[3830] ARRL 160 WE9V Single Op LP

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                    ARRL 160-Meter Contest

Call: WE9V
Operator(s): WE9V
Station: WE9V

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs): 26

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 1100  Sections = 76  Countries = 20  Total Score = 218,976

Club: Society of Midwest Contesters

Comments:

My best effort ever in this contest, nearly beating my high
power efforts from KS9K 13 years ago.  (More Qs this year,
more mults HP.)  A testament to the great participation 
this contest has lately.

Operated from my mother's house in central WI. I was sick
of the S9 noise I have from my station and wanted to be able
to hear more callers.  A couple weekends ago I installed
an inverted L (up ~85' thanks to a spud launcher) and
a 900' two-wire beverage towards EU.

I haven't operated from this QTH in nearly 20 years.
First time I listened on the antenna, I had a S9+30 tick
occur every 1.5 seconds.  Long story short, it was the
neighbor's electric fence (800' away).  Fortunately,
I got him to turn it off for the duration of the contest.
But, when he turned it off, I still had another ticking,
this one only about S9.  The next nearest neighbor with
any animals is probably about 2 miles away.  I decided
to leave it alone and use the K3's noise blankers to
knock it out.  Even with the ticking, the night before
the contest, I heard tons of EU calling CQ, but was 
only able to work a few.

Which leads me to the contest....heard LOTS of EU calling
CQ in/near the DX window, some even S9 on the beverage(!!)
but had great difficulty in working them, if I worked them
at all.  Some stations I worked in one call.  Others I
called and called on and off for hours and never made it.
This is something I'm not used to.  From home, I have a
RX issue (S9 noise) and usually run HP.  If I can hear
them, I can easily work them.  From this quiet location
and running LP, I could easily hear them, but not work
them.  That's definitely frustrating.  I'd rather work
everyone I can hear, instead of hearing more stations
but I can't work them.  At home I have a shunt fed 115'
tower plus yagis for cap loading, 100 radials and 7
ground rods.  This location, I had an inverted L (up 85')
with one ground rod and 16 radials.  Slight difference,
but not a "bad" antenna/ground.

Most of the DX I worked was me answering their CQs if I
could get their attention.  Only a handful (<5?) of DX
called me, mostly stations from England at their sunrise.
Several times I had EU start calling CQ on my frequency,
they were S9 on the beverage, and they never heard me.

Missed NT, VE5, PR
 
First night I got tired and zonked at 0920z (3:20am),
I had set the alarm on my cellphone, hit snooze 2 times,
and then the battery died and never went off again, so
I didn't wake up until well past sunrise.  The second night,
I went to bed at 8z (2am), set alarm for 4am, woke up at 5am.
Guess I need a better alarm clock.

Even with not staying up late the first night, I was pleased
with my 700 QSOs, but the rate on Saturday was HORRENDOUS!!!
My rates were typically less than half of my last effort.
Only 15-20 QSOs/hour.  Very boring.

Couldn't operate much Sunday morning, as I had to drive
back home, unpack, then repack as I had to leave for
China the next morning.

Congrats to fellow SMCer K9IG on his great score from
the midwest.

Chad WE9V
http://www.we9v.com


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