[3830] ARRLDX CW K1WHS SOSB/160 HP

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                    ARRL DX Contest, CW

Call: K1WHS
Operator(s): K1WHS
Station: K1WHS

Class: SOSB/160 HP
QTH: Maine FN43
Operating Time (hrs): 15

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:  182    61
   80:           
   40:           
   20:           
   15:           
   10:           
-------------------
Total:  182    61  Total Score = 33,428

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

I figured that I would have a lot of fun this weekend playing around with my new
phased beverage, and hear all kinds of DX with it, but the end result was less
than stellar. Disturbed conditions really put a damper on the signals from
Europe here. Only some South America Qs seemed about normal. (weak) The Europe
path was quite poor for me. The contest began with high winds and terrible
sparking sounds that peaked in the new Europe beverage to about +40 dB above the
background noise. I couldn't copy anything thru it, so I quit after awhile and
watched TV with the missus. A few hours later things quieted down and I got back
on, but signals were depressed Friday and early Saturday. I was not having much
luck in the pileups and I got the distinct impression that stations to my south
were hearing much better than I was.  W3, W4 and W5 stations were having much
better luck getting through than I was. The signals that I did hear were weak
and subject to massive QSB. I quit after sunrise in Europe and hoped that
Saturday night would be back to normal. The first two hours starting at 2200
seemed OK. I called CQ and had replies every 2 minutes or so from Europe. Hey!
This isn't so bad, but then the bottom fell out of the band at about 0000 and it
was back to extreme weak signals from stations that I normally hear just fine.
Again the stations in more southerly locations were working stuff that I could
not even get to. RM2E was a case in point. I called and called while he worked
W3s and W5s and W8s, but I could never get through to him.  I got to thinking to
myself "What am I, chopped liver?"   Sunrise on the continent brought
no joy here. Only worked a few stations. I slept about 2 hours and then got up
for my sunrise in hopes of snagging a ZL or maybe a VK. None were copied. I
worked nothing new. The only DX heard were some KH6s whom I already worked
earlier. Still it was nice to work four KH6 stations. KH7B was actually loud. 
   I guess that the new Europe beverage helped out in making my score not as bad
as it could have been. I have two 1150 ft wires in parallel and spaced about 380
feet apart. Both feed lines are running into an NCC-1 phasing controller to
combine the signals. It really helped bring up the signals, but if the
propagation is not there, no antenna can help you I guess. Even with the bad
conditions I managed to work a number of 100 watt stations, and one QRP station
in Europe. Those good contacts were few and far between however. I always am
amazed at how variable the ionosphere is. That is what makes ham radio such a
great hobby for me. My biggest thrill was hearing KL7RA early Saturday morning
with a weak and watery signal. They could not hear me, but I sure heard them.
Any time I can hear Alaska or Japan is a red letter day in my book.


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