[3830] NCCC Sprint K0XP/M LP

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                    NCCC Sprint - Aug 10

Call: K0XP/M
Operator(s): K0XP
Station: K0XP/M

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: VT
Operating Time (hrs): .5

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   0     0
   80:   0     0
   40:  14     9
   20:   0     0
   15:   0     0
   10:   0     0
-------------------
Total:  14     9  Total Score = 126

Club: 

Comments:

I have no idea what happened with my mobile antler. I very carefully tuned the
dang thang, 15 mins before NS, centered on about 7035. I was rather curious
when N9NB in VA reported it was only 569 and he, himself, was an easy 579 or
louder  to me; it should have been the other way. But since the dang thang
needs some shunt capacitance to match to 50 ohms within the band, I have been
using my MFJ tuner and accepting the additional loss in the short RG-58 cable
back to the antenna, sitting in the bed of my '79 El Camino pickup parked in
the motel parking lot. I think I've got lousy ground connections to the frame
of my El Camino. I may also have intermittently corroded connections between
the various screw-together junctions of my whole 40+ year-old Master Mobile
setup. During the 1977 ARRL Southwestern Division convention, this same 40m
coil placed second only to Don Wallace, W6AM's, effective radiated power. It's
easily worked 40m CW DXCC within a few months in each of at least 4 vehicles on
which it's been installed.

Anyway.... NS started, and very quickly, I discovered I was non-competitive.
Couldn't beat anyone in a pileup AT ALL. This was in stark contrast to when I
drove up here to Barre, Vermont, Sunday night and easily worked FW0MO and ZL4PW
on 40M CW, both in small pileups, while driving  ;o(((((((((((

So, when I realized I wasn't gonna work folks that were also eing called by
others, I started picking WHO I'd call, and when. Still, that didn't work so
well; every time, I got beat to K0AD, who was EASILY the strongest guy around,
and W7OM, by far the strongest from west of the Missississmmsppipi. Working
W7WHY early was real icing on the cake, particularly since I could hardly hear
him. I have no idea how N6RO copied me for my 1st Q since he, too, was nearly
in the noise.

One surprise was K4BAI. Now, up until about a month ago, John has ALWAYS been
pretty strong up here, both at my home QTH in SW CT and during my first
"expedition" into central VT. But over the past month, John's been pretty weak
at home and I've been surprised when HE called ME during NS or other contests.
It's almost as if he's running QRP. Regardless, tonight, we worked thrice; and
that many times only because he happened upon me the last two times I was
CQing. That really makes me wonder what the heck is going on with my radiation
pattern, since both times, I was barely able to copy John. Surely, my barefoot
TS-130S and modified 50+ year-old Master Mobile antler can't be pinpointing
John, in particular, and ignoring everyone else out there?????????

Anyway: I know why I really got beat so often: all the home stations had much
greater radiation efficiency and were simply LOUDER. No way a "normal" mobile
antler can compete against that. Still, I did way better the last time I was up
here in VT a month ago than tonight: AFAIR, everyone I called a month ago,
responded. And when I CQed, I got called. Tonight, few responded when I called,
and fewer called when I CQed. 

Of course, a month ago, since we were all spread out on at least 3 and maybe 4
bands, there weren't nearly as many of us calling each other on a single band,
either. That's the real reason any of us got beat so often tonight. Tonight was
really a more-realistic test of what it'll be like in SS since it artificially
tripled, or even quadrupled, the number of "stations" on a single band.

Tonight, I was mostly interested in working multipliers and so didn't call
those whom I'd already worked before. That cut my score, naturally; but if I'd
already worked someone, I knew I could work them again, if I wanted.

What REALLY bothered me was not being able to get through to K0AD, who was BY
FAR the loudest guy out there, sounding like a kilowatt; W7OM, who sounded like
a real 100W west-of-the-Mississpssispppissi station; and early-on, K7SS, who was
always hard to copy but was just plain EVERYWHERE. Plus, I called W0YK half a
dozen times, only to have him CQ in my face. That's a dead giveaway my prestne
antler has a real problem. Having folks CQ or ??? in my face quickly told me
there was something not right about my antler; I just don't normally have that
happen. I still don't know what happened tonight but what I did see is the SWR
of the unmatched antler definitely did rise skyhigh sometime between my pre-NS
test QSOs with N9NB and the actual NS itself. That cost all of us some Qs that
should have taken place. I should have easily been able to work guys like
K9BGL, who was 2nd loudest after K0AD; W7OM, loudest west of the
Mississipppssiissiippi; and perhaps even N6TR, who was surprisingly loud during
the last few mins. Unfortunately, since nobody LOUD had moved to another band,
everybody LOUD was still right the smack HERE; and worse, calling whomever *I* 
wanted to call  ;o(((((((((((((((((((

Anyway... while I'll be up here in VT during the next two NS'es, I won't bother
with the voice contests. I no longer work voice except weak-signal
V/UHF/microwave. Voice is boring. Voice is for telephones and cell phones 
8-)))))))))

Steve, K0XP/M1
Barre, Vermont, home of N1UR


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