[3830] Rus DX VA7ST SO Mixed HP

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                    Russian DX Contest

Call: VA7ST
Operator(s): VA7ST
Station: VA7ST

Class: SO Mixed HP
QTH: BC
Operating Time (hrs): 10.5

Summary:
 Band  CW Qs  Ph Qs  Countries  Oblasts
----------------------------------------
  160:    2               1          
   80:   32               3          
   40:  106              16         2
   20:  150     26       36        14
   15:    6      6        3          
   10:                               
----------------------------------------
Total:  296     32       59        16  Total Score = 96,825

Club: 

Comments:

FT-2000 (SO1R) + SB221 at ~500-800w
3-element Mosley CL-33 at 45'
40M  -- two half-squares
80M  -- one delta loop
160M -- Inverted-L

SFI 70 | A 10  | K 2 

Tough sledding. I hope a good time was had by all, despite conditions and odd
paths. I should have been at the rig full-time but only put in 10.5 hours total
-- just couldn't justify losing much sleep for under-10/hr rates in the wee
hours, (or mid-afternoon for that matter).

10M -- Completely dead.

15M -- Not much there, either. South America and southeastern U.S. only. Worked
6 CW and 6 phone.

20M -- Pretty good at times, but pretty lousy at times, too. EU opening
Saturday morning was so-so -- opened late and never hit a fever pitch here.
Band is in OK shape if I get to work South Africa, so ZS1EL and ZS4TX were very
welcome finds. A handful of Asiatic Russians worked around 2245z and again
several weak but workable at 0000z, but didn't hear much from EU Russia at any
time. Worked just 26 phone Qs (1 oblast). Called CQ a time or two with brief
flurries but not sustainahle even though I think I had a workable signal. Just
didn't seem like much activity. OH6NIO called in with a big signal while I was
beaming Asia (75 degrees west of OH).

40M -- All CW. Good domestic conditions, and a fairly strong 40M CW central EU
opening late Saturday afternoon. Worked 2 oblasts. Could not make the most of
the opening as the half-square to EU is compromised, firing across part of my
US/JA half-square, which reduces gain on the polar path in favor of the
southwest. Modeling (after building, naturally) told me to watch for this, and
on-air performance confirmed it. A fix is in the works. Must note ZS4TX was
very loud here around 0100z (I NEVER get to work South Africa on 40M).

80M -- All Cw. High noise this weekend on the delta loop. No DX heard.

160M -- A couple of close in stations, and that's all. (If George W2SC is not
in California, I want what he's got for antennas).

Other notes: 

Worked VE7SV and VE7CC a few times (not easy on 20M from 400 kms away). Lee CC
had well over 1000 Q when we had our final Q on 80M around 11 p.m. local
(0545z), so he was definitely finding a lot of stations I wasn't (I had just
over 300), and there was still a lot of time for him to play on the low bands.
I didn't find enough activity to keep at it much after that, though I
considered closing the 800 Q gap between us -- I just needed 80 additional
hours, hi.

It's not an accurate measure of contest activity, but livescores.org didn't
have great hordes of people posting (40 or so -- about half of ARRL DX SSB
numbers). http://www.getscores.org. I leave the web browser open in an unused
part of the desktop, so I can see how my category pals are doing while I
plaintively bleat "CQ" and guys tune past me.

Hope the TX5C lads have a safe voyage from Clipperton. Sounds like WX and QRN
gave them trouble in the final few days. Missed them on 160M despite hours of
calling with SWR-limited 50W. Had hoped to fill a couple more high-band slots
in RDXC if they were ending with a Ducie-type contest run (handing out serial
numbers), but I saw spots early Saturday morning saying they were loading the
boat. The guys did a fine job under trying condition.

Prep work Friday evening included replacing a pair of Schottky diodes in the
AEA AT-3000 tuner metering circuit -- second time I've burned up these puppies.
Should handle my <KW without breathing hard, but those diodes are taking a
beating. It doesn't flinch at my stupid 2 a.m. "correct amp, wrong antenna"
flubs, yet some apparently random condition kills them.

Spring looks like it's about to go QRO, which means antenna work over the early
Easter break. Separating the 40M half-squares so they don't affect one another
is top priority. More radials for 160-L and a pair of 80M phased verticals are
next down the list.


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