[3830] ARRLDX CW VE7FO(@VE7UF) M/S HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: VE7FO
Operator(s): VE7FO VA7AN
Station: VE7UF

Class: M/S HP
QTH: Courtenay, BC
Operating Time (hrs): 48

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:    6     4
   80:   59    26
   40:  131    42
   20:  331    85
   15:   49    18
   10:           
-------------------
Total:  576   176  Total Score = 302,016

Club: British Columbia DX Club

Comments:

Oh man, that was a tough slog.

Best hours were 55, 50 and 32 Qs.  Worst were 3 with 1 Q, 4 with 2 Qs and it's
just too painful to go on.  This at a 3 tower station with numerous TH6DX, a
couple of 40m yagis, a 4 square for 80 and an Alpha Amp.

This was the other half of the VE7UF team.  We did 2 M/S with VE7YU and VE7UF
signing VE7UF and VA7AN and VE7FO signing VE7FO.  Some of the low rates were
due to the need to swap bands to give each group a fair shot at the activity. 
i.e. while one group was on 20 the other would be on 40 or 15.  But some of the
low rates were due to poor conditions at our location.

We did the two M/S thing again because it's more fun for the ops (UF has worked
the band out?  FO comes on and is fresh meat.)  This results in a lower score
for each group than if we did a M/2 or M/M but I'm sure glad we did. 
Otherwise, what was a pretty painful experience would have been way worse, as
in several hours with no Qs at all.

If you read VE7UF's story you will have seen mention of wrapping the coax
around the 150 ft rotating tower.  He was kind enough to not mention who it was
that, believing the tower was stuck because the indicator wasn't moving, tried
turning it this way and that hoping to "unstick" it.  Guess what, the tower was
fine, the problem was with the indicator.  I guess that having guest ops is like
having the grand kids over - you have to kid proof everything.

Believing that the tower was pointing the stack of 3 TH6DX's SE (turned out
they were pointing N) I resorted to the Mosley at 45 ft for the Eu opening on
Sun am.  Hey, they're there, they're hearing me and contesting is fun again. 
Still, while I had a lot of success with S&P I couldn't get a run going and
missed lots of Qs compared to what would have been possible with the stack.

It's always fun when hearing an Oc station with OU in the call sign (T32OU this
time) to say, "Hi Bill".  When he comes back with, "Hi Jim" I know it's N7OU
touring paradise again.

Many thanks to VE7YU and VA7AN for making it possible to keep both op positions
going for the full 48.

73, Jim  VE7FO


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