[3830] CQ160 CW NI5T(@N5BG) Multi-Op HP

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                    CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW

Call: NI5T
Operator(s): N5BG, N5IA, K7IA, K5JFO, N3KCJ, N2IC
Station: N5BG

Class: Multi-Op HP
QTH: NM - DM52
Operating Time (hrs): 33

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 1355  State/Prov = 59  Countries = 67  Total Score = 603,666

Club: Arizona Outlaws Contest Club

Comments:

Some of the regular ops were not available this year.  Two new invited ops who
did yeoman service were Sam, K5JFO, and Forest, N3KCJ.  It was the first
experience with 160 Meter multi-operator contesting for both of them.  Sam has
been out of mainstream amateur radio for many years and is just getting started
again.

The First Night.  The contest starts at 3 PM local, 2.5 hours before sundown. 
This period of time was used to acquaint Sam and Forest with the station, the
radios, and the logging program in an operating environment.  Both are fast
learners and were ready to go by the time the band got hot and heavy.

Dan, K7IA, started the evening in the run chair and produced two 100+ hours. 
This is not the norm for our part of the world so things looked good.

We were able to work all 50 states in 9 hours and 43 minutes, with Vermont
being the 50th in the log.  We apologize for monopolizing the ID stations so
they couldn't work your station.  We had 7 Idaho stations call in to us.

We worked a total of 14 EU stations, just enough to get some mults in the log
but nothing spectacular.  The last one went into the log at 0808.

As the EUs faded into their daylight, sunset arrived in JA land.  JA3BYK became
our JA multiplier at 0806.  Most signals were not strong, but a total of 60 JA
station call signs went into the log.

ZL1AIH, the only ZL heard both nights, called in at 0835.  The most difficult Q
of either night was VK6LW, the only VK heard both nights.  Nearly 5 minutes was
needed to get through the VK summer static.  Thanks to both these stations for
being there, and for being patient with us.

The first night ended with 892 Q's; 20 Q's more than last year's first night
effort, but with many less DX mults.  

Sam and Dan went home after night 1 and Steve, N2IC arrived for night 2.

Night 2 has only one description.  WOW!!!!!!!!  One of the best, if not the
best, spotlight openings to the US Southwest from Europe provided the fuel for
the highest final Q count and score ever from this station and group of
operators.  

With all three operator positions S&Ping, the EU stations who were CQing
quickly went into the log.  Then Steve noticed that stations in the midwest US
were not responding to EU stations calling them.  Steve said we needed to run
the opening.  He started that effort, and it produced BIG results.

In the end, a total of 107 EU stations went into the log the 2nd night.  The
two night total was 121.  The opening seemed to be centered on Germany, with 25
DL stations logged.  A number of additional mults quickly brought the mult count
up to exceed previous year levels.

It was great to have a few South American stations calling in, providing some
new mults.  The balance of night 2 was uneventful, with no opening to rare and
exotic Pacific locations.  21 more JA stations called in, making the two night
total climb to 81.  This is the first time we have worked more EU than JA.

Now some more statistics.

Domestic mult leaders.

CA = 112
TX = 55
OH = 52
AZ = 49
NY = 43

Least amount of Q's with Domestic mults.

DC & DE = 2
MS & WY = 3
SD, ND, VT, WV, ME & NE = 4

We worked a total of 61 Canadian stations.  We missed LB, NU, YT & NWT mults.

DX mult leaders after the JAs.

DL = 25
G  = 14
EA = 8
XE & S5 = 7
KH6 & OK = 6
UA9, PA, I & GM = 5

DX Zone totals after JA.

Zone 14 = 78
Zone 15 = 39
Zone  8 = 11
Zone 11 = 11

This year we retired our old wireline Beverage control systems.  We have now
married the Green Heron 2.4 GHz wireless controls to our internal design, 8
position, antenna switch module.  The switch design is such that the 8 position
modules can easily be daisy chained to produce 16 position, 24 position or more
switch groups.

Our new control cabinet has 3 sections of 24 position switches so each
operating position has independent control of the receive antennas after
initial signal splitting.  Currently we have 19 RX antennas, and room to add 5
more with the current switch configuration.

Everything worked flawlessly, and all the ops were very pleased with the
functionality of the new switch system.  Perhaps this addition assisted to make
this year's operation the best ever for our team.

We had set our goal for the contest to make 1,300 Q's and a score of 1/2
million.  Neither level had ever been accomplished in the past.  As you can
see, both goals were topped.  So, it is onward and upward.  We just need more
TX antenna.  The single vertical just can't keep up with the RX capability.

Thanks to everyone who operated and called our station.  Apologies to those
that we didn't hear our could not copy.  CU all in the SSB 'test at the end of
February.

Transceivers = dual K-3s and two tricked out FT-1K-MPs.
Amplifier = Alpha 99
TX antenna = one each 1/4 WL Ground Plane.
RX antennas = 8 each 2-wire Beverages, 2 each single wire terminated Beverages
and one each full WL (160 Meters) horizontal loop at ~3 Meters AGL.
Logging = N1MM
Keying = MicroHam


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