[3830] WAE CW 3W4XX(LZ4AX) Single Op LP

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WAE DX Contest, CW

Call: 3W4XX
Operator(s): LZ4AX
Station: 3W4XX

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Phu Quoc Island
Operating Time (hrs): 26

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  QTCs  Mults
-------------------------
   80:    3          12
   40:  392    70   132
   20:  444   510    92
   15:  331   340    80
   10:    1           2
-------------------------
Total: 1171   920   318  Total Score = 663,348

Club: North Coast Contesters

Comments:

KX3 + KXPA100
80m - T-loaded 12m vertical
40m - 2 phased verticals
20, 15 - 3&4L interlaced VDA
10m - 4L vertical yagi 


This was a contest that both KM4DAY and I will not forget anytime soon. For the
most of July and August we had to be in Tibet doing some field work for one of
Eri's research projects. That didn't leave enough time before the WAE to fly
back to US or LZ and we had to look for a location somewhere in SE Asia. We
went to Vietnam last summer and we liked everything there so much that we
decided to go back again. This year we chose Phu Quoc island as it is perhaps
the best location in Vietnam to work Europe from.

Initially I was quite nervous having to carry a lot of radio equipment in my
carry on through China domestic flights but luckily the airport security didn't
express any interest. Unfortunately, that didn't apply to the checked-in
luggage. Upon arrival in Phu Quoc we discovered that all of the equipment there
was taken apart and then somehow put together. The end result was a broken CW
paddle and matching devices for 80 and 40 meters. Luckily, the mighty MFJ came
in to rescue and the little 16010 tuner was swapped in instead. The baggage
handlers showed no mercy either, breaking some of the fiberglass poles and
smashing the end of a 2.5" double wall aluminum tube. At the end, after
applying industrial amount of tape, newspapers and whatever we could find
laying around, the 40, 20 and 15 meter antennas were up on the beach only 11
hours after the contest had started. Changing bands now required swapping parts
between antennas, therefore the 80&10 were left for the day 2. There was
nothing much going on there, so we could have saved us the trouble putting them
up but at the time I really wanted to try 80 from 3W. There were some very
decent signals there on the second night but 90 watts into a short vertical
apparently was not enough. The other bands, besides 10, were more than hot
enough for the little KX3... The amplifier was even hotter requiring a new wet
towel every 10 minutes to deliver its 100 Elecraft watts (80 on 15 and above,
90 below).

Overall, despite all problems (or maybe just because of them) it was a great
fun. To me WAE from the DX side is usually a quite boring contest. Not this
time, though! Going somewhere portable, designing and building antennas from
scratch and facing all unforeseen problems is bringing a new aspect of
contesting, one that I seem to find more and more appealing. Wait for us from
somewhere else in next year's WAE CW!

Big thanks to the very friendly and helpful staff at Gold coast resort in Phu
Quoc, who let us turn their beach into an antenna site. We are extremely
grateful to Bac-Ai, XV2A who took care of our license and helped out with
numerous advices. Neither of this would have been possible without the help of
KM4DAY. She acquired so much experience in building antennas, putting them up
and down multiple times and learned so many new Bulgarian curse phrases, that I
was seriously afraid she would loose interest in Ham radio after all this.
Turned out, she was having even more fun than I had. Way to go, Bonya!

Thanks to everyone who called in. CU in WAE SSB from K3CR!

73, Alex LZ4AX


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