[3830] TBDC VA7ST Single Op LP

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                    Stew Perry Topband Challenge

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

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

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 108  Total Score = 615

Club: British Columbia DX Club

Comments:

* Inverted-L -- 85' vert. (sloping), 50' horiz. (sloping)
* FT-2000 + N1MM

Not too sure how much time I put in, but it must be around 5 hours -- in bits
and pieces that probably won't fit the Boring protocol of of four off-times
max. Had much fun despite the QRN... didn't notice any local power line noise,
and at times was able to hear quite a few weaker stations, though there were
also many I just couldn't quite pull through.

Spent a few cold (-15 to -5C) hours over the past week trying to arrange some
on-ground radials. No snow here, so managed to put down more than a dozen
50-footers plus three 100-footers (all loose on top of a frozen lawn, a couple
tied in to 300' of chainlink fence around the lawn). It helped make the antenna
more predictable across the CW band vs. the three "hardly elevated" 135' radials
I've been using.

Started at 2240z, about an hour before dark and was able to work a bunch west
of the Rockies then gradually further and further east as the evening
progressed. Around 2 a.m. local time I began finding more success with the FN
lads at 10 or 12 points each -- a mother lode of points for this QTH -- but the
high-grading lasted less than hour with about 14 FNs in the log.

No DX this year. There was quite a bit of noise on the E-W Beverage, which
isn't uncommon lately, so I ended up phasing a 40M vertical (noise sense
antenna) against the Inverted-L and that helped me hear through the noise
better than the Beverage. Third-best or fourth-worst outing for the Stew
Perry.

Year-over-year:
2009   108     615
2008    93     420
2007   155   1,032
2006    51     133
2005   124     858
2004    43     238

Now that Cycle 24 appears to be rushing headlong toward some far-future
solarmax, we might actually have a sunspot or two for RTTY Roundup next
weekend. Looking forward to that very much.

All the best and happy new year to everyone. Thanks for the contest contacts
this year -- I appreciated all 18,597 of 'em.

-- Bud VA7ST
http://www3.telus.net/va7st


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