[3830] Volta RTTY VA7ST SOAB HP

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Sun May 10 09:33:54 PDT 2009


                    Volta RTTY DX Contest

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

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: BC
Operating Time (hrs): 

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Pts   Mults
-------------------------
   80:    9   103     7
   40:   81   804    18
   20:  141  1868    41
   15:    1     2     1
   10:                 
-------------------------
Total:  232  2777    72  Total Score = 46,387,008

Club: British Columbia DX Club

Comments:

* FT2000 + SB221
* N1MM Logger + MMTTY
* 3 ele. SteppIR @ 47'
* 40M dipole @ 47'
* 80M twin vertical array

SFI=72 A=13>7 K=3>2

Conditions were really bad on 20M with no decent EU opening -- just the big
guns. Even NA was hard work with high noise. Timekeeping was wonky, but I
figure I was at it for about 10 to 12 hours.

Went in hoping to give the new SteppIR a shakeout cruise and at least tie the
16M-point effort from last year. Didn't expect to approach the 57M-point
personal best of 2007. A few more EU stations in the 20M log would have pushed
the score well past that PB. Pretty happy to see a record Q total, and come
within one mult. 

  Band    QSOs    Pts  Cty   Sec
   3.5       9     103    0    7
     7      81     804    5   18
    14     141    1868   24   17
    21       1       2    0    1
 Total     232    2777   29   43
Score:   46,387,008

Will need more time on task to get a good feel for pre- and post-change
performance with the new antenna, but it does work. I had many long stretches
without the amp just to see what it could do, and it performed very well. 

Bandwidth and trap power handling on RTTY are no longer issues -- amplifier
loves it. Quick-reverse 180-degree mode netted plenty of extra Qs. Band changes
take only a few seconds -- a sip of coffee, or less time than it takes to turn
the knobs on the amp if moving from 20 to 15M, for example.

The SteppIR's 40M dipole element did a fine job. Having a rotary antenna for
40M makes up for the gain I'm losing by taking down the twin half-square array
(which fired either to JA or the US/Caribbean). No EU on 40M, but the dipole
made it easier to work a few VKs and my lone ZL section. By far my best 40M
tally in Volta RTTY so far. 

After a few more contests and I'll know just what the differences are between
old and new.

20M tallies in recent years:
        Qs   Pts  Cty  Sec  Mults
2009   141  1868   24   17     41 SteppIR    HP
2008   115  1385   16   15     31 CL-33      HP
2007   165  3131   40   13     53 CL-33      HP
2006    98  1311   18   17     35 CL-33      LP

40M tallies in recent years:
        Qs   Pts  Cty  Sec  Mults
2009    81   804    5   18     18 SteppIR dipole
2008    61   517    2   13     13 Half-square/phased verts
2007    48   476    3   14     17 Half-square
2006    26   259    1   11     12 Inverted-V beams (2 and 3 el.)

Year-over-year   Qs Mult   Pts  Score
------------------------------------------
May-09 SOABHP   232 72   2,777  46,387,008
May-08 SOABHP   179 48   1,908  16,393,536
May-07 SOABHP   216 73   3,634  57,300,912
May-06 SOABLP   150 60   1,825  16,452,000 
May-05 SOABLP    71 33     536   1,255,848 
May-03 SOABLP    25 16     228      81,600

Thanks for the contacts. 

-- Bud VA7ST


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