[3830] CQWW CW W6PH SOAB HP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: W6PH
Operator(s): W6PH
Station: W6PH

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: Lone Pine, CA
Operating Time (hrs): 33

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:   47    15       23
   80:   93    21       36
   40:  426    33       94
   20:  614    34      108
   15:   70    19       41
   10:    1     1        1
------------------------------
Total: 1254   123      303  Total Score = 1,421,136

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

Rig:  TS-930S, AL-1200 (SO1R)
Antennas on Field Day AB-577 masts
   40m: 40-2CD at 60 feet
   20-10m:  Cushcraft ATB-34 at 55 feet
   80m:  Inverted L (35 up by 30 feet horizontal)
   160m:  Base loaded 80m inverted L

I almost gave up after a couple hours as I had a high noise level.  I took a
couple hours off but went back to the radio and found the noise gone.  The
bands seemed pretty good but I was demotivated and tired and went to bed at
midnight missing some good low band openings to Europe.  Same thing Sunday
morning.  We were out of town for Thanksgiving so I had to put all my antennas
up during the day Friday.  Not a good way to start a contest.  No equipment
problems at all, just operator issues.

40 meters was a really great band.  I did a lot of S&P trying to break 100
countries and ended up low on QSO count.  I think the JA's are back though. 
They answered my CQ's continuously for a couple hours.  

20 meters was only open to Europe for about an hour at sunrise here and then
faded away.  I never worked HA or SP on 20m.  I only worked two OH's and one
SM.
Signals went all the way up to 14140 while the band was open to Europe.

15 meters was only open to the Caribbean and South America with no propagation
to Japan or Asia which we usually get.  During the last hour I checked 15m and
found JA5FDJ and JA3YBK CQing.  I couldn't get JA3YBK to hear me but got JA5FDJ
in the log after a couple tries.

My only contact on 10m was with W6YX who was weak but came to S9+ on bursts. 
Nothing else despite frequent checks.

I am disappointed in my 80m results.  I worked stations on 160m that I couldn't
work on 80m.  I think the guy wires for my AB-577's are resonant on 80m which
suck energy from the inverted L right near them.  My antennas are spaced pretty
close in an area 75 feet by 75 feet which puts the masts about 30 feet apart
with the vertical in the middle.

Lots of "shoulda's" but there is always next year.  I sure hope we aren't in
for another Maunder Minimum.  I only have a couple more sunspot cycles left.

                                   73, Kurt, W6PH


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