[3830] WAE SSB VE9AA Single Op LP

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WAE DX Contest, SSB

Call: VE9AA
Operator(s): VE9AA
Station: VE9AA

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: nb
Operating Time (hrs): 33:52
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  QTCs  Mults
-------------------------
   80:  102     0   120
   40:  294   257   141
   20:  638   809   102
   15:  131    79    82
   10:    0     0     0
-------------------------
Total: 1165  1145   445  Total Score = 1,027,950

Club: Maritime Contest Club

Comments:

The score is almost a carbon copy of the CW event, but condx were worse I think.
(or at least it was harder to come up with 1000+ Q's on SSB vs CW.)

I made some field day style mods to the lower band antennas to be used in this
contest, to get a couple dB more gain t'ords EU and more F/B to null out the
big guns and local QRN/M to my SW.

I put a reflector behind the full size raised 80m GndPlane which seemed to help
(can't do any A/B comparisons to quantify) and 

I added a temp passive reflector to my 40m Delta Loop, essentially making it a
2-el quad beaming EU..
 
Also added a bunch of temp raised radials to the 20m 4-Sq.

  Can't leave any of them up due to(mowing, driveways, paths etc.) but gives me
a couple ideas for WAG and CQWW's to see if I can come up with something more
permanent.

Noise on 40m and 80m was, at times, solid S9.  Local storms only partially to
blame.  Storms out at the first F2 hop maybe and also the neighbours electric
fence literally only a few meters from my antennas has recently taken another 
turn for the worse (after recently being only 1/2 as bloody annoying as usual).
 I literally had a headache Sunday night and this morning (Monday) from the s9+
pulses just the fence alone produces.  If I turn on the NB, then everyone is
wide and the band just sounds like one big splatter-fest, which of course, it
already is.  It's really sad to think of how the contest is one giant moshpit
of splatter.  Surely theses fellas realize just how poor they sound?  I can
only imagine they do it for "elbow room" against their neighbours.
(someone explain it to me)

I had S9 guys from EU call me who I had to ask 3-4 times for repeats as I could
not honestly tell what in heck it was they were saying.  Mushy overcompressed
audio is not BETTER audio.  I wish I had recorded the contest as there were a
couple of G stations on 40m who's audio was just so darned good, it would be a
great example of how to set yours like. (It's a good thing - for them - that
these splattery , all-knobs-set-to-Eleven, guys are not the ones speaking the
QTC's !)

I used a Yamaha CM-500 headset with NO compression on the rig and audio is set
exactly to 10 o'clock position on both radios (around 40% around). I have audio
routed through the laptop, but gain there within N1MM+ logger is around 45-50%
also. 
I had to repeat myself very little(even though I am hoarse today).  A lot of
that is attributable to the good ears in EU I am sure.(and prerecorded CQ's on
the computer)

The funniest thing in the contest heard on the air was when I was running on
40m phone (7091.4 IIRC) and an uni'd USA fella (judging by his accent) said
something like, "Man, you are right smack dab on top of the International
whisper frequency", to which all I could do was laugh and told him
"I'll try"

 Condx were extremely trying.  10m was a wasteland.....again, I heard a couple
Brazilians but no EU - not even the big guns.

15m was very disappointing. I should've spent more time running there on Sat
instead of just 2nd radio S&P tuning, as Sunday the opening was shorter and
weaker, though it did kinda go in fits and starts with a few small peaks after
the main opening had fizzled and the majority of fellas gave it up for dead. 
Never say never.  Congrats to N5AW and K5WA who were like Texas beacons on 15m.
 At times they (and WD5K) were the only fellas Stateside I heard off the back

20m was bread and butter and the 20m 4-Square is finally earning its keep. 
Like I told my friend Bob, K5WA, it's no barn burner, but at least I wasn't
always the last one through all the packet pileups with NR3X, W1UE, and K3CR
this time.  Usually about middle of the pack.  Krassy JT5LZ was in a good long
while and most definitely workable (if I had been allowed to work him!).
I love the quietness of the 4 square.  I never realized how high the noise
floor really is on 20m here until I got this working right last week.

Normally (other than QRN spikes from the e-fence) my countryside ridgetop QTH
is pretty darn quiet.  When I run the 4-Sq, it's REALLY quiet.  This is the
first time in many yrs I can recall hearing fellas like K1DG and W1WMU on true
backscatter on 20m.

I'd like to hear from contest owners of 20m, 15m or 10m 4-squares how they
stack up for you.

40m was noisy but prop was not bad.  Heard A93JA, 9K2HN, 5B4AIF etc for hours. 
A lot of German DL/DK stns worked on 40m, so I am looking forward to WAG and
what kind of prop it brings. 

80m was weak. 
A very short pre-sunrise peak on day 2.  Worked a couple EU's 1/2hr after their
sunrise.  The bigger HP single ops and the multi ops using the rx antennas were
relatively easy, but the smaller stns like me were almost impossible to get
through to.  I never tried QTC's on 80.  I likely spent 6+? hours scouring 80m
for the 100 Q's I made, 95% of which were likely S&P...Thank God there is
no 160m in this contest.

I lost some time Sat. night when I had to take 2 hours off to play Dr. Dad with
a sick son, but family trumps radio every time. He's feeling better today.  I
had already slept a full night on Friday, so Sat night it was a 3 hour
sleep-nap and I came up short on total hours in the end.  It is what is it.
N1MM+ calls it 33:52.

I'd sure be in favour of making this a 24hour contest, as I made only 1/3rd of
my QSO's in the 2nd 24hrs......there just aren't the numbers on both sides of
the pond (and around the world) to support a 48hr run, unless it's at solar
max.  When 2017 rolls around and WRTC points are not on the table, I think
you'll see minimal participation from NA in this one.

With the downturn in the sunspots, I am checking the piggy bank to see if I
have enough to buy that place on PEI I keep hearing about. Someone is gonna get
a great station.....I drive a 7yr old used MINI COOPER ....uhhh, I think I am
going to be a few loonies short. ;-D

That's all from the 'Ridge, 

See you (all of a sudden)

dit dit

Mike VE9AA


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