[3830] CQWW CW VG7V(@VE7UF) M/M HP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: VG7V
Operator(s): VA7DX  VA7RN  VE7AX  VE7FO  VE7UF
Station: VE7UF

Class: M/M HP
QTH: IOTA NA36 
Operating Time (hrs): 48

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:  452    13       22
   80:  666    23       31
   40: 1138    31       86
   20: 1445    35       88
   15:  761    21       53
   10:    9     3        4
------------------------------
Total: 4471   126      284  Total Score = 3,967,570

Club: British Columbia DX Club

Comments:

All the station operators except one are returnees and we were glad to have
Neil, VA7DX join us for the first time.  This is the most operators the station
has had for a single event.  A quick post contest check showed that all
operators were about equal in speed and quality so it was a very good team. 
The general upbeat mood at the end of the contest says more than my words can.

The start of this contest effectively occurred in October with the installation
of a refurbished rotatable 170 foot Rohn 45 tower.  Thanks go to VA7DJ, VA7RJP
and VA7SUV for their help.  First antenna to go up was a refurbished TH6 that
occupies the top.  Next was a 402BA 40M beam that I modified by installing the
orginal 2 elements on a 40 foot boom and adding a director element.  It
occupies the 150 foot position.  Next came 2 more refurbished TH6s that occupy
the 130 foot and 90 foot positions.  The TH6s are driven through a stack match.
 I added a 4 element full sloper for 80M from the top guy ring bearing at 125
feet.  During the last 2 weeks of November the antennas had to withstand a
series of major wind and rain storms that caused some damage due to the
installation ropes that were left dangling and got caught on the 40M driven
element and the lower antenna mounting plates while turning the tower.  I did't
manage to replace the broken 40M beam linear loading insulators next to the boom
until the Thursday before the contest.  It was like rebuilding an old car and
entering it in a demolition derby.  The station now has 14 antennas on 4
towers.  The towers are 170 ft, 150 ft, 80 feet and 54 feet high.  I'll try to
have the station tour pictures updated on the BCDX club web site.

Due to all the antenna activities I had neglected the rest of the station and
it took about 2 hours to get all 3 stations operating without any major issues.
 The Olympic games special call sign probably helped while running but was a
handicap when trying to work weak mults.  The bands were about the same 
as last year.  Do to an antenna combination misunderstanding we tried to run EU
with one TH6 pointed south east both morning openings when I was sleeping.  We
missed lots of 20M EU mults.  Biggest surprise was the Qs.  We surpassed the
2004 CQWW CW station Q record by 1,300 Qs!  Second biggest surpeise was the
160M Qs.  I haven't done much better in the 160M contests.  We logged lots of
JAs most notable on 80M.  Without them us west coast contesters would get
bored.  I worked lots of EU on 160M and 80M before the contest but almost none
during the contest.  Good to have more BAs in the log and having them call us. 
10M was still almost a complete write-off again.  The general consensus amoung
ourselves is that we could have done much better now that we know how to more
effectively use the new aluminum.  

The only other station additions are a fridge (no coaxial input and output
connectors on it) and a microwave oven to reduce the kitchen traffic.  Almost
all of my basement's 1,650 square feet is dedicated to radio now.  We had a
productive good time and want to thank all that called us.

73, Duane VE7UF


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