[3830] CQ160 CW K1LT Single Op HP

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                    CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW

Call: K1LT
Operator(s): K1LT
Station: K1LT

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: EM89ps Ohio
Operating Time (hrs): 30
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 1274  State/Prov = 59  Countries = 42  Total Score = 374,609

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

I am typing most of this report prior to the end of the contest.  I
have 1 hour of operating time left and I expect to work a dozen or so
new stations during the last hour.

This season I have been refining audio routing to maximize receive
coverage and to minimize tedious "searching" while running.  The
scheme I used during the Stew Perry test seemed to work well, so with
some minor refinements, I deployed the same technique for the CQ WW
160 CW test.

The major development is to keep most of my receivers on most of the
time.  Thus for about 80% of the time, a caller is audible without any
button pushing.  Most of the rest of the time, I can tell there is a
caller and direct a lobe towards the known holes and expected
locations of the caller and get good results.  Every once in a while,
someone calls from an unexpected direction, and then it takes some
time to find good enough reception.  The usual tricky situation is
some non-4th district callsign calling from Florida.  Some day, I'll
finish my signal finder project and solve this problem.

For particularly weak signals, I have to turn off unneeded receivers,
which requires somewhat more clicking that I would like, because I
haven't worked out a robust solution yet.  A keyboard function key
remapper might be a useful trick.

The other refinement is the use of SO2V, Single Operator, 2 VFOs.  In
my case, the 2nd VFO is the "B" knob on the K3 and my KX3.  The KX3
is
connected to a pair of short verticals in the end-fire configuration
with the null directed towards my transmit antenna.  This antenna
along with a "noise canceler" circuit (to steer and improve the
null)
allows the KX3 to receive while I transmit with very little QRM.  The
only QRM is a pulse like noise at the beginning of each transmitted
letter.  I don't know why that happens yet.  Depending on how
carefully I set up the null, I can receive on the KX3 within about 500
Hz of my run transmit frequency.  However, setting the null is
difficult while operating, so most of the time I could only get to
about 3 kHz of my run frequency.

I set up Writelog for "K3 SO2V" (same port used twice) and a couple
of
"keyboard macros" ("[" in particular) to allow rapid
switching of
"radios" (link to nice how-to).  Then while CQing during slow rate
periods, I can tune the band with the KX3 to find new stations to
work.  I have to remember to move the K3 "B" VFO to the same
frequency
as the KX3.  (Sometimes, I forget to do this and stomp on the last
station I worked.  Sorry Kirk!)  I "arm" the system by pressing the
"[" key and then fire by banging on the F4 key.  The trick is to
type
in the received report, bang the F2 key to send my report, and wait
for my transmitter to finish before pressing the "[" key to return
to
run mode and press the F1 key to restart the CQing machine.

Since I am using stereo in my headphones to monitor multiple
receivers, I use the volume control on the KX3 to add or remove the
pounce audio (as opposed to using an SO2R box to route audio).  I gets
a little confusing when a run frequency caller sounds similar to the
pounce frequency, so I keep an eye on the waterfalls to determine
where the audio is coming from.  Normally, a run frequency caller
comes in to only one ear while the KX3 audio is "centered" in both
ears.

Occasionally, someone calls on the run frequency just as I am about
fire on the pounce frequency.  In this case I have to quickly turn
down the volume on the KX3 and start typing the caller's callsign.
Therefore, I never enter the "[" key until I am ready to hit the F4
key to call on the pounce frequency.  Since the exchange is pretty
quick, and since the KX3 is not hearing much DX (because the antenna
is equivalent to just a short vertical), the actual contact is pretty
fast.  So I never lost my run frequency because I was tied up with a
lengthy pounce.

Conditions were weird.  I started the contest running on 1829.5 using
400 Hz bandwidth.  After about 2 hours, it became apparent that EU1WW
was also on my frequency.  Since he always sounded like a weak caller,
I slid up to 1829.7 to avoid him.  Then I found myself hearing OZ7YY.
Eventually I slid back to 1829.65 and reduced bandwidth to 250 Hz.  I
could see both of my co-channel occupants on the waterfall for the
next 3 hours.  Nevertheless, I never worked EU1WW, and I only worked
OZ7YY much later during Eu sunrise time.

While running and avoiding QRM with my co-channel buddies, I only got
a few calls from Europe, mostly Russia and the Ukraine and one each
from several other countries.  These callers were fairly strong, but
fairly infrequent.  Friday night Eu sunrise was very uneventful.  I
spent 0500Z to 0630Z tuning around (not running) looking for Eu
contacts and other DX, with relatively poor results.  I heard the
pileup for HV0A, but progress sounded very slow, so I didn't linger.
I was hoping to find C5X for a new LoTW QSL (and a nice multiplier)
but I did not find them.

3 PYs called at various times, so listening in multiple directions
simultaneously generally works.  However, no other South Americans
were heard.  Worked PJ2T during the 2 hour DX hunt.  Worked 3 KH6, who
were all fairly loud.  Worked VK3 and VK6 near sunrise.  Finished the
night with 55 states and provinces, but only 35 countries.

Saturday night seemed more normal for recent years (not to be confused
with 2008-2011 "normal").  C5X called and I was so excited (new LoTW
QSL expected) I fumbled typing his call.  Otherwise, not many DX
called until after 0500Z.  Worked a few more Europeans and 9Y, KP2,
and KP4.  No France!  At 0800Z I observed that I was running low on
operating time, which is usually not a problem for me, so I took a 2
hour nap.

I slept well and I was able to get my head back into the contest
fairly quickly, especially when the first JA called at 0615Z.  That
began an amazing run of 15 JAs over then next 75 minutes.  My previous
best JA run was 5 stations back in 2008.  No other DX during sunrise.
I stopped promptly at 1245Z because I had only 1 hour of operating
time left and I guessed that I might work more new stations during the
last hour than if I kept going.

In the last hour, I made 11 more contacts, including 1 VE and 1 more
dupe.  Seems like a wash as to which last hour might have been better.
Can't avoid those dupes, though.

After describing European propagation as above and reviewing my log, I
think the main difference between Friday night and Saturday night is
that Friday night Europe was clearly louder but less workable while
Saturday night Eu signals much weaker but much more workable.  If the
two nights were flipped, maybe we would consider conditions great.

C5X was the surprise multiplier, even though I was hoping to work them
and had a lobe steered in their direction.  They caught me off guard.
Also 9Y4W was a surprise.  For some reason 9Y stations seem to draw
big pileups.  T43T was a surprise too, and he surprisingly vanished
during our QSO.

DX worked: 9A (3), 9Y, C5, CM (maybe), CT, DL (19), E7, EA (4), EA8,
EI, G (8), GM (2), GW, HA (2), HI, I (3), IT9, JA (15), KH6 (4), KP2
(2), KP4, LY, LZ, OH (2), OK (7), OM (4), ON (3), OZ, PA (2), PJ2, PY
(3), S5 (5), SP (3), SV, UA (5), UA2, UR (4), VK (2), XE (3), YO, YU
(2), and ZF.

Equipment: K3, P3, KX3, Alpha 8410, 2x3 BS-EF phased array, 2x4 BS-EF
phased array, 65 foot "Tee" over about 75 radials.  I didn't use the
Beverages at all.

Running yearly comparison:

    Year  QSOs  States  DX  Hour  Raw score  Ops
    2015  1274    59    42   30    374,609    1
    2014  1199    58    48   30    367,820    1
    2013  1329    58    58   32    536,140    2
    2012  1297    59    47   30    396,016    1
    2011  1471    59    67   30    670,320    1
    2010  1559    58    75   39    776,587    2
    2009  1416    59    71   30    757,510    1
    2008  1350    58    64   38    553,758    2
    2007  1063    58    68   32    422,100    1
    2006   764    58    47   26    260,505    1


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