[3830] CQWW CW 9X4XX(LZ4AX) SOAB LP

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                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: 9X4XX
Operator(s): LZ4AX
Station: 9X4XX

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: Gitarama
Operating Time (hrs): 39

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:                    
   80:   64    13       34
   40:  302    20       62
   20: 1424    31       89
   15:  622    26       96
   10:   10     5        8
------------------------------
Total: 2422    95      289  Total Score = 2,739,456

Club: South East Contest Club

Comments:

This is a second year in a row that Eri, KM4DAY and I have to be on work travel
during CQWW CW. Last year it was a small town in Northern Brazil and then
Fernando, PY2LED saved the day by inviting me to experience the magic quinze
with the PX2A team. This year, we had to be in East Africa. Originally, our
plans involved Ethiopia. For multiple reasons that didn't work out well and at
the last moment Rwanda became the new target country. Clearly a better choice
for me as I had always wanted to operate from zone 36, especially after the end
of the ZD8Z era. 

Obtaining the required government research permits and university affiliations
was quite efficient and took less than a month and only "some" of
KM4DAY's neurons. The amateur radio license was a bit different story but it all
ended well. A week before CQWW all antennas were installed on the roof of the
hotel and we were getting quite busy with our work schedule while waiting for
one last signature on the license. We had to bring a lot of research equipment
with us, so I could only squeeze in two 12m Spiderbeam poles. One was holding a
20/15/10 rotatable fan dipole on two fishing poles and a 40-meter vertical with
two elevated radials. The other pole supported a bent, twisted and abused
vertical dipole for 80 meters that worked surprisingly well for what it looked
like. The radio was KM4DAY's KX3 and KXPA100.

Wednesday at noon we were still waiting for that last signature. In the late
afternoon when at the point of maximum frustration I started researching the
options for flying out to SW9AA on Friday evening, we finally did get the call -
the license was ready. We got on the air almost immediately. The bands sounded
terrific, the simple antennas seemed to be getting out well and the pileups were
instant. What I did not anticipate, though,  was that we would get totally
exhausted of our daily routine - get up at sunrise, load all equipment into the
car, drive 30 km to the test site and then spend 10-12 hours on the field under
the equatorial sun. By the time we would get back to the hotel in the evening, I
could only think about an Amstel and a pillow. By Friday evening we only had
made a bit over 300 QSOs.

Either way, by 8 pm on Friday all work obligations were successfully completed
and I could turn all my attention to the radio. Everything seemed to be working
okay, 40 was the only problematic band with persisting S-8 line noise but I
wasn't worried much about it - there were 4 other bands after all. I didn't care
much about the right strategy and score, just thought that making a 1000 QSOs or
1M would be really neat. This target seemed quite optimistic throughout the
first night but as soon as 20 opened up in the morning it became clear I could
aim higher. 20 was absolutely fantastic. At times it seemed as if I were back at
K3CR with multiple stacks and a full gallon. That feeling, however, quickly
disappeared as soon as I went hunting for the Caribbean and North African
multipliers. Then I quickly realized that even at the equator, a 100 W and a
dipole are just what they are - a 100 W and a dipole. Still, I sure wish the
dipole at home in Atlanta would get out at least half as good as this one.

I tried to operate as much as I could but had to take some time off on Sunday to
sleep for a couple of hours and help Eri to disassemble and pack all
instruments. Monday morning we greeted the sunrise on the roof and at 8am all
antennas were already taken down, packed, the car loaded and we had 8 hours to
drive back to Kigali and play tourists. Overall, the whole trip was a unique and
somewhat challenging experience for both of us, one that we certainly enjoyed.
Well, most of the time ... We will be back to Rwanda again next year and as I
already promised, then KM4DAY will be the principal operator.

Thanks to everyone who called and my apologies to those who I couldn't pull out
through the noise on 40. Special thanks to my four 5-banders - Uli ZR2A, P33W,
EF8R and of course, SW9AA. The QSL route for 9X4XX, as well as for all our
previous operations, is via LZ3SM.

73, Alex LZ4AX


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