[3830] SS CW AC0DS Single Op LP

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                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW

Call: AC0DS
Operator(s): AC0DS
Station: AC0DS

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: CO - Longmont
Operating Time (hrs): 24

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:  193
   40:  343
   20:  362
   15:    5
   10:     
------------
Total:  903  Sections = 79  Total Score = 142,674

Club: Grand Mesa Contesters of Colorado

Comments:

My best SS results to date, and definitely the most satisfying.   I’m in an
antenna restricted neighborhood and only put up my transmit antennas for the
contests.  Even then, they need to be rather stealth.  During the past year
I’ve made changes to the antenna plan that seem to have paid off well during
the SS contest.  The innocuous looking ornamental plum tree in the front yard
actually contains a 2/3 sized K9AY receiving array complete with camouflage
painted control box and underground coax and control cables (hee hee).  This
has helped a lot with RX on the low bands, giving some directionality and noise
reduction.  Also spent a lot of time last winter laying down a half mile of
radials in the back yard under my transmit antenna location.  These are now
completely invisible, having been integrated nicely into my small back lawn. 
So the ground system is now permanent, which helps immensely in terms of the
speed and ease of erecting and dismantling my transmit antennas.

I used two transmit antennas.  One was a 43 ft vertical wire supported by a
Spiderbeam pole and tuned with a remote tuner on the ground.  The other was a
102 ft doublet at 30 ft supported by Jackite and painter’s poles.  This was
fed with 300 ohm twinlead and tuned by the internal tuner in my K3.  Both
played well.  The doublet was very effective on 20, with the lobes oriented for
good coverage of New England, Atlantic Canada, SE US, AK, etc.  Was easily able
to hold a run frequency on 20 even with 100W.   I used the vertical most often
on 40 and 80, but having both antennas available on all bands was a nice
luxury.

With the more effective antennas, I focused more on running this year, with 629
of the Qs on runs.   Was happy with the Q rate, but with 4 hours of operating
time left still only had 76 sections, missing 4 of the Canadian multipliers. 
After finishing my last run on 20, took a quick S&P scan through the band and
found VE8 and VE5 in rapid succession, both CQing with strong signals and very
few takers.  That helped a lot!   Then during the final hour while running on
40 got a call from VE4YU to make a total of 79 sections.  So the elusive sweep
still remains just that.

Conditions this year seemed great, with good signal levels and minimal QRN.  I
thought the level of operating was also quite good, with almost everyone being
predictable, sane and cooperative.  Lots of QRP activity too!   Was also a
welcome relief not to have to worry about the DST time change during the middle
of the contest.


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