[3830] ARRL 160 KV4FZ Single Op HP

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                    ARRL 160-Meter Contest

Call: KV4FZ
Operator(s): KV4FZ
Station: KV4FZ

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Virgin Islands
Operating Time (hrs): 24

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 1092  Sections = 78  Countries = 58  Total Score = 403,104

Club: 

Comments:

Even though I nearly doubled my last attempt I missed the top ten as usual with
the rules skewed the way they are.  Still it was a thrill especially to play
with one of my MFJ-1026 Noise Canceling boxes used as a antenna phaser.

I was hoping to do better by concentrating on European stations but the first
night my best EU 40 degree Beverage J-box failed and the 20 degree Beverage
just picked up to many East coast constant CQ-ers. I put the 90 degree Beverage
to use and was able to work a few by nulling out the East coast with my MFJ-1026
phaser.  Missed VE8 and strangely KP4 only 100 miles away although one was on
briefly to work a few friends.  As always during this contest ZL/VK regulars,
which I work almost every morning along were some JA's, were just not there or
impossible to hear through the wall of CQ-ers every 200 hz. I don't think
trying to null in the very direction for the Pacific would have worked so I
didn't try that.  But to think about it I might have been able to slice out the
thundering east coast big guns in favor of some Pacific areas

Nice thing about this contest is that I can work DX since the Virgin Islands
are not considered DX for the purpose of this contest.  The down side of this
is that it is near impossible with the rules this way for me every to place in
the top ten with every W/K are 2 pointers which would not be the case if
overseas U.S Territories were considered what they really are "DX"....right? 
The ARRL CAC calls this a SS for 160 meters but really it is a DX contest so
why not let DX be DX?  Why should the neighboring islands count 5 points for
you and VI only 2 points?  Makes no sense at all!



If my 40 degree super quiet DX-Engineering EU Reversible Beverage was working
things might have been better.  I even ran a new RG-6 500 feet with a
flashlight through the Guinea grass but no joy.  Later I realized that the
internal relay had a momentary open contact which I could have still used by
sending the switching voltage down the other feedline.  I did this after the
contest and the problem has gone away. I could have cure this problem from the
shack during the contest by flashing some voltage on the SW feedline......but
during a nice European openning I just didn't think of this.  Maybe before the
Stew I can remove the relay so Mr. Murphy won't hit me again.

73 

Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ


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