[3830] SS SSB W9QL SO Unlimited LP

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Tue Nov 24 10:45:42 EST 2015


                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB

Call: W9QL
Operator(s): W9QL
Station: W9QL

Class: SO Unlimited LP
QTH: Illinois
Operating Time (hrs): 13.5

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:     
   80:  255
   40:   91
   20:   78
   15:   57
   10:    8
------------
Total:  489  Sections = 83  Total Score = 81,174

Club: Society of Midwest Contesters

Comments:

A few hours before the contest began, I wasn't sure I would be able to operate.
We had over a foot of heavy, wet snow overnight and the G5RV was coated with
wet snow. The center insulator was covered and the antenna would not tune. I
tried desperately to shake the downlead to try and knock the snow off, but no
luck. 

By the time the contest started, I could get the antenna to tune about 4:1 on
15 and 20. Never did get more than about 40 watts out and had to wait for the
pileups to thin out to be heard at all.

SWR was much better on 40 and 80 later in the day and that really helped. By
0100 Saturday night, I was missing only ORG and VI. Heard them earlier on 15,
but they could not hear me. A highlight was having VE8NSD from NT call me on 80
Saturday night. On Sunday morning, the antenna was working much better and I had
the Sweep by 0830 local. 

I operated on and off most of Sunday after shoveling out, with an afternoon
break for football. Had some good runs toward the end of the day and finished
much better than I ever thought possible with the antenna issue. 

Dave
W9QL

FTdx5000 with a snow-covered G5RV at 35 ft.


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