[3830] ARRLDX SSB M6T(G4PIQ) SOAB HP

[webform@b4h.net]

                    ARRL DX Contest, SSB

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

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: JO02PB
Operating Time (hrs): 42
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   40    16
   80:  164    30
   40:  500    50
   20: 1045    57
   15:  993    56
   10:    0     0
-------------------
Total: 2742   209  Total Score = 1,703,559

Club: 

Comments:

Rig : 2 x FT1000MP + Titan + Alpha 87A

Ant : 160 - Inv-V Dipole @ 23m + Inv-L @ 28,
       80 - Delta Loop @ 23m
       40 - 402CD @ 24m
       HF - TH5 @ 24m + KT34A @ 30m (Second Radio)
       Rx - 180m Beverage

Not as much fun as in previous year - partly because with only one band really
open at a time for much of the contest SO2R was a bit limited, and partly
because with such poor conditions the low bands were really slow at night.

Sunday's poor conditions left a few gaps for me in my mult totals since I'd done
very little on 20m on the Saturday, and never got a shot at VE4/7 on the Sunday
on 20m, nor at an elusive VE1 (!) on 15m. On the other hand, the Saturday 15m
opening was great - I never expected such a difference between the two days.
Nothing on 10m at all of course.

Low band conditions seemed pretty poor too. The contest started OK on 40m, but
80/160 were very unproductive the first night. No sign of any after dawn opening
to the left coast on 40 either which was a shame and cost me mults. The second
night brought somewhat better propagation on 80 / 160, but the high noise in the
US was obviously making things difficult. The static crashes were peaking over
S9 on the Beverage here as well. 160 receievd some decent enhancement a couple
of hours before our dawn that second night that made the usual East Coast mults
easy to work, but I never worked anything more challenging on that band. Also
spent a fair bit of time listening to folks working stations that I couldn't
hear which was frustrating. 

The contest rather exposed the station's poor performance on 80/160. I've done
some work to try and improve things, but the noise floor on Rx will never be
really low. However - any reports of abject deafness will be appreciated (in a
sort of grudging way ;-)) Also - I have some concerns over my Tx performance on
those bands especially so I'd appreciate any feedback from folks there (or
indeed on any of the other bands). 

The bizarre happening of the contest was on Saturday. After 20m closed it was a
little early to go to 40m but I found something to occupy my time. The beverage
which had been working when I left it in the morning was now dead. It's
temporary and I assumed that someone had walked into it and broken it, but on
checking - no. Cutting a long story short, during the day the feeder had gained
a short circuit in its middle. The feeder is 500m of RG58 - some of it now well
burried in hawthorn bushes - you can guess where I eventually found the fault -
and I have ths scars to prove it.... This was another animal induced fault where
something had been chewing at the coax. Not the first time since the feeder
lives out all year - but definitely the first mid-contest - this was clearly the
most appetising thing that the animal could find in the snow.... I do worry
about what I have done to animals in a previous life though - they're clearly
trying to get me back. 2 gnawed feeders this time in the most miserable weather
& a mouse sabotaged motherboard in the PC earlier in the year........

Thanks to all for the QSOs. Congrats to Jiri, OK1RI for a great score from a
much harder site 800km East of me (with just a little more hardware.....;-)

73,

Andy, G4PIQ


Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/