[3830] CQWW CW 9M2CNC(G4ZFE) SOAB HP (correction)

[g4zfe at g4zfe.com]

                     CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: 9M2CNC
Operator(s): G4ZFE
Station: 9M2CNC

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: OJ03
Operating Time (hrs): 38

Summary:
  Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
   160:    1     1        1
    80:  150    20       56
    40:  527    31       84
    20:  930    34       93
    15:  973    24       84
    10:   11     5        7
------------------------------
Total: 2592   115      325  Total Score = 2,556,840

Club: VKCC

Comments:

Station (SO1R):

IC-756 Pro and SPE Expert 1K (half power mode - 400W)
40/80 - Butternut HF2V at ground level with 30 x 33' radials
20/15/10 - Force 12 C3-S at 12m

Lower score than last year - more QSOs but less mults and less 3-pointers. In
bad conditions I realise that a beam at 12m doesn't cut the mustard.

Highlights
- 3X5A answering my CQs on two bands for my only QSOs with them. Thank you!

- 599 strength Carribean stations on 40m after sunrise for 30 minutes. I spent
more time listening after the QSO than I should have done but this is a nearly
11000 miles path from 9M2.

Lowlights
- Packet pileups. Not much fun for both sides. I get deluged by non-stop
calling M/M stations and they get frustrated by me. However, on the plus side
it does result in a stream of stations once the M/Ms have been worked. If only
people scanned the bands for mults instead of using the cluster all of the
time.

- Split operations in contests. Surely this is not in the spirit of the
contest? I was affected twice on 40m and ended up in the midst of split
operations. On such a small band this is crazy.


160m
I spent one day getting sunburnt trying to tune a 160m Inverted L. I failed as
the antenna was too low. However, I used the antenna as an end-fed for RX on
80m and it allowed me to hear stations I couldn't hear on the vertical. I am
now a believer in LF receiving antennas :-)

80m
Thanks to my mini-beverage the static was bearable and I heard a lot more than
I usually do on this band. I was even able to run for a short while which was
great fun. The switching from TX to RX antennas was manual as I was worried
about using the 756's RX antenna input as the RX antenna passed within 1 metre
of the vertical TX antenna. To be fixed next year....

40m
Could do better. I was happy with the DX-ing ability of the Butternut but more
is needed to break through the Eu wall and establish a run frequency.

20m
Wall to wall CW from 14.000 to beyond 14.120 MHz. Who says CW is dead? Sadly
very little East Coast US and Carribean but more heard from South America this
year.

15m
The first day's opening to EU was spoilt by another 9M2's poor TX signal that
prevented me from hearing any weak stations when they transmitted. The second
day was OK and I was happy to work so many EU stations at solar minimum.

10m
Not much from here. Others - notably HS0ZAR and VK9AA - were working stuff I
just couldn't hear.


Good activity from S.E Asia. At least 3 other 9M2 stations were active (9M50MB
is in 9M2 and not 9M6/8). However, this pales in comparison to the  
large number
of HS stations that I heard and worked. Two XW stations were QRV as well.

Also a pleasure to hear Fred, K3ZO contesting from HS0ZAR. Indeed, good to
listen and learn from his contesting style.

Logs will be uploaded to LoTW in 2 weeks when I am back in the UK.

Next year the main upgrade will be an Elecraft K3. My K3 order placed on May
1st is being shipped this week. Hurrah!

Thank you for the QSOs.

73 de Rich, G4ZFE/9M2CNC/HS0ZGZ