[3830] CQWW CW ON5KQ SOSB(A)/40 HP

[webform at b4h.net]

                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: ON5KQ
Operator(s): ON5KQ
Station: ON5KQ

Class: SOSB(A)/40 HP
QTH: Brugge
Operating Time (hrs): 20

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:                    
   80:                    
   40:  954   1616     118
   20:                    
   15:                    
   10:                    
------------------------------
Total:  954   1616     118  Total Score = 244,016

Club: 

Comments:

This time, I could only partly partissipate and more important was not able to
spend too much energy in it. Had a very exaustive qrl-job to do the Friday
before until late night...so energy was gone before the contest even
started...

Nevertheless spend about 20hours from 9:00utc on Saturday. So no big
expectation, as the first 8 hours were daylight condx...
However, I knew, that if condx would be at least average 24hours of DXing would
be possible with my 4square next to saltwater (see fotos at www.on5kq.be)
Indeed - JA's and other far east stations were loud even at local noontime. Fun
! KC1XX called me with the antenna to JA - I could hear him, even with 3 s-units
attenuation at the side of the antenna...
I never spend time to break any pile-up on a different qrg than my running qrg,
so could keep a clear channel on the primary calling qrg.
That's why I missed several rare ones, especially in far east Asia. This is
because I could not work the stations with first call in the really crazy
EU-pile ups. Here in western Belgium, I have a condx disadvantage against all
the central and eastern EU's who not only are louder when calling in the
pile-up, but more important may here the Asian stations much better when the
band opens. In my qth, I must switch the beam in the same direction than peak
EU'QRM... big disadvantage for this direction...
For US-stations: This situation is very similar for mid-west station, when the
band opens to EU - not only you have the longer haul compared to east coast
stn's, but you also get all the QRM from eastern coast which eventually makes
it impossible to hear the weak EU's...

>From about 00:00h UTC on beginning Sunday, I was able to work many US-stations.
None of them was really loud - even the known big guns not reaching even S9, but
loudest stn's where just about S7... On the other hand there wher many many
being S3 and even weaker. It is a great advantage of the 4square to be extremly
quite into the NW direction. In this direction I have only 3km farmland before
the Ocean... just nothing which can disturb with local noise...
So gradually the band opens to US and finally K6XX called me from Zone 3 being
the first on Shortpass. From 15:30utc already about 10stn's made it via
longpass into my log (thanks for your patience over there.... also LP W6/W7 is
behind the EU qrm curtain from my western Belgium location....)

W7ZQ called me from Wyoming with his big quad antenna... often worked on
longpass before the contest... this was the first short pass contact...

Thanks for the spot's on the cluster which certainly kept my running at a
reasonable rate of about 70qso/min.

Sorry, I am no real good CW-operator: I tried my best, but there is a lot to
learn ! I was happy see my rates being much better than last year however - not
because of condx, but because of little better OP skills... 

>From 3:30utc the condx changed rapidly and the opening to USA was killed....
Heard somewhere at 4:30utc KC1XX working EUs... he was only s3 !!!
THe band was almost dead into the north west.
So tried to work some multipliers to southers directions and the carribean.
I was astonished to reallywork every Carribean stn with first call - even this
direction is not a saltwater take-off path for my 4square here... However the
metal roofs here (my own roof is 2000m2 steel on the house) and the neighbor
company measures even 30000m2 of metal roof - there steel started when my local
radials stop) Never thought about it, but may all this steel is at least the
same than saltwater ?!?

Worked some interesting stations very quickly: LU8XW being loud ! DT8A as well
with a nice signal from Antarctica ! This time also Zone 12 made it into my log
with 2x Chile worked. Thanks XE1KK called me with booming signal and gave me
Zone 6 - the only worked.

All by all - lots of fun before I decided to pull the plug early on Sunday
morning at about 07:00utc with P40T being last stn in the log... I was extremly
exhausted and need to sleep! So I left my remote contest place (at Bruggemarine
Center company) and after a drive of 65km I was home...

Thanks for all stn's who called me.
As always I am very interested in reports of everyone ti have some feedback
about my signal strength compared to other EU's on 40m...

Ulli, ON5KQ
ex PA5AT, ex DF8MQ, ex DF0RR
ex member of PI4COM contest team
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e-mail: on5kq at on5kq.be
web: www.on5kq.be
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