radio HF - A3 @ 26m
      

This clearly wasn't the usual field-day style multi-multi CQWW SSB entry that 
the M6T call is usually associated with. Unfortunately, we've had to put that 
on hold for this year since the farm which we have been using as a site is in 
the process of getting out of farming just like so many others here in the UK. 
But - we will be back - yuo can be sure of that!

So - I took the opportunity this year to do my first semi-serious single op 
effort at CQWW SSB. I say semi-serious since I knew that I was going to be 
handicapped with bad noise on 160, 80, 15 and 10 and limited antennas by 
working from the club station at work. I can only say that this seemed like a 
completely different contest to the usual multi-multi stuff. Once I was in my 
sleep deprived state on Sunday I couldn't rationalise anything between this 
effort and what we've done for the last 7 or so years - different planet.

Spent Friday putting a second tri-bander up for the run station though limited 
in size and height (abt 15m) since I couldn't guy the mobile tower where it 
was. Also put out short beverage to reduce noise levels to just about 
manageable on 160, fixed shack door which had blown off some weeks back in the 
RSGB 21/28 SSB, fixed 80m loop, and generally made tweaks to the station. Went 
home at 2200 local with plan for 1 hour sleep, shower and back to work for 0045 
local. Woke up at 0045 local - 15 minutes from the start of the contest and 
realised that I hadn't set the alarm clock........ not a good start listening 
to Ws on 15m at the start of the contest from my station at home, realising 
that these were the best conditions that I'd ever heard for the start of the 
contest and I was at least 30 minutes away from getting on. 

Started the contest at about 0035 and it seemed to be going fine until about 
240 QSOs in TR froze every time I tried to type a call. Carried on working 
folks on paper for about 5 minutes but couldn't make it go. Stopped and 
eventually found that if I did a TR READ into a new file it all worked again. 
Never seen this problem before and it didn't recur, so no idea what happened 
there.

Most of contest is a bit of a blur so comments are a bit random...... Had 3500 
QSOs at mid point which was well beyond expectations and an indication of how 
good conditions were on the Saturday. Found dealing with the second radio hard 
work when both rate and QRM were high which was often, but was going with 
strategy of maximing 3 point QSOs on Saturday especially on 10m since there was 
an aurora predicted for late Saturday / early Sunday. Seems like the right 
plan, but I neglected 20m especially and 40m to an extent and am missing a 
bunch of embarassing stuff on those bands. 

Took 80 minutes sleep on Sunday. Ended up being off for about 2 hours for this 
break. Came back to a very different set of bands at 0430 - could immediately 
tell the aurora had hit - impossible to run the US on 40m at that point and 
some real tone A stuff from the Scandinavians. Was still buzzing through Sunday 
afternoon so I could probably have done without the break.

160 was fairly hard from here as usual - high artificial noise floor and 
couldn't hear any of the Caribean folks or even the usual US suspects like 
W3LPL, KC1XX etc. Call CQ at dawn on Sunday and worked VY2ZMM and K4JA. Nothing 
else seemed to be forthcoming so with those 3 key mults I left and went back to 
80! Heard other Gs working stuff which wasn't audible here so a definite 
receive problem, but running out of options.

80 - seemed to be OK. Again - there is a noise problem which I have improved by 
a few dB with a phasing noise canceller, but didn't have this setup to go this 
time. Unfortunately - I see I'm missing VE on 80........ due to a mis-logging 
earlier in the contest it was shown as worked, but.....

40 - yuk. The two intermittent jammer like signals in the middle of the SSB 
segment made it even worse than the usual zoo. 

20 - didn't spend enough time here. Open well all night to the US on Saturday, 
but closed very early Sunday evening behind the auroral wall leaving the folks 
further South in Europe working stuff well, but unable to hold a run frequency 
here.

15 - outstanding on Saturday - hearing the band open to the US at the start and 
even two hours into the contest is amazing. Must have been an real lack of 
sleep for the 15m folks at the US multi-multis this year.......

10 - excellent on Saturday - didn't really open well on Sunday for us - W4/5 
and big-guns on the east coast in the main only. 

Thanks to everyone for the QSOs and look forward to working you all from XT2DX 
in the CW leg.

73,

Andy, G4PIQ



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