[3830] CQ160 CW PA5MW Multi-Op HP

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                    CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW

Call: PA5MW
Operator(s): PA5EA, PA4TU, PA0SHY, PA1MRK, PA3FGA, PA0RCT, PA5MW
Station: PA5MW

Class: Multi-Op HP
QTH: PA
Operating Time (hrs): 36

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 970  State/Prov = 22  Countries = 70  Total Score = 480,884

Club: 

Comments:

This is a great contest which requires a lot of effort both from the builders
and operators.
We expected to get it all up and running in just two days, based on the
experience of last years first participation. That's were Murphy caught us :))
First, due to family circumstances we lacked 3 builders and effectively could
only build the station in one day. Secondly the 30ft fiberglass teleskopic rod
on top of the mast bended much more than expected, bringing down the radiation
resistance as the vertical part of the inverted L was compromised. Lunch and
dinner were skipped. Finally we found ourselves still adjusting the TX antenna
out in total darkness and the cold, just 3 hrs before 00.00 UTC. Being out in
the field for some 12 hrs, fatigue also started to set in. Somehow I did not
plug the PL259 correctly to the PA, so while tuning it for the first time the
keyer blew up at T minus 1 hour.  
Conditions accros the Atlantic seemed marginal as only a handfull of u.s.
stations were worked during the first night. 
The old large double garage building required all of the gas for the hired
heating system in just 7 hours. No new gas was available since the store was
closed during the weekend. We sized down the shack area using carpet, blankets,
laundry, carton boards and just everything we could find. Two quickly aquired
electrical heaters were installed around the operator position to make it
through the rest of the contest. The rest of the weekend went FB.
The second night and final evening showed some moments where there was very
little bandnoise. 
The QTH has tremendous good RF ground conditions and this was confirmed when
cracking pile-ups on both close-in and intercontinental distances. On RX we
noticed that after 4 years of experimenting we finally got control of the
beverage. We got to the point where we actually could hear more u.s. stations
than we could work.  Many thanks to ON4UN, W8JI and the likes for all the
necessary literature on this subject. All in all we gained some on every
discipline of the complete station setup, but still there are things left to
improve.
This years competition was both larger and stronger, which makes it even more
attracting.  We will look forward for 2004!


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