[3830] ARRLDX SSB DL6FBL(@DR1A) SO Unlimited HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, SSB

Call: DL6FBL
Operator(s): DL6FBL
Station: DR1A

Class: SO Unlimited HP
QTH: JO31CQ
Operating Time (hrs): 30

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:   45    15
   80:  336    40
   40:  374    44
   20: 1150    61
   15:  461    47
   10:  125    26
-------------------
Total: 2491   233  Total Score = 1,739,112

Club: 

Comments:

Playing "Tech Support" for YL Sandy, DL1QQ, who did the main entry as Single OP
All Bands from our station. I always operated on the "second best" available
band (if there was any... ;-)
Lousy propagation on 160m and 40m in the first night. Worked VY2ZM right at
0000z, but nobody else in the next 5 minutes. Sandy had started on 40m of
course, so I went to 80m. But I could only collect 35 QSOs there in the first
hour. K3ZM called in around 0100z, and I moved him to 160m. Normally a QSO with
Peter is a matter of seconds, but this one took minutes, because the signal was
barely audible. Situation on 160m only improved towards sunrise, and a few
stations started coming back to CQ's...
Sandy was not happy with her start on 40m and complained about her rate being
much too low. When she went to 80m, I took the 40m position - and I was faced
with the same situation: signals were very weak, and I had to press <F1> much
too often. I only got few answers and repeatedly lost the frequency to some
South European station quickly. After some time I had understood the situation:
I figured that Aurora was affecting the signal path between our QTH in Northwest
Germany and the USA very heavily. Stations South of us were affected much less.
*THEIR* signals were loud enough in the USA to produce a constant flow of
callers and hold a frequency in the "transceive" band segment from 7128-7200
kHz, which was simply not possible from our QTH this time.
It only became better when I started operating split - listening between
7200-7300 kHz and transmitting around 7100 kHz like in the old days. Since
"down there" the frequencies were less "frequented", our this time "weak"
signal was better heard in the USA, and more answers were coming in. Yet the
rate was still much too low compared with other years or other contests, and
the first night ended with 500+ QSOs *LESS* than expected.
10m did not behave well, and only some 20 scattered stations were workable the
first day. 15m and 20m were OK, and I even had a 230+ hour on 20m in the 16z
hour including a 10 minutes band change from 20m to 10m.
The second night was also hard on the low bands. 40m again was only workable
with split operation. 80m was average, but at least 160m became workable
between 0400z and our sunrise (0615z).
20m opened much later on the second day. But 10m showed some life around 1300z.
Most signals still came in on skewed path, but VO1XT and K1WHS (ME) produced
loud signals on the direct path which was a good sign. Later also Florida and
other Southeast stations produced loud direct signals, while the North and
Midwest still came in skewed path... At least 100+ QSOs came in the log with 26
states. K5RR (AZ) was the farthest West.
15m stayed open much longer on day 2, but 20m closed earlier on day 2.
Fortunately 40m was in good shape towards the end of the contest. Sandy was
even running a 160+ hour on 40m in the very last hour of the contest - in
transceive mode on 7194 kHz (finally)!! Go figure... ;-)

73 Ben
DL6FBL


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