[3830] TBDC K3FIV Single Op LP

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                    Stew Perry Topband Challenge

Call: K3FIV
Operator(s): K3FIV
Station: K3FIV

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: CM88
Operating Time (hrs): 5

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 88  Total Score = 370

Club: Northern California Contest Club

Comments:

After last year's surprise award of the plaque for "Best Soapbox Write-up"
arrived just before this year's Stew Perry, you know I had to get back on the
air.  Many thanks much to John, K3TN, for sponsoring that award - which even a
100W-and-a-wire station could win!  The strategy worked to get me back on the
air this year, even with just 100W and a too-short dipole.

So, I dove into doing the preparatory work.  Sharpened pencils.  Check.  Paper
pad.  Check.  Dictionary and thesaurus.  Check.  Oh yeah, radio...  Yep,
antenna is still up and rig still seems to get 160 RF to go somewhere.  I'm
good to go.

Hmmm, it's only 3:30 in the afternoon, with the sun still shining through the
shack windows.  Oh well, I'll just set things up on 160 and come back later. 
Wait -- there's a signal on 160!  It's N7NG in WY.  Got a 700+ mile Q for my
first contact, in broad daylight even.  Yep, I'm on 160.

After dark, things got better.  Without a big antenna, I don't expect much, but
I managed to work almost everyone I could hear, with PJ2T being the best DX to
the east, and several HI stations to the west.  Even did a little running after
there was no one left to work, with lots of unanswered CQs.  Biggest surprise
was VY2ZM answering my CQ.  Only worked a few other east coast stations.

In this part of CA, we haven't had any significant rain for almost 2 months, so
the ground is pretty dry.  That didn't seem good for my antenna compared to last
year.  Lots of problems getting the remote tuner to settle down, and had to
retune after moving only 10 KHz or so.  When I couldn't get it to tune at all,
I grabbed a flashlight and went out in the woods to see what was going on --
and scared away the deer at the antenna base.  Guess you can't use a deertenna
on 160.

All in all, a nice relaxed contest.  There could be more activity though (or
maybe I just can't hear it).

I like the scoring for a DX contest which is actually based on Distance.  Why
don't other "DX" contests do that too...?

73,
/Jack de K3FIV
Point Arena, CA
Rig: Flex-3000, 100W
Ant: 135' OCF dipole (sometimes configured as a Carolina Windom)


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