[3830] TBDC K1LT Single Op HP

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                    Stew Perry Topband Challenge

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

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: EM89
Operating Time (hrs): 14

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 761  Total Score = 4,006

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

*That* was a blast.  I also made more QSOs than anyone (who was scored
 by BARC) last year.  Of course, everyone else will make more Qs, too.

Going into the contest, I thought this year was going to be difficult.
First, the day before the contest, I still had an annoying head cold.
Second, on the day of the contest, I discovered the deer had mangled
some of the coax going to the phased array, which was causing crashes
and pops from water getting inside the coax.  Third, the nasty
northwest noise made an appearance for a while the morning of the
test.

But things got better:, the cold mostly faded by the beginning of the
contest, all the water in the coax was conveniently converted to
copper oxide before the contest started and I had no popping and
crashing noise, and the nasty buzzing noise stayed away from the first
half of the contest.

Usually there is a flurry of European activity around 2200Z, but this
year the first Europeans were very weak and few in number.  They never
did get very strong although I might guess that signals were somewhat
close to normal by European sunrise.  On the other hand, I could hear
the US west coast!

Rates stayed very good until around 0700Z and fell dramatically.  At
0830Z I took a 2 hour nap.  When I came back, the nasty northwest
noise had returned.  The nasty noise raises the noise floor by about 6
db to the northwest, which means bearings from about 280 to 350
degrees are almost useless.  Nevertheless, I worked two new countries,
FO8 and JD1 and also ZL and 4 JAs.  Actually 3 of the JAs were beaming
due west on the phased array and the last one and the JD1 was on the
due north Beverage.  Skew path?  Or just the bearing with the best
signal to noise ratio?  I couldn't tell.

I tried to add additional automation for this contest.  The goal was
to have the phased array and software radio system (still looking for
a good name for the combined system) "find the caller" by tuning
around and looking in all directions simultaneously.  Of course,
everything takes longer than one expects, and I only had the "tuning
around" part working by the contest.  I didn't use the feature very
much, probably because I'm not yet confident about its performance or
my competence to deal with it.  But I should have it thoroughly
confusing for when K0DXC gets here for the CQ 160.

A lot more DX worked than last year: 4O, 9A, C6, CE, DL, E7, EI, ES,
F, FM, FO/P, G, GM, GU, GW, HA, I, JA, JD1, K, KH6, KL7, KP4, KV4, LA,
LY, OE, OH, OK, OM, ON, OZ, P4, PA, S5, SM, SP, TF, UA, UR, VE, YL,
YU, ZC4, and ZL.

Equipment: Icom IC-765, ETO 91B (K8ND loaner), 8 element phased array
and SDR receiver, 13 Beverages, 65 foot "T" vertical and 75 radials, 2
computers, 2 keyboards, and 3 screens.


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