[3830] SCC RTTY VA7ST SOAB HP

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                    SCC RTTY Championship

Call: VA7ST
Operator(s): VA7ST
Station: VA7ST

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs): 12

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Pts  Mults
------------------------
   80:   29   55    22
   40:   86  176    41
   20:  152  335    53
   15:                
   10:                
------------------------
Total:  267  569   116  Total Score = 66,004

Club: 

Comments:

SFI=72, A=1>10, K=1>3

FT920 + SB221
N1MM Logger + MMTTY
3 element tribander
40M half-squares (wires E-W, N-S)
80M delta loop (aiming E-W)
80M half-square (wires E-W)

Conditions weren't too bad on 20M and 40M, considering solar figures still at
the bottom of the tank. Listened often on 15M -- dead.

Operated in bits and pieces. Saturday morning saw wind gusts I didn't like, so
I cranked down the tower and operated with the tribander at 27', using the amp
to compensate a little. Soon-to-be pruned tree limbs prevent the lowered beam
from turning out of the east to work EU. When EU opened and I couldn't work
'em, I went outside and played antenna farmer instead. 

I used SCC RTTY as an antenna proving ground in advance of the Fall contest
season. I need to do something more for the two low bands. For a few days now,
I've been rigging a new catenary at close to 90' between two trees (have been
using a too-low 65' top wire since Xmas). Took forever to get the engineering
right, but by early evening I had raised a half-square (70' tall, 140'
horizontal) for 80M, my venerable 160M inverted-L was back to 85' vertical and
45' horizontal (great!), and a 3/4-sized 80M delta loop was in the air. 

Overnight, tested the 80M antennas and found the E-W delta loop to be more
useful than the new N-S half-square (not the half-square's fault -- worked
great into W6/7 but not to the rest of the continent). The half-square flies
over the top of the tower, posing a risk to the yagi should it snap and wires
tangle in the yagi. Because my motto is "Safety first, unless you can work
Europe on it," I won't leave it up (yes, it would have stayed if I'd suddenly
worked a pile of EUs, hi). 

Sunday afternoon will be spent decommissioning the half-square, but at least
I've tried one and know they work on 80M. Will also replace the 3/4-sized delta
loop with a full-sized version (made out of the half-square's wire) now that I
have the altitute to raise it high enough. And once that's done, I'm leaving
everything alone for as long as I can resist the compulsion to try something
else.

Due to working on antennas into the evening Saturday, I missed the peak of 40M
activity. However, my two 40M half-squares performed admirably -- they're
oriented so one works EU and ZL/VK quite well (though EU could be better --
that polar path is tough from here); the other works JA and US/VE and SA very
well. By far, these have been the most productive, yet simplest, 40M setup I've
had yet.

Almost all set for fall's great run of contests. Thanks for the contacts and to
SCC for running this event. Look forward to it every year.

SCC RTTY     Qs  Mults  Score (claimed)
---------------------------------------
August-07   267  116    66,004 (HP)
August-06   197   89    40,406
August-05   119   73    17,885  
August-04    98   65    14,485  
August-03   104   59    14,396
August-02   109   71    17,963


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