[3830] TBDC CE1/K7CA Single Op HP

[webform at b41h.net]

                    Stew Perry Topband Challenge

Call: CE1/K7CA
Operator(s): CE1/K7CA
Station: CE1/K7CA

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Chile
Operating Time (hrs): 10:18

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 315  Total Score = 6,054

Club: 

Comments:

I started hearing PJ2T about an hour before sunset and decided since there is
only about 10 hours of darkness here in summer that I wouldn't have a problem
with the 14 hour time limit by trying to work Jeff.  He came right back for my
first qso of the night.  About 10 minutes later, I was hearing FM5CD quite well
and called several times during the next hour with no luck.  I managed to get
KV4FZ's attention about a half hour before sunset so he must be hearing better
than previous years.  I remember when Herb would start calling on my run
frequency and would be 20 over 9 but must not have been able to hear my plea of
QRL. I finally got P40TA's attention about a half hour after sunset for the 3rd
qso of the night. Shortly after that the US stations finally started hearing
me. 160m conditions sure change.  During the CQWW all of my EU qso's came on my
75 deg beverage and were not audible on my north broadside/endfire array.  This
time not one was heard on the 75 degree bev but all on the broadside/endfire
array. The direct path is about 45 degrees. Someday I'll figure out how to put
up a 45 degree RX antenna on the property. Geomagnetic activity was much higher
during the CQWW.  I think the southern hemisphere has better conditions during
high geomagnetic activity. Two years ago the band stayed open 45 minutes past
sunrise and I managed 45 JA qso's that year.  This year the band died exactly
at sunrise and I could only scrape together 32 JA qso's.  Those are very
important as each one is about 35 points. Just about everyone is far away from
here so it's nice to be able to give many stations their longest qso. That
makes it worth fighting all the summer static. Signal levels were generally
down but also my summertime QRN level wasn't as bad as other years. Rig is a K3
using diversity RX with 340 deg beverage and north broadside/endfire RX array, a
42 ft toploaded vertical with 45 1/4 wave radials, and a Ten-Tec Titan amp with
2 x 3CX800 tubes. In the States, that amp would easily put out 2 KW but here
there are several blocks of houses and business on the same distribution
transformer and with line voltage drop I'm luck to get out 1 KW.  Hope to see
you all in the CQ160 contest next year.  73, Al CE1/K7CA


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