[3830] ARRL 160 K5WA Single Op HP

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                    ARRL 160-Meter Contest

Call: K5WA
Operator(s): K5WA
Station: K5WA

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: STX
Operating Time (hrs): 20

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 1217  Sections = 80  Countries = 16  Total Score = 244,032

Club: Central Texas DX and Contest Club

Comments:

Well, that was interesting.  First night was great and I thought my new 4 square
was performing well even though we had very bad thunderstorms move through much
of the early evening but the storms moved away by midnight.  I heard as well or
better than my beverages so never used beverages except for an occasional check.
 I was getting EU stations occasionally drop in all evening while I ran and the
stateside rate was good.  After the first night, I was only missing PR, AK, NT
and NL.  

Second night...UGGGGG!  Extremely slow rate, W1s and W2s sounded like they had
polar flutter and NO EU early.  I couldn't hear a peep from EU when I heard
east coast stations working EU.  Strangely enough, MAR stations were louder
than horse radish and VERY clear...no flutter.  It was the strangest thing to
be missing W1/W2 entirely but loud MAR were knocking my S-meter around.  I hung
in there hoping to find NL and NT but no luck.  I picked up PR who conveniently
called in but never heard KL7RA who I was hoping to catch and no other AK
appeared.  By 11 PM local, rates were starting to come out of the dirt and I'll
bet there was an EU opening here at their sunrise (since I hear a couple of Gs
coming up) but I had lost interest and called it a contest.  One day, I'll be
happy to see two nights of good conditions but this wasn't it.  Still, I was
very pleased with my rope and wires 4 square.  I used the ON4UN single elevated
radial per element design which is the same as my 80M 4 square.  The 160
elements are top loaded 78' wires (which is all I could get to hang off my 160'
tower).  The phasing box is the DX Engineering unit with the OMNI position and
that OMNI position was necessary when running.  Now I'll need to harden it up a
bit because it was hastily assembled, however, I'm really glad it works as I had
hoped. 

73,
Bob K5WA

SO2R with K3s, YCCC Box and ACOM 2000A
10 - 5/5 120\'/80\', 5 SE @ 40\'
15 - 5/6 110\'/70\', 5 SE @ 50\'
20 - 5/5 130\'/80\', 4 SE @ 60\'
Tribander @ 60\'
40 - 4 @ 160\', 3 NE Quad 110\', 2 @ 130\', 2 SE @ 60\'
80 - 4SQR (Rohn 20), dipole @ 100\'
160 - 4SQR (wire)


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