[3830] CQWW SSB VY1EI SOSB/10 HP
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Mon Oct 28 14:24:15 EDT 2013
CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB
Call: VY1EI
Operator(s): VY1EI
Station: VY1EI
Class: SOSB/10 HP
QTH: Yukon
Operating Time (hrs):
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160:
80: 1 1 1
40: 1 1 1
20:
15: 1 1 1
10: 2151 29 59
------------------------------
Total: 2154 32 62 Total Score = 469,342
Club:
Comments:
Wow -- wasn't that something!!
Just before the contest I spent a couple of days out at my shack scouting out
the bands, trying to get a feel as to which band was in the best shape.
A couple of weeks ago my Elecraft K3 arrived. I also got the K3 0 with the
remote rig control. I approached N6TR - Tree - to see if he was interested in
running a multi-op with me for ARRL Sweepstakes CW, with N6TR operating my
radio from his QTH in Oregon. He agreed and so we spent the week or so before
this contest getting the remote setup going. We were testing the connection
with the K3 going into a dummy load. I got the radio setup in the shop where
the LAN connection is. Its in a commercial business so I don't have the coax
going across the shop floor during the week with the business is operating. So
far the internet connection between N6TR's QTH in Oregon and my QTH in
Whitehorse is looking great, with low latency times. We tested the tribander
briefly and everything was working so I reconnected the K3 to the dummy load
until ARRL Sweeps CW next weekend. For this weekend's contest I operated out in
my travel trailer about a hundred feet from the building. I was using my ICOM
7600.
It was hard to get a feel for the best band. 20 meters, 15 meters and 10 meters
were all in fine shape! 20 meters was open a fair bit later than 10. I knew the
decision would really be made when the contest opened. Last year 10 meters was
open for only the first 45 minutes before it closed for the evening. When I saw
the report of the X class flares on thursday and friday, I thought "Oh man,
this is gonna shut 'er down". The solar flares actually made the news. Well
I figured that maybe 10 meters would be the "least worst" affected
band when the flares hit, so I went with that band.
I opened with getting a pileup going to JA. Compared with the 45 minute friday
nite opening last year, 10 meters was open for 2 1/2 hours before it closed. I
got 11 zones and 13 countries during this first opening. Sweet.
The next morning I had to be patient while 20 meters and then 15 meters were
rocking. 10 meters opened at 10:30 am local time to EU. I tried and tried but I
couldn't get a run going to EU. Nothing unusual there but its worth a try for
sure as the payoff can be big. Last year I got 1300 QSOs on 10 meters, but I
got very few QSOs with EU. This contest during the first morning I picked most
of the EU zones and around 15 countries so that was better than last year.
Those EU multipliers, and whether I get them or not, affect my score big time.
Around 1 pm local time I got a big pileup into the lower 48 US States. For
several hours the band was pileup was so big I had a hard time making out
calls. During this there were several instances where I got 5 QSOs per minute.
I averaged 3 to 4 per minute.
During this time I got a call from N6TR/VY1. So say what - "HOW DID YOU DO
THAT??" Tree says he's calling me from my remoted K3 in the building next
to me, which is connected to a dummy load. That really floored me. Sly fellow,
he must have known this was possible. The signal was raspy and weak but I heard
him. He decided he was gonna pull my leg and have some fun. I couldn't stop
laughing for half hour after that.
Around 3:30 pm local time the JAs come in off the back of the beam so I knew it
was time to swing beam to the northwest and bag those three pointers. The pileup
to JA never quit. They just kept coming and coming. For a while on Saturday I
had a pileup going to three continents at once. The JAs were the strongest for
sure, but I had to hold up the JAs every couple of minutes to let the VKs in.
They were off the beam a little and weaker but sure enough, they kept coming
in. I was 59 off the back of the beam into the lower 48 US states so they kept
coming in too. Zone 28 stations in Indonesia were coming in too every 10 to 15
minutes. The number of stations in China is also increasing. During my runs to
JA, stations from Asiatic Russia also come every now and then.
When the band closed Saturday evening I had 1300 QSOs in the log. So on Sunday
morning I was really wondering what the day would bring. Were the solar flares
gonna hit and shut everything down? Would any QSOs with EU be possible? Can I
get 600 QSOs today? Maybe a 1,000 QSOs? I figured it would be really cool to
finish with 2,000 QSOs on a single band.
On sunday morning 10 meters opened an hour earlier than the day before. Again,
I didn't get a payoff from my time invested in getting a run going to EU. But I
did pick up a few more countries. The opening to EU closed earlier than the day
before, so I swung the beam to the US. I S&Ped a few Caribbean stations to
pick up the score a bit. Then around 1 pm I got another endless pileup going to
the lower 48 states. Last year I cleared the field in the Lower 48 states on 10
meters. I got them all so the pileup stopped. Then I switched to 15 meters to
get the pileup back. This year the pileup on 10 meters never ended. Again I got
JA stations coming in off the back of the beam at around 3pm local time, I swung
the beam back to JA and got a run going again to three point country. That
pileup remained until the contest ended.
A real highlight for me was having the station on Marion Island, ZS8Z, call in.
Also a French Polynesian station called in. Another highlight were the dozen or
so VK stations calling in. We rarely get that in the Canadian North.
So a little under 1000 QSOs on 10 meters on sunday, and I have a smoking score.
Thanks for the Qs everyone!
Eric
VY1EI
Website: www.vy1ei.ca
Twitter: @VY1EI
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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