[3830] CQ160 CW AC6DD Single Op HP

Wed Feb 3 10:00:52 PST 2010

                    CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW

Call: AC6DD
Operator(s): AC6DD
Station: AC6DD

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs): 25

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 661  State/Prov = 57  Countries = 46  Total Score = 290,151

Club: 

Comments:

This was my third year operating from the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse.  I was a
bit undecided at first, as I already started setting up a different location,
but I figured with the Lighthouse now open for tours it might be getting harder
to use it in the future, and the scenery is fantastic, so here I go.  Jim - the
site Manager, actually moved out of his residence to make place for me to set
up. 

I found that in a year things have changed a bit at the Lighthouse.   The area
where I strung my cables for the receiving 4 square last year was now replanted
with native growth.  I could not walk over the new plants, so I had to go mostly
along the road, adding some 500' to my RX antenna cable runs, for a total of
around 1500'.  The equipment setup took most of the day Thursday and Friday.  

I put up a second vertical close to the edge of the water, but did not have
enough time to finish it all up, so after a failed phasing attempt I started
the first night with the vertical on the Lighthouse.  I was hoping that with
the second vertical I could put a bit stronger signal into Asia and work more
of the 10 point JA's and some of the Asian multipliers I could hear but not
work the last couple of times. I also had the vision of setting up a Broadside
phased Beverage for EU, but nothing happened here other than pulling the coax.

I was all set up with a second radio, but some unresolved buzzing made it hard
to use.  I am lousy at it anyway, made a total of 2 QSO on it.  I used the
SDR-IQ receiver to spot open frequencies for CQ.  This worked really well.  

A funny thing happened while setting up the second vertical.  A guy Is walking
by and stops and looks at me working on the antenna.  "Law enforcement?" he 
asks.  I reply "Homeland Security". "Oh" he goes and speeds away.  I finally
got on the air at around 0100.

Just like last year we get a rain storm on Friday, and again the static crashes
were making it tough on receive.  Unfortunately my reflected power slowly kept 
rising, and a while later my amp shuts down from arcing.  At first I thought it
was the coax cable getting soaked, so I replaced it, but no difference.  At this
point It appeared that I was out for the night - right in the middle of the EU
opening at 06:35. This is my sixth year doing 160m contests portable and I know
the question is not if, but what is going to break.  

I decide to go out and get the other vertical going.  It only has two or three
radials right now, but it is something.  After a while I am back on the air, 
and catch the end of the EU opening, but plenty in time for the JA's.  The
first JA - JA7QVI was worked at 07:42. About the same time I attracted a couple
of anonymous jammers, both located North of me, and some non anonymous lids. On
one of my CQ's both N6VR and a partial JA call come back.  I reply to the JA
and try to get his call when CQ,CQ,CQ W6PU drops out of nowhere. The JA is
unreadable, W6PU ignores me.  Even N6VR gets involved asking W6PU to QSY, but
the man answers to no one.  Eventually he got tired and moved - 200Hz up, than
200Hz down - killed my JA rate. By some strange coincidence K6SRZ drops CQ's on
me three different times during the night on three different spots on the band,
not once a QRL?, bad key clicks to go with it.  Yes, I know antenna pointed NE,
narrow filter, couldn't hear me, la, la ,la, but now I can't hear anyone. 
This is how it is on the back of the bus, row before last.

It was interesting hearing BY stations working each other and  some of the JA
runs they were having.  Some of the Asian multipliers heard this morning, but 
not worked were DU1BP, XU7ACY and HL2CFY.  

I end up the night with 416 QSO.  

I sleep between 8:30 and 11:30.  The first thing after I get outside is to fix
my Lighthouse vertical.  After a while looking for the problem in the wrong
places I find it in the fiberglass base holding my top whip on the lighthouse. 
It appears the insulator broke down during the rain storm.  I wrap it with some
electrical tape, so to raise it above the pipe it sits in and it is fine again.
 I also add some radials to the other vertical.  Now there are 7 of them lying
on top of the brush, the antenna bandwidth starts shrinking.  The phasing box
was left outside last night and got filled with water so I place it in the 
sun to dry up. I am back on the air before dark.  I can hear some EU, but it is
hard to work them.  At this point I am thinking that I actually made things 
worse with a second vertical.  Just the added connecting and phasing cable loss
comes to 1 dB.   I fail to get through about half a dozen EU multipliers at
their sunrise, didn't keep track this time, but 9A, YU, PA UZ are some that
come to mind.   Chaos was going on on the spot where GW3YDX and HI3TEJ were
calling CQ at the same time.  I eventually worked the GW, never worked HI3TEJ. 
First time that I did not work a ZL or VK, possibly showed up when I fell asleep
in the chair. I never got through to HS0ZEE later. 

And now to the tear down - it takes 5 hours of solid work to pack it all up,
this after sleeping a total of 5 hours in three days.  
I catch myself falling asleep and getting off the side of the road a few times
while driving home.   

Numbers:  

661 QSO, 
57 VE/US mults.  Missed:  DC, Lb, Nt, Nu, Pe, Yt 
46 countries:    

BY,C6,CE,CN,CT,CT3,CU,CX,DL,EA,EA8,EI,ES,F,FM,FO,G,GW,HA,HC,HK,I,JA,JT,KH6,KL,KP2,OH,OH0,OK,OM,ON,P4,PJ2,PY,PY0F,SM,TF,UA2,UA9,V3,VP9,VR2,XE,XU,YB.

116 Asian stations - 101 JA, 4 BY, 8 UA9
25 EU stations (last year 52)

290151 pts.

This is it for this location, moving on.  Some pictures:
http://wwww.ac6dd.com/2010/2010cq160cw.htm   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiNBYvA4hjs

Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/