[3830] ARRLDX CW KT8K SOAB QRP

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ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: KT8K
Operator(s): KT8K
Station: KT8K

Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: EN82ch SE Michigan
Operating Time (hrs): 15:04

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:    0     0
   80:    4     4
   40:   76    34
   20:  127    55
   15:  165    56
   10:   36    26
-------------------
Total:  408   175  Total Score = 214,200

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

Got a very slow start and didn't have much time Friday night or Saturday, but
did my best to make up for it on Sunday.  Signals weren't super strong but the
noise levels were quite low most of the time (except for S6 noise on 20m some
of the time), so my tiny signal was heard by a LOT of stations who said they
were running a KW, but who I could hardly hear.  Either that shoots the
"reciprocal path" concept down for good or I have a much higher local
noise level than anyone else ... or maybe they weren't really running
killowatts, but just saying they were?  I made so many ESP QSO's with KW
stations I couldn't believe it.  They just kept hearing me, apparently, so I
ground my way through the thickest parts of the bands, filters set super tight
sometimes, working the faint ones in between all the US/Canada stations
shouting CQ. What a blast!

It's not a personal best by a long shot, but it sure was fun, and I look
forward to doing my best in the phone version.  Thanks for watching my song on
youtube "I want a Big Tower" at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNWZjzrzgwA.  I live for those hits!

Thanks to all who listened hard for my tiny signal, and best rx to all!
72 de kt8k - Tim

equipment:
Tentec Orion set to 5 Watts
MFJ Grandmaster memory keyer with Bencher BY-1 paddle
ancient XP laptop running (barely) N1MM+

antennas: 
- 500 foot horizontal loop fed with TV twin lead and an LDG Z-11 autotuner,
note that the shape of the loop is really a quarter moon crescent shape - I
guess the shape isn't that big a deal as long as you have a lot of copper as
high as possible, this antenna carried the heavy load on 10 and 15m, and served
well as a backup/second/listening antenna on 40, 80, and 160m
- triple parallel dipole for 20, 40, and 80m, feed point up about 45 feet 
- vertical trap dipole for 10, 15, & 20m, feed point up about 60 feet, it
was used very little as I think water is getting into the feed line - the
performance just isn't what it once was.


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