[3830] CQ160 CW PJ2T(K8ND) Single Op HP

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                    CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW

Call: PJ2T
Operator(s): K8ND
Station: PJ2T

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Curacao
Operating Time (hrs): 26

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 1128  State/Prov = 59  Countries = 57  Total Score = 1,303,260

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

Station: Signal Point, Curacao (www.pj2t.org)

Station Equipment:
   Transceiver: FT-1000MP
   Amplifier: Cary LK-800 (2 x 3CX800A7)
   (Backup station FT-1000MP & Alpha 76CA)

TX Ant:
    Inv-L (50-feet vertical, sloping up to 95-feet,
            ~60 radials)

RX Ant: 
    1000-foot Beverage (Europe)
    650-foot Beverage (USA/JA)
    Flag (VK/Pacific)
    Flag (South America)

PJ2T QSL Via:  N9AG or LOTW

I promised myself this contest from the Signal Point Station
last year for my 50th birthday, but work requirements caused
me to cancel. This is was the replacement trip, and it's
been Great Fun! 

Thanks to my club, the Caribeean Contesting Consortium (CCC),
for continuing to build, enhance, and maintain the PJ2T contest
station facilities! Thanks especially to CCC members Bill W9VA
and Joe W9JUV for assisting me in setting up the temporary flag
antennas in some very trying briar-filled land under the hot
Caribbean sun prior to their departure! (I wish they were here
to help me take it all down and stow it...).

The goal was to take the 10-year-old South American record
from P40WA (K9UWA), with a 40% improvement over his score. My
raw score broke the record, but not by much. It's all in the
log checking.

Conditions from 12-degrees North of the Equator are always
challenging on Topband, noise being always present. Earlier
in the contest week, conditions to Europe were very good
and the signals were easily floating over the noise. During
most of the contest period, the noise was winning instead.
Many rainstorms in the area, with repeated nighttime dousings
at the station location, would increase the noise further.

Despite my reportedly strong signal, I was unable to keep a
run frequency for very long. Finding a condidate frequency was
bad enough - stations in Europe and W/VE seemed wedged every 
200 Hz from 1810 to 1850, with much overlapping.

Breaking a European pileup was also tough. CQing was fast with
little listening time, as a general rule. Certainly, no one was
listening for we poor South American stations!

I see now that there was some comment during the contest WRT
Europeans running only Europeans, and W/VE running only W/VE.
>From this station, using Beverages for each, it was common to
hear two pileups on two Continents on each frequency tuned, 
each operator either not hearing or perhaps ignoring the other.
Flipping RX antennas was like hearing two completely different
frequencies! Not much cross-continent DX is going to be worked
in that environment.

I propose that Europe be assigned 1810 - 1830, North America
assigned 1800-1810 and 1835-1850, and South America be assigned
1830-1835 for exclusive CQing rights.  ;-)

I had planned on working 80 DXCC countries but fell way short,
missing some very common stuff (ZF, V3, EU, GU, IS, IT9, LZ and
PJ2 were most annoying). Many common Caribbean coutries, and
most Central/South American countries were not heard. During
CQWW CW, we worked 91 DXCC countries at PJ2T (albeit, using packet
cluster in that Multi-Multi operation)!

It was a great time! Thanks to all who worked me, apologies to all
who tried but were unable, and what's wrong with the rest of you? 
;-)

73,  Jeff  PJ2/K8ND


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