[3830] CQ WW RTTY AB1J SOSB/40 LP

[webform at b41h.net]

                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY

Call: AB1J
Operator(s): AB1J
Station: AB1J

Class: SOSB/40 LP
QTH: Waltham, MA
Operating Time (hrs): 27

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Pts  State/Prov  DX  Zones
----------------------------------------
   80:    0                           
   40:  375  649      45      60    18
   20:    1                           
   15:   18                           
   10:    4                           
----------------------------------------
Total:  375  649      45      60    18  Total Score = 79,827

Club: 

Comments:

Halfway through this contest marked my 2nd anniversary on RTTY and I've enjoyed
every minute.  It was love at first baud.  

After two years on 20, I decided to give it a go on 40 using an MMD MD-40 (see
review in June 2010 QST).  It's an end fed coaxial dipole with a filter on the
fed end to eliminate RF-in-the-shack problems.  There was no noticeable RF
floating around my rig or computer, although everything is festooned with RF
chokes just in case.  The antenna starts at my third floor bedroom window and
drops sharply over the back yard to a tree down a steep hill.  The far end is
about 8 feet lower than my lawn.  You can think of it as an upside-down end fed
really steep sloper.  It's a compromise set up, but works well enough.  Given
the geometry and topology of my property, plus the need to be a deep cover
stealth station, it’s about the best I can do.  The MD-40 is made of RG-174
coax, not too visible.  Even so, except for contests, I pull it up only at
night.  During the day it is strewn about my yard and someday I’ll
inadvertently mow over it and it’ll be history.

The antenna is nominally limited to 50 W CW/RTTY but I ran it according to how
I was operating.  While running (fruitlessly, for the most part) I ran at 50 or
60 W.  In S&P mode, which was most of the time, I ran at 100 W.  Periodically I
would reach out the window and grab the end pod.  At most it got comfortably
warm, nowhere near as hot as my DSL modem runs all the time.  

During the day when things were slow on 40 and I wasn't napping, I checked out
those exotic bands, 15 and 10, where I've heard rumors of real DX in days of
yore.  Sure enough, 15 was hopping at times and even 10 opened a bit.  On 10 I
even worked some stations besides W1UE.  Fancy that.

Thanks to everyone who answered my calls.  There are many good ops out there
who are willing to dig way down.

See you in the CQ WW CW in November.

73,
Kermit, AB1J


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