[3830] CQWW SSB N4TZ/9 SOAB LP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB

Call: N4TZ/9
Operator(s): N4TZ
Station: N4TZ/9

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: IN
Operating Time (hrs): 39
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:   24     7        9
   80:   62    15       31
   40:  127    24       63
   20:  235    24       83
   15:  351    31       99
   10:  591    28      103
------------------------------
Total: 1390   129      388  Total Score = 2,018,368

Club: Society of Midwest Contesters

Comments:

SOFTWARE: TR4W v.4.244c http://www.tr4w.com

  BAND   Raw QSOs   Valid QSOs   Points Countries     Zones
 __________________________________________________________
 160SSB        24           24       42         9         7
  80SSB        63           62      144        31        15
  40SSB       127          127      348        63        24
  20SSB       235          235      657        83        24
  15SSB       351          351      998        99        31
  10SSB       594          591     1715       103        28
 __________________________________________________________

 Totals      1394         1390     3904       388       129

    Final Score = 2018368 points.


First 24 hours almost a carbon copy of last year QSO and 
score-wise.  Second 24 hours not so good here.  This contest
was 100% prerecorded messages - no realtime voice capability.
I needed to use 20dB preamp to record some new messages - 
that is, my  voice is 20dB down from last year, when I could
barely talk.  When trying to use the preamp inline with the
rig, had some bad feedback problems, so could only record
offline.  Only  had 174 QSOs running on 10meters - had real
difficulty finding a frequency that people would come back
to my CQs, even above 29MHz.  The real killer was that every
few QSOs that the DVP would act up and send partial messages;
that is, instead of sending AB1CDE it would send B C E; the
only fix for that was to exit TR4W and re-launch it.  
This started Saturday morning; it got so bad that combined
with the problems on 20/40 Saturday night (see below about
rotor) that I QRT went to bed early Saturday night and
turned off the computer.  Even with a cold boot Sunday 
morning, the problem with the  DVP kept recurring.
And, when the DVP didn't work correctly in the CQ mode,
then the ALT-D  second radio command didn't work properly,
either.  A pretty frustrating Sunday here.

Some of the signals heard here on 80 & 160 were the best 
ever - like HK1NA and LU2DXT on 160 - but there was a big-time
lack of activity from  zones 8 & 9 compared to past years.
There were way too many stations from there I only heard 
on five bands.  Thanks to KH1NA, KP2M and VP2MDG for 
providing 6 band opportunities.

I noticed Sunday afternoon that the broadband noise (hiss)
was S4 on 10meters (it was S0 on the dummy load) in every
direction.  It is generally S1 on a deadband here, so I
wonder if that was the residual level of QRM from all the
activity worldwide??

My prop pitch rotor turns the 20 & 40 meter beams FB,  but
by the end of the contest I found that the antennas were
90 degrees off; not wind blown (the antennas and mast are
pinned and show no signs of budging even in the big winds);
seems to be a problem with the reed switch counting pulses
differently in different directions - been fighting this 
problem for over a year now.  It is nearly a ten minute
round trip to the bottom of the tower to check out the
direction so eye-ball calibration is not an option
during the contest.  Hard to work guys with 100w
when they are off the ends of the elements!

Thank goodness I don't need a DVP for the CW weekend next
month!

                             2012 CQ-WW-SSB N4TZ
                                 Continent List

                    160    80    40    20    15    10   ALL
                    ---   ---   ---   ---   ---   ---   ---
      USA calls =     4     1     2     1     1     3    12
   Canada calls =    13    24    11    14    22    16   100
       NA calls =     5    16    16    31    30    33   131
       SA calls =     2     6    12    42    43    78   183
     Euro calls =     0    12    70   133   185   425   825
  African calls =     0     4     4     7    10    14    39
    Asian calls =     0     0     2     1     9     5    17
    Japan calls =     0     0     3     2    40    12    57
    Ocean calls =     0     0     7     4    11     8    30

    Total calls =    24    63   127   235   351   594  1394


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