[3830] ARRLDX SSB N5DO SOAB QRP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, SSB

Call: N5DO
Operator(s): N5DO
Station: N5DO

Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: TX
Operating Time (hrs): 30

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:    0     0
   80:   21    18
   40:   52    31
   20:  100    50
   15:  207    66
   10:  117    36
-------------------
Total:  497   201  Total Score = 299,691

Club: Central Texas DX and Contest Club

Comments:

I operated QRP in this contest last year and ended up with 408 Q's and 156 mults
in 24 hours.  This year I decided to make a conscious effort to work more hours
with a target of 500 Q's and 200 mults and ended up very close to my goals.  I
slept 3 hours Friday night, but got a full 8 hours on Saturday night; that
seemed to work well.

The high point was the return of 10M.  I ended up almost working WAC, but never
heard any JAs or other Asians.  European stations were quite strong, but with
them I could also hear other W stations.  Previously during this sunspot
minimum I could hear DX stations (usually in South American and the Carribean)
but I could not hear many W stations, giving the illusion that there were very
few W stations calling the DX.  With the return of Europe I also experienced
the phenomenon of hearing a solid wall of east coast W stations calling the DX.
 Kind of scary, especially when operating QRP.

The low point was problems with my antenna on 40M.  I replaced my old 3 element
SteppIR and Cushcraft 402CD 40 M antennas with one SteppIR DB-18 last spring. 
Unfortunately I have concluded that something has messed up in the 40M section
of the DB-18 and it seems to be working as a dipole in that it makes no
difference if I aim the antenna at a station or aim it 180 degrees away.  I
think the copper-beryllium tape is not getting through the trombone on one leg
of the reflector.  It has been this way for a few months now, and I was hopeful
that it was working OK, but operating QRP convinced me that there is a problem
with it on 40M.  I hope that it is not a broken steppir motor in the
reflector.

Rig:  Elecraft K-3 set to 5 watts on an Array Solutions Power Master meter.

Antennas:  SteppIR DB-18 at 55 feet, 80M inverted vee with apex at 50 feet.

73,

Dave, N5DO


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