[3830] ARRLDX CW W3EF SOAB LP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: W3EF
Operator(s): W3EF
Station: W3EF

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: MDC
Operating Time (hrs): 44
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   68    46
   80:  185    63
   40:  587    90
   20:  870    88
   15:  122    46
   10:    5     3
-------------------
Total: 1837   336  Total Score = 1,850,688

Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club

Comments:

In the words of N1UR, "I continue to love this game!"  I would love it even more
if I owned a hilltop QTH in New England like Ed, but from down here in my little
hollow in the middle of the mid-Atlantic region I set some personal bests this
year, and am extremely happy with the result.  It looks like I'm 34 percent
over last year's raw score, with a total that would have been a clear win not
only last year, which was probably the low point in conditions, but also 2007,
which was perhaps more comparable. 

We moved the family back from HB9 this past year (though I still commute), and
with our tenants gone it's become one long home improvement project, with the
station a close second (my XYL might say a not-so-close first, but I could
reply that the replacement windows are arriving tomorrow -- after 135 years!). 
Recent work on SO2R station W3EF has included:
	Repair of the KLM 40M4 (again).
	Mounting of a 10M636 above the 40M4 -- though it isn't yet connected
	Replacement of the rotator on the 20M646 (thanks N3JT for the quick access to
your spare Orion while the XX crew was here)
	Stacking of a second 20M646 (fixed on EU) below the first
	Installation of a 15M532 below the 15M845 (phasing yet to be sorted out)
	Addition of more elevated radials on the 80m wire 4-square and the 160 inv-L
array, bringing it to 4 per vertical element everywhere
	Replacement of the second radio (IC 765 to IC 755DSP)
	Replacement of the BPFs with Dunestar 600s
	Replacement of the shack computer with a new Vista machine with only USB
ports, and the assorted peripheral changes that required (keyers, MK2R devices,
etc)
	Replacement of Writelog with N1MM Logger (an amazing piece of software)

So, lots of different things to help boost performance, but also lots of new
stuff to get used to, most of it only in the last couple of weeks.  A few
things broke (including the 160 array on Friday afternoon when we were trying
to get the flat-top un-stuck from a tree, but giving up my Friday pre-contest
nap and a lot of help from my trusty station-builder Paulo solved that one) and
the main vfo knob on the second radio (I've only had it a month, but it froze
completely, forcing me to use the sub-vfo and decoupling the rig from the
computer), but for the most part the station played really well and I managed
to make good use of the (very intuitive) advanced SO2R features on N1MM Logger
and to stay on both radios pretty much the whole time.

Conditions started out great with some of the best 40M runs I have had and a
mult count by Saturday morning that approached the total of last year on the
low bands.  The overall QSO and mult counts by the end of Saturday were also
close to last year's final total -- very encouraging!  Unfortunately the 20M
opening from here on Sunday morning was nothing like on Saturday, and although
15 did open and was runnable for a short while, it was a disappointing day by
comparison.  It was nice (nay, unbelieveable after checking so many times) to
hear a few precious South Americans on 10 late Sunday afternoon; clearly that
opening was better further south but I'll take it after having a big zero on
ten last year!  Finished up on 40 and 80 with a few good mults on both bands
and a multiplier total I am satisfied with, bested only (so far, and as usual)
by Marv, N5AW.

What would I do differently?  I should have called CQ on 80, now that
conditions favor it and my antenna system is working better.  This I could have
figured out from the fact that almost anyone I called heard me, even early in
the opening -- but I didn't.  Ditto 160.  Although those added Qs would not
have brought me to N1UR's level (and he finally netralized my one advantage by
getting a serious 40m beam), they might have gotten me to my goal of 2000 QSOs.
 Still, to be within 10 percent of that from this location ain't bad.

Congratulations to everyone who made the box or achieved their goals. Looking
at the claimed scores, I just hope my logging accuracy was as good as or better
than WA1Z's.

Thanks to my xyl and kids for being so understanding.  And thanks to everyone
for all the Q's and all the buzz that makes this (for 10+ years) my favorite
contest.

Best 73,

Maury W3EF

Station W3EF (Silver Spring, Maryland -- FM19):

IC 7800 & IC 775DSP
Top Ten selectors and DX Doubler
2 x Dunestar 600 BPFs
WX0B Six-Pak, Stack Match (20) and Stack Master (15)
N1MM Logger under Vista (required building a WinKeyer USB and buying and
debugging a Piexx SO2RXLAT, but worth it)

Antennas:
160m: Comtek phased inverted Ls (2) @ 75' w/elevated radials
80m: Comtek wire 4-sq (sloping to supports off 125' tower) w/elevated radials
40m: KLM 40M4 @ 125'; wire GP @ 60' in tree
20m: 2 x Telrex 20M646 @ 105' and 54'; A3S @ 53'
15m: Telrex 15M845 @ 92' and 15M532 @ 46'; A3S @ 53'
10m: A3S @ 53' (Telrex 10M636 @ 133' about to come on line; might have made a
difference on Sunday but not much)
Beverages: 750' NNE, 290' NW, 280' W


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