[3830] CQ160 CW W7RH Single Op LP

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                    CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW

Call: W7RH
Operator(s): W7RH
Station: W7RH

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

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 643  State/Prov = 56  Countries = 33  Total Score = 186,811

Club: Arizona Outlaws Contest Club

Comments:

160 meters is like no other band. The conditions are predictable only on a 
very relative and speculative basis. A dramatic and dynamic change can occur 
in a period of one hour. This year was no exception.

For those that don't really know me I operate from my remote outpost NE of 
Seligman. I arrived home this late this morning after spending almost four 
days  in a stinky , cold, old camp trailer deep in the high plateau 
wilderness. My wife no longer knows me. My attorney friend calls it "The 
Bunker", a la Armageddon Resort.

My station is a lowly TS-480 feeding 800ft of animal chewed LMR400 to 5 50ft 
verticals via another 1500ft of LMR400. The verticals are arranged to give 
single as OMNI, a 4EL Broadside CEL for East/ WEST and 3EL end fire to NE, SE,

SW and NW. All of this to make up for the physical abuse I've put my body 
through over the years, my lack of operating skill and deafness.  Throw in 
90,000 feet of copper radials, a barbed wire and electric fenced corral for 
antenna system. Missing running water, commercial power and easy access not to

mention a nice comfortable warm bed. All of this is true.

What results is a whole different experience. I have no separate RX antennas. I

don't need them and even when tried,  good working beverages don't work as 
well here.

While the ARRL says there is a DX window it really only provides room for 
Caribbean contesters to compete with EU. The feeding trough is a 15Khz window 
between 1810 and 1825 where all the "Big Guns" like to line up and hang out 
for 30-40 hours. The Feeding,  is the potential JA run on Saturday mornings. 
In this contest an almost endless string of 10 pointers. 

On the other end of the Spectrum you have a large assortment of big guns, 
pistols and cap guns all crammed into 100Khz. Makes for an interesting mix 
especially when a power house lion is calling CQ on top of a weak EU station 
that can actually hear!

Once again I failed to establish any domestic rates on either night. Saturday 
night was a total drag calling CQ on 1856 for 6 hours to work 150 Q's. S&P is 

far more fun. WAC and WAS in one night. A couple new countries and a whole lot

of work. The 0300-0400 Z periods both nights were fantastic for EU DX. Many EU

stations came back with just one call. My JA run Saturday AM was a gift from 
God to make up for the lousy US non -runs. Seemed like stateside activity was 
a little lower. (16 hours for WAS)

They say these were declining conditions. Hard to tell as I beat last years 
score in the RAW.


I need more sleep. GN Bob, W7RH


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