[3830] ARRLDX CW K0TV M/S HP

[k0tv@arrl.net]

                     ARRL DX Contest, CW
                    
Call: K0TV
Operator(s): KB1PZ NF1A W1TQ W1MJ WO1N W1IA K0TV
Station: K0TV

Class: M/S HP
QTH: NH
Operating Time (hrs): 43
 

Summary:
 Band     QSOs  Mults
----------------------
  160:     49     29
   80:    110     55
   40:    278     76
   20:    383     78
   15:    572     86
   10:    498     81
----------------------
Total:   1890    405  =  2,292,705

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

Even though we didn't start the contest until 0500 on the first night (my 
wife's birthday is February 15 and she really does come first even though she 
doesn't think so), we are really pleased with the results for the first contest 
from my station.

Conditions were great! Even the aurora didn't screw things up too badly. One 
half hour and then back to great conditions.

A couple of weeks before the contest I was trying to decide what to do about 40 
meters. We just got the LP up for 20 - 10 last November after the oral argument 
in the NH Supreme Court looked like I wasn't going to have to take all my 
antennas down. The 40 M beam isn't on the schedule until this summer/fall. I 
decided upon a sloper system with four directions switchable from the shack 
with 1 parasitic element. I figured this antenna wouldn't be as good as a beam, 
but it would be better than a dipole. Even though it isn't physically 
rotatable, it's direction can be switched much faster than a beam turning. The 
forward gain of about 5 db and 20 db f/b did a much better job than I was 
expecting. We were also able to use the 4 direction SWA array (four direction 
beverage like antenna) on 40 and that helped.

The LP rotator takes 2 minutes to go all the way around, so I think I'm going 
to need something broad pointed South to pick up Carribean and SA stations 
without having to turn the big log around. Project for next year.

Many thanks to all the operators who helped, particularily to Mike, KB1PZ who 
carried the ball fantastically. We all had a great time and are already looking 
forward to the next contest.

Another round of thanks to the legal team, Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF; Chris Imlay, 
W3KD, and Steve Bolton (N0CALL) for the fine work in our PRB-1 case in the NH 
Supreme Court (Marchand et al v. Hudson) that will allow me to keep my antennas 
up.

My personal highlight was working XW0X(20M), JY9NX(20M), and JY9NX(40M) on the 
first call.

After the contest, I discovered there was a soft tube in the amplifier which I 
hadn't seriously used for many years. New tubes on order for SSB....


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