[3830] ARRL 160 P40TA(K6TA) Single Op HP

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                    ARRL 160-Meter Contest

Call: P40TA
Operator(s): K6TA
Station: P49Y/P40L

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: ARUBA
Operating Time (hrs): 18

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 848  Sections = 77  Countries = 0  Total Score = 122,892

Club: Northern California Contest Club

Comments:

Thanks to Andy, P49Y/AE6Y, and John P40L/W6LD for use of the fine station in
Aruba.  My XYL Kay, P40K/K6KO, and I arrived on Tuesday before the contest so I
had a few nights to try and work the European pileup down before the contest but
there is never an end.

The station had added a couple of significant improvements from last year. 
John, W2GD had reworked the 160M Inv Vee into a “C Dipole” with a
significant vertical element.  There really is not ample room for a true
vertical and radials.  Also added was an AY Technologies RAS-8 Receiving
Antenna Switch and Pre-Amps for the three Beverages.  Both worked very well.  I
had discovered that the antenna had significant impedance changes when it rained
that the Alpha 87A didn’t care for, so had decided to use the 2nd station
amplifier, an Alpha 86.  It worked flawlessly.  The IC-756 ProII transceiver
worked great also.

I had been warned that the station computer I had used reliably for several
years now had boot problems, so I was equipped with laptops.  The computer is a
dual boot, XP and DOS, and would boot fine in DOS mode but not XP.  As I was
planning to use TR-Log, DOS was all I needed so had used the computer all week
and for the contest.  Murphy would be proud.

The contest starts at 6PM local while still daylight and usually the first hour
is slow but this year I was making Q’s from minute one with a decent rate. 
Neighbor Joop, P43JB, blew my headphones off with a quick GL.  The Beverages
were hearing well and the band was very quiet.

At the 05-06 hour the band peaks with short peak runs approaching 150.  I’m
working West Coast stations that I know have very limited setups.  Suddenly we
get a downpour of rain, which is not unusual this time of year.  The sound is
so intense on the tin roof above the shack you think a train is going through
the room.  These normally last 20-30 seconds but this went on for over five
minutes.  There is so much water in the air and on the ground that the antenna
has changed so much and the amplifier faults.  After the rain stops I can run
about 200 Watts until things slowly dry out.  Of course I’ve lost my run
frequency so I’m trying S&P when TR-Log suddenly starts calling CQ whenever I
put a call in my bandmap.  This is followed by a “disk write error” message.
 I’m unable to exit TR or to access the log.  I power down the  CPU but I’m
unable to reboot.  “Hard drive not found” appears on the screen.  My last
log backup was two hours ago.  After a hour of unsuccessfully trying to recover
the log, I go to bed.

After a few restless hours of sleep, I get up and magically the CPU boots up
like nothing ever happened!  I quickly copy the files and move to a laptop
equipped with Win98, with DOS and TR, and begin moving the keying interface,
rig control, monitor, etc.  The log appears to be OK but I’ve lost rig
control.  The serial port on the laptop and the Socket I/O card won’t
respond.  I had tested this exact setup on the dining room table at home before
carrying the laptop and I/O card down here.  By accident, I discover everything
works if I boot up in a DOS window under Win98 but not in true DOS as I had
tested at home.  Not ideal but better than taking a chance on the station
computer.

A few checks and I can hear nothing.  Of course, it’s the middle of the day
but I know I should be hearing QRN and broadcast spurs.   The Beverages
aren’t working.  After checking all the coax and control cables, I finally
discover the 12V cable to the relay box  had worked itself loose when I
unplugged the aux fan for the amplifier.  Why check the obvious first? 

The second night was without station problems but the bands had much higher
noise and weaker openings.  QRN on the West Coast Beverages is usually S1 but
was peaking at S7 during the optimum times.  

I managed 18 hours of operating despite the problems.  Worked 77 sections, all
called me, WTx was the last worked and I missed KL7, VE4, VE8.  Had four RI
call me so they were on the air.  It was nice to hear Wayne, N7NG, without a
portable one after his call.

A real problem this year was with big gun stations calling CQ in the “DX
Window”.  And what’s with the dupes this year?  With rare exceptions I
signed my call after every QSO but still I had way too many dupes.

Congratulations to Jeff, K8ND at PJ2T for a superb effort.

QSL to WM6A and logs will be on Logbook of the World in a few days.

Ken, P40TA/K6TA.


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