[3830] CQWW CW SV9CVY(DL6FBL) SOAB HP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: SV9CVY
Operator(s): DL6FBL
Station: SV9CVY

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: KM25FI
Operating Time (hrs): 48

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:  379    12       54
   80:  823    23       86
   40: 2081    34      101
   20: 1907    32      108
   15:  591    32       93
   10:  134     8       26
------------------------------
Total: 5915   141      468  Total Score = 6,342,735

Club: Bavarian Contest Club

Comments:

Bottom line first: propagation sucked. About 700 QSOs, 50 multipliers and over 1
million points LESS than last year.

This time I brought a Kenwood TS-850S (tnx DL4NER), because I loved its noise
blanker, and I had hoped to be able to better take up with the very high noise
floor at the QTH (see my 3830 posting for the SSB contest). Unfortunately it
did not help. I even think that I made things worse: whenever I turned up on a
new band, especially on 40/80/160m, of course a big pile-up built up. The 250Hz
filters in the 850 can not handle that very well... The 500Hz filters are too
wide, because those bands were fully packed. I do not remember this problem
from last year when I was using my FT-1000MP. Unfortunately my new K3 was not
available, because it is still travelling home on some ship after being used at
the VK9DWX expedition last month...

The weather was fine before the contest. Saturday morning strong wind started
and athmosperic noise added to the normal very high noise floor. This made it
almost impossible to copy weak signals. I suffered especially after sunrise on
15 meters, when JA/Asia was calling, and I was not able to get their callsigns.
I hoped for a better opening on Sunday, but of course that never happened. Over
the course of the day the wind was playing with the antennas, and one element
of the Optibeam was getting stuck in the 40m loading wire of the neighboring
element, which created high SWR on 20 and 40 meters. When the antenna was
turned South (where the wind was coming from), it would come off again by
chance after some 10-20 minutes. After sunset it happened once more, and then
of course the wind calmed down and the element was still stuck. I had to live
with the high SWR all through the night, before Sunday morning Mike's cousin
George came and climbed the tower to get it right again (BTW Sunday was a warm
sunshiny day with no clouds and well over 20C).

After 24 hours I was 350 QSOs and 30 multipliers down from last year, so I lost
another 350 QSOs and 20 multipliers on the second day.

Another thing, and please don't get it wrong: Mike has received E-Mails asking
if it is possible to operate from his station. Please be aware that this is NOT
a rental station, but a private house... I have to be very thankful that Mike is
accepting me in his home.

73 Ben
SV9/DL6FBL


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