[3830] ARRL 160 ON4UN Single Op HP

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                    ARRL 160-Meter Contest

Call: ON4UN
Operator(s): ON4UN
Station: ON4UN

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Merelbeke
Operating Time (hrs): 12

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 438  Sections = 62  Countries = 0  Total Score = 54,312

Club: Rhein Ruhr DX Association

Comments:

General: As every year in this contest, it seemed like there were quite a fewy
loud stations without receiver or without receiving antenna.  K5__ in Texas (S9
for hours and not replying to any Eu. station), W1S_ was also heard calling CQ
in the DX window, WN1___ in Southern Florida(loud and deaf) etc etc. Some of the
weaker stations, to the contrary, had very good ears!

Especially frustrating was the fact that I heard quire a few West coast stations
outside the DX window (second  night around 07:00 – 07:15, my sunrise was 07:22)
but it turned out to be impossible to get their attention: AC6DD was very strong
around 07:15 but he kept calling CQ in my face, just like KF6T (and others).
This was disappointing, of course.

Another strange thing: NP4A, always S9, refused to work any Eu station.
Understandable, I found out after the contest: het gets NO points nor
multipliers for workinfg DX stations, but we (DX) get points AND a muliplier for
working him as he is in a separate ARRL section.! I hope the ARRL corrects this
obvious error in the rules!

1st night: band very poor in the middle of the night. Went QRT between 01:00 and
06:00. Good sunrise opening with 60 stations in 1 hour. No West coast peak
except (of course) N7JW (Ut).  A total of 177 Q’s were made.

2nd night: first part of the night: similar to 1st night, but much better
sunrise peak with 2 stns from MT (W7LR and  K7BG), W2VJN (big sig from OR), 4
from Ca: N6RO, K6FX, K6NR , K6SE ; K6GNX (Nv); K7CA (Ut); AB7E (Az) and VE7CC
(BC).  272 Q’s were made the second night.

Both nights the band was very quiet, with no static, and the QRM from the East
was minimal, using end fire phased Beverages with at least 40 dB F/B ratio. I
read many messages from US stations saying the first night was better than the
second; it was the other way around here. 

No clashes, except with one particular S59 station. Some operators think they
possess a frequency for the whole contest. I often go SP across the band, and
when doing so, when I find a clear spot in the DX window I go “?”, wait 1
second, then “QRL?”, wait 2 seconds “QRL?” and if no reply, the frequency is
mine. If 3 minutes later, after I have worked 2 or 3 US  stations S59. comes on
and tells me it is his frequency.  Well I am sorry but he was maybe gone for a
pee or for working a mult, but he was not there when I arrived. Arguments like
“look on the cluster and you can see me spotted on this frequency for a long
time” are nonsense. I was on 1832 for a long time, and was spotted there many
times (I found out later), while later in the night I was on 1833.5, after
having made a couple of tours doing SP. That’s part of the game. Nobody owns a
frequency, and when you’re not there, the frequency is available! 

The score is a little better than what I did in 1995 (48k) but not as good as
1996 (75k). The next two years should be even better!? (1996 + 11 = 2007). 

Thanks to all for the QSO’s, and especially for the West Coast stations trying
so hard.


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