[3830] ARRL 160 AC6DD Single Op HP

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                    ARRL 160-Meter Contest

Call: AC6DD
Operator(s): AC6DD
Station: AC6DD

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: AVILA BEACH
Operating Time (hrs): 20

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 700  Sections = 73  Countries = 6  Total Score = 119,764

Club: Slovenia Contest Club

Comments:

This was a portable operation from a Pier in Avila Beach.  I missed the last
year's ARRL contest, and at 02:20Z on Saturday it looked like I was going to
miss this one too.

I set up a 90' vertical antenna with two sloping loading wires.  I used this
antenna in the past, and can usually set it up by myself in a few hours. This
time it was different. It was already dark and I could not acheive a match with
the tuner I had with me.  I than realized that I grabbed the wrong antenna top
section from home, and the antenna was too short.  I was adding horizontal
pieces of wire at the feedpoint to make the antenna longer, but no good.  I was
about to give up, when I found a 200pf ceramic capacitor on the floor of my van
and added it between the antenna and ground with two alligator clips - and it
worked.  Not perfect, but good enough to get on the air. I made the first
contact at 02:26z.

The location is pretty good for a TX antenna, but for receiving it is a
different story.  There are two 500kV power lines, on top of the ridge a few
miles away, and depending on the mood they are in, receiving on 160m could be a 
bad experience.  I set up some short verticals for receiving, but the big
vertical was still hearing better, even with the constant S9 noise this weekend.
 Most of the time I had to use 12 db attenuation, or more for receiving, RF gain
set at around 13:00. 

For this contest I also decided to give a try at SO2R.  This was a lucky move,
as one of the radios broke down. I don't know yet if I caused the problem when
installing the INRAD roofing filters. (by the way they work great).

This was one cold night to be spending in a utility trailer - I mean my portable
shack, and by morning I was again half frozen.   I had a small electric heater
with me, but the fan was causing RFI, so I used it as last resort. 

I ended the first night with 486 QSO.

The second night brought a few new multipliers, but the power line noise seemed
worse.  Copying the JA stations was hard, and I only worked a few of them. I
also added a relay to short the transmitting vertical with a footswitch when I
was receiving on the small verticals, but it made little difference.  

I have to admit I am a quitter.  After not being able to copy people calling me,
and working three stations in an hour, with the noise blasting my ears, I pulled
the plug at 700 QSO's.  I than drove home to a warm house, and had a cold beer.
Now to think of it, maybe I have a hearing problem?

The afternoon was spent as the extra bonus contest time - disassembly time.  By
the way while lowering the vertical the top piece - 7' long aluminum tubing just
falls off.  It was broken inside the joint, and somehow still hanging in there
until that moment.  

At this point I am still undecided if I will do this again. This was my fourth
portable 160m contest from here, and I am beginning to think it is just a bit
too much trouble.  

Sections missed: Me, Nl, NLi, Nt, Ri, Vt, WMa

73,

Niko - AC6DD


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