[3830] SS CW K8CC Multi-Op HP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW

Call: K8CC
Operator(s): K8BB, K8CC
Station: K8CC

Class: Multi-Op HP
QTH: MI
Operating Time (hrs): 24

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:  226
   40:  546
   20:  303
   15:   65
   10:   46
------------
Total: 1186  Sections = 80  Total Score = 189,760

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

Took the week off before the contest to get away from work and mess around the
shack.  Spent most of the week trying to get a homebrew 20M 3-1000Z working, but
ran out of time.  Should have spent the time checking out the station.

I knew a couple of low band dipoles needed to be re-affixed after recent big
winds in SE MI, but did not realize one end of the high 80M had wrapped itself
in the reflector of the bottom 15M stack yagi over 200' away!  K8BB and I were
on the tower until 19Z Saturday fixing that.

Then, during the contest we had problems with stuff that usually just runs and
runs year after year.  Just before the contest discovered the computer bringing
internet into the shack was dead.  About local midnight I stole my "homebrew
TiVO" computer from upstairs, scrounged a network card and got it installed,
downloaded a fresh copy of WinTelnetX (thanks K1TTT!) and figured out how to
make it work.  All the while K8BB is operating by himself.

Right after the start we discovered the homebrew 15M 3-1000Z (which has worked
flawlessly since built in 1988) would not put out power.  Drive was going in,
and the tube would pull grid and plate current, but no dwarp coming out.  Pulled
amp from rack (again, while K8BB operated by himself) and discovered vacuum
output relay stuck in "rx" position.  About one hour later had a new (and
better) RJ-1A retrofitted in.  Before we went QRT for the night ~09Z) 'BB and I
got the amp back in the rack and voila we were QRO again.

That was not the end of our T/R relay troubles.  On Sunday, the 20M pair of
3-500Zs would often decide to not go into transmit.  Troubleshooting determined
that the 22V relay voltage was disappearing.  Of course, this started up just
about the time the flare hit.

Ah yes, the flare.  I was on 20M around 16Z when the signals just disappeared. 
A minute later comments started coming in off packet.  We decided an off time
would be appropriate.  30 minutes later signals were again plenteous and of
sufficient strength to warrant a return to the air.  20M seemed to be the most
effected, with a lot of scratchy and warbly signals.  10M and 15M were still
workable, and 40M was its usual daytime, absorbed self.

Up until the flare, we were only slightly behind our usual score.  In fact, the
first two hours on Sunday morning were 61 and 71 - highly unusual for us.  Once
the flare hit, our rates never kept up with our usual numbers, and 01Z was an 18
hour (ouch).  We wound up about 50 QSOs behind our usual performance.

We worked the first 76 sections without packet or even worrying about mults. 
The last four were AL, MS, NT and VI.  I was surmising that VI might be hard
this year with our buddy K9TM not at WP2Z due to back surgery.  Shows what I
know - within about 15 minutes of getting packet running we got a spot for NP2B
who gave us a number in the 600s.  Not much later we got a VY1JA spot on 40M -
our full size 3L is a cannon on that band, so if I have to wade thru a pileup
for Jay, 7 MHz is the band I'll take.  One call and NT was in the log.  At that
point it was just getting N4OGW for MS and K4TD in AL and the sweep was in the
bag before 07Z.

SS presents a huge challenge to improve one's score.  We'll be back next year!

73,

Dave/K8CC
Don/K8BB


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