[3830] ARRLDX SSB M6T(G4PIQ) SOAB HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, SSB

Call: M6T
Operator(s): G4PIQ
Station: G4MRS

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: non-North Am
Operating Time (hrs): 43.5
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   43    17
   80:  148    33
   40:  520    53
   20: 1243    60
   15: 1162    60
   10: 1399    60
-------------------
Total: 4515   283  Total Score = 3,830,688

Club: Martlesham DX & CG

Comments:

Rig : 	2 x FT1000MP + PAs

Ants : 	160m - Dipole @ 22m
	80m - Delta Loop @ 23m
	40m - 402CD @ 24m
	HF - TH5 @ 24m + A3 @ 26m + KT34A @ 14m (not used)
	120m Beverage

Great fun, and good to break old Eu record set in 1992 of 3.32M. Lost fan in one
amplifier, and was stupid enough to spend what should have been sleeping time on
Saturday morning trying (and failing!) to fix it rather than just put the spare
amp in. Generally a bit sleep deprived and looking back this clouded judgement
in bits, but motor functions like making QSOs kept on going! Was dozing off even
on the Saturday early morning session, so knew I wasn't well prepared. By Sunday
morning, was standing up to operate at one point and twice woke up just to
recover myself from falling over! One sleep of 90 minutes in 67 hours uptime.
That 90 minutes made a big difference - would have struggled on Sunday without
it. Solid surfaces spent most of the weekend squirming and out of body
experiences outstanding and extensive! 

I learnt a new technique for getting a run frequency this weekend. It does need
two people with big signals to work though. Find someone with a clear frequency
running well, and each of you camp out simultaneously exactly 1 kHz either side
of them..... Call me paranoid (and with that little sleep I may have been), but
I just found the likelihood of two folks stating up within 30 seconds of one
another each exactly 1.00 kHz either side of me a bit much to handle. I moved
immediately rather than waste time in a frequency fight, but at least one of
them had gone 15 mins later.... 

Glad to grab a short opening at our sunrise on 160 to work the vast majority of
my 160m QSOs. Beverage still noisy with local QRM but better than nothing. 

80 got rather neglected, but seemed poor when I was there. No quiet receive
antenna at all so apologies for being a bit deaf. Phasing noise canceller can
work, but didn't have right noise antenna in place for it. John, ON4UN asks why
some Eu folks both transmit about 3750 and listen split. In was one (some of the
time) and from my perspective it's simple - I'll generally go for the highest
hole in the band which I can find since I think that's generally the direction
from which people tune. I receive in the US window since that's where it's
quietest (no capability for good quiet directional Rx antennas at this site),
and the General class folks have access up there. I found my rates are better by
doing this. 

40 - also a bit squeezed by good conditions on 20. In reality, maybe I should
have spent even more time on 20 and less on 40 and sacrificed a mult or 2. 

Was good to have decent overnight openings on 20 this time. Unusually my best
hour (only  213) was at 0300 on 20 rather than in the mainstream runs on 10.  

15 and 10 seemed in good shape though not as good as for the CW leg. Small
aurora was noticeable on Sunday evening closing the bands earlier. I struggled
to run stuff up here during what should have been the peaks of the openings.
Need to fix this, but not sure how. From the US side was I noticeably weak - say
compared to G4BUO - just as an example, or was my frequency choice just
poorer?

Thanks to everyone for the QSOs & moves.

73,

Andy, G4PIQ


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