[3830] CQWW CW SM6WET SOAB HP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: SM6WET
Operator(s): SM6WET
Station: SM6WET

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: FALKÖPING JO68SE
Operating Time (hrs): 15

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:    3     2        3
   80:  207    12       57
   40:  158    17       57
   20:   80    13       43
   15:   31    11       20
   10:    5     1        4
------------------------------
Total:  484    56      186  Total Score = 176,418

Club: Falköping Radioclub SK6HD

Comments:

So, this were to be my major contest this year. Having a job, a YL and a house
really do take to much time from the main thing - contesting.
Anyway me and YL had made a deal to go to our cabin for this entire weekend,
just for me contesting.

Planning:
Having a city lot where the sides of the yard is 15+20+15+20 and on that
property having a house of 170m², a garage and 2 parking lots really does not
make it easy for any antennas, especially not for the lower bands.
BUT, we have a small cabin about 30Km away with a lake bordering the lot giving
free take-off from SW to NW.
The place also got a bunch of tall pine trees which I have putten up ropes in
the top of. I went down to the cabin the weekend before the contest and put up a
fullsize ¼-wave vertical in wire-format. Well, I put 4 elevated radials up at a
feedpoint of approx 14m and the radiator was another wire of 20m which I was to
send up with a helium baloon having read G4VGOs site http://www.qsl.net/g4vgo/
just about too many times.
So, I was aiming to get countries on 80m using a quarterwave with a feedpoint up
at 14m. What did I need, balloons ofcource and I rented a tube of Helium (Tubes
cannot be bought in Sweden) over the weekend for 370 SEK (approx US$50).
The downside of the QTH I figured was the antenna for the other bands, what if I
got bored with 80m or if worse, something failed? The other antenna was just a
7m high 7 band multiband vertical from ECO. I had worked some DX on it earlier
but not much and making it over the pond was alwasy a obstacle.
I figured I would have to go for high-power this time wanting to put a effort
into the lower bands.
Some other planning was needed to be made.
First of all I do know myself and I always forget something when going away, my
fellows in SK6HD have experianced this many times during our get-togethers in
the NAC-50MHz contests, I think I have forgotten the PSU 2 times now, the
hot-dogs, the coax etc etc.
I made a complete list of everything to bring, from torch, to wood for the
fireplace, radio, bla bla bla and I checked them of when packing thursday
evening. We had also started allready this fall cutting up alot of wood. The
cabin is not insulated and late November in Sweden 250mASL can get quite cold.

We arrived the contest QTH in late Friday afternoon. The temperature was outside
+1°C and believe it or not, the inside temperature of the cabin was -1°C
(30°F).

First thing before even unpacking the vehicle was to start the fireplace.
Unload the car, eat and build up expectations of the vertical for 80m. Could you
imagine, I had been waiting for this moment since August. The wind was still, I
would not get a leaning antenna, it was all to perfect.

I went to bed for 3 hours before the contest so that I could sit up all night
enjoying DX contacts on 80. My YL woke me up around midnight and we went out to
load the helium into the ballons and ship the antenna skywards. It was now
around 0°C and wet chrystals were raining. Not snow, not rain, just the air full
of chrystals. I connected the ballons to the line and let go, they went up fast
and everything looked just perfect for a few seconds.

Disappointment:
The ballons made it even hight with the tops of the pine-trees, then they would
make it no further. I do not know how much I tried to add on more ballons, cut
the control line, use less fasteners for the balons. It just would not work.
I am not sure what exactly was wrong.
Was my ½mm³ to heavy?
Was there not enough wind to lift?
Was there turbulence around the treetops?
Was the cold weather or the chrystals making the trouble?
I have no idea except that I lost almost the first hour of the contest.
I was just to stubborn and things did not go my way, but, I would a least give
40m a chance.

Regaining happiness:
40m is a great DX band, the only problem is getting a free space in between to
call CQ. I did not succeed and I am to much of a gentlement to squeze myslef in
by force so it was search and pounce which was the deal.
The antenna, as told before, could have been better and the thought hit me
several times during the night to make a wire vertical for 40m instead but the
ECO vertical was playing quite nicely this evening and I did get a few new ones
in the log.

Next day I did rebuild the antenna for 80m just so that I could get some QSOs
and perhaps a few new ones on 80. That was a good decision.
I did get quite some new ones on 80m, before the contest I had only worked 47
countries on 80m, during the contest I worked 57 coutries landing on 66 instead
of 47. 40m made me go from 95 to 102 so that was equally good. 20 gave me 4 new
countries and 160m 1 new band country allthough I did not have a antenna for
160m. 

The contest also gave me my 203rd country!
HP1/OA4WW - Thanx for a new country

Now, it is time for QSLing.

I hope to have you all in the log next time and god knows what stupid ideas I
will come up with before then. I allready started thinking about a 2el
halfsquare for 80m. Only thing is, I do not know what Pine trees would support
it yet.

73 de Magnus SM6WET


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