[3830] ARRLDX SSB K1LT SOAB(A) HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, SSB

Call: K1LT
Operator(s): K1LT
Station: K1LT

Class: SOAB(A) HP
QTH: Lancaster, Ohio
Operating Time (hrs): 14

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   30    27
   80:    6     6
   40:  100    47
   20:    1     1
   15:   72    27
   10:    1     1
-------------------
Total:  210   109  Total Score = 68,670

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

Well, I started the contest on 160 with the intention of gaining
additional experience with my Steerable Phased Array (read: screwing
around).  However, operating 160 exclusively during a multi-band phone
DX contest is excruciatingly boring, so I started chasing DX on 40,
which is the only other band besides 160 for which I have an antenna,
a ground-mounted quarter wave vertical over 32 radials.

So, Friday evening I alternated between 40 and 160.  I napped from
about 0230Z to 0530Z, and went to bed for good after 0630Z.  I don't
think I worked anything remarkable.

Saturday afternoon I observed that a 40 meter vertical also works on
15 meters, so I hung out on 15 for a while.  When 15 got slow, I
screwed around trying to load up the vertical on 20 without the
benefit of an antenna tuner.  By being careful, I could get the
amplifier to emit about 250 watts without tripping the SWR protect
circuit.  Thus, I was able to work TM6M on 20 meters.

When 15 got slow and 40 got going, I stayed on 40 for a while and
worked a lot of Europeans and South Americans.  I discovered that its
faster to enter a split frequency via the keyboard that via the radio
front panel, even though one has to put fingers on both the radio and
the keyboard at the same time.  When I worked TM6M on 40, they told me
"3787", so I thought, what the heck.

Now, a few months ago, I tried adding a parallel 80 meter wire to my
160 meter "T" for Sweepstakes.  Although the wire is cut for 3530 or
so, I could trick the amplifier into producing a few watts on 80 by
again being careful not to trip the SWR protect.  So, I worked TM6M on
80 meters, along with 5 other stations, thus making TM6M my first 4
band contact.

I stuck with 40 and 160 until European sunrise, and went to bed.  ZL3A
was my best DX on 40, and CW6V was probably the best DX on 160.  I
heard a whisper of US0LW on 160, but he was not strong enough to call.
I heard lots of Europeans coming back to the big east coast stations,
but I didn't care to call CQ.

Sunday morning, I managed to hit the 15 meter band opening just right,
and stayed with it most of the day, except for a couple of hours of
family support duty.  I think I worked all of the actual South
American countries except PZ, 8R, OA, and CP.  My vertical didn't have
enough oomph to reach ZL2AWH, and I didn't hear any Europeans.  Maybe
I need more radials :-)

I made a couple of excursions to 10 meters, and one time I found
TI50DX, and again the amplifier trick worked.  So, TI50DX is my other
4 band contact.

I finished on 40 winding up with the following breakdown:

     band      QSOs        mults

     160         30          27
      80          6           6
      40        100          47
      20          1           1
      15         72          27
      10          1           1

     TOTAL      210         109      SCORE: 68,670

Maybe I should put up a tribander or buy an antenna tuner.

Antennas:

160: 65' vertical with "T" top
 80: 48' inverted L tied to 160 vertical (read: very narrow)
 40: 33' vertical
 20: 33' vertical
 15: 33' vertical
 10: 33' vertical

Victor, K1LT


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