[3830] ARRLDX CW VE2TZT SOSB/160 HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: VE2TZT
Operator(s): VE2TZT
Station: VE2TZT

Class: SOSB/160 HP
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs): 

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:  191    57
   80:           
   40:           
   20:           
   15:           
   10:           
-------------------
Total:  191    57  Total Score = 32,661

Club: 

Comments:

With its only-dx rule, this contest is obviously an antenna contest and with its
48h without off-time, it is on of the hardest.
Having no better antennas on 40 and 80m than for the CQWW DX , I have thought
that it was not worth the full no-sleep effort.
So, I think that it was the good occasion to try the mono-band category and
especially  the 160m one.
After all, I have been practicing this band for only one year, and 2 nights of
only-dx operation, with few strong/close local signals, had been full of
lessons.

The conditions at this location were better than for the ARRL 160 but worse and
with less rare dx participants than for the CQWW 160. The two nights were about
the same,  except some QRN on second one.
The run was working only between 4h30 and 6h30 Z with Europe, the rest was
mostly S&P.

I think that I have reached the limits of my 160m TX and RX antennas at this
location and doing better will need more than 1 vertical element and a 160m
beverage to EU (even in end-fire configuration).
Having most of neighbors and a big city at a few miles in the direction of
Europe provides the higher level of noise in the most important direction for
contest. As usual, It was a real challenge to pull the 100W European stations
out of this noise (especially the 1TT code !), but it is the reason why I found
this band funny…

Many W/VE stations (about 50 !)  was not aware of the DX ONLY rule and tried to
answer to my CQ.
I changed my CQ message from CQ TEST to CQ TEST DX, but was not enough and each
time, I was obliged to try to explain with a SRI NO W/VE ONLY DX TEST message.
Perhaps the ARRL should communicate more on that point.
In any case, thank to them for having tried to bring me some points, it will be
for the next contest…

In an other hand, some dx / Caribbean  pile-up were a real mess, the dx station
transmitting its call-sign every 5 to 10 minutes (spotting effect) and some
(sadly more and more with the years) callers continuing to transmit their
call-sign far after the beginning of the dx answer, or worse, beginning to
transmit their call-sign during the dx answer. Have you ever experienced what
happens when someone throw a stone in a crowded hen house ? Same sound effect!
What can we do for this kind of operator to understand that it is useless to
call, as long as, one is unable to clearly listen the dx and understand his/her
timing ?

Conclusion, interesting experience, but not to be reiterated at this location,
too noisy to be in the race. Hope to meet you next year as a SOAB.

As usual on this band, thanks to every stations who called me and I apologies
to those I was not able to pull out of the noise.
 
TX : FT1000 mkV Field with click mod / VL-1000 (kW)
Tx ant: 22m wire vertical T between trees.
Rx ant : 160m Reversible Beverage 60/240deg , 200 m reversible Beverage (90/270
deg), 85m reversible Beverage (0/180deg)


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