[3830] SS CW W0AH Single Op LP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW

Call: W0AH
Operator(s): W0AH
Station: W0AH

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: SC
Operating Time (hrs): 17

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:  239
   40:  158
   20:  174
   15:   48
   10:     
------------
Total:  619  Sections = 77  Total Score = 95,326

Club: Carolina DX Asso

Comments:

I'd hoped to operate 24 hours using a newly erected Hytower, but my partner
Murphy wore me out, and I quit after 17 hours. First, when I went to erect the
Hytower on Wednesday, I found that the top BX section of tower turned out NOT
to be the modified version supplied with Hytowers. The holes in the plates were
too small for the insulated aluminum top section. I ordered some new hardware
from Hygain and hope to have the Hytower up for the CQWW.  On Saturday morning
I plugged in my USB to serial adapter and found that the laptop would not
recognize it.  Then I remembered that I had to replace the hard drive a year
ago, and there was no driver. There was no way to connect my laptop to my
internet WIFI so I went to Walmart and bought a new USB to serial port adapter
and loaded the driver two hours before the SS started.  The default was COM 5,
but Writelog only had selections for COM 1-4.  Worse still, Writelog reported
that COMs 1-4 were all in use even though I had nothing else, not even a
printer, connected. Sometimes Writelog would let me change the adapter to port
3, but no CW, so I wondered if my HB transister interface was working. 
Finally, after changing back and forth between the two laptop USB ports, I got
it to work and rested the half hour before the contest.  However, as it turned
out,it didn't work very well.  About every 3rd contact or CQ, the CW would go
crazy increasing to about 50 WPM.  My apologies to all of those who had to put
up with this malfunction and the extra time it took to repeat my message. 
Along with lack of sleep, this wore me down, and I pulled the plug at 17 hours
and took a look at DX Summit to see if the 3 grids I had needed were on. 
Somehow I had missed VY1JA at the low end of 20.  There he was!  No KH6 or VE4
reported in the few minutes I looked at DX Summit before going on a long walk
at the heigth of fall folliage color.  Thanks for all the Qs.  My 10/15/20
rotatable trap dipole, 160M loop at 20' for 40M, and 80M slopping wire vertical
to 53' on the tower all worked fine, especially considering that they are all
temporary antennas thrown up almost field day style for HF contest season. 
Eventually I'll have some better antennas, but not the great antenna farm I
used in Colorado all those years (see http://DougW0AH.googlepages.com/home)
Doug W0AH  EM85 Inman SC


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