[3830] CQWW SSB RW1F(@RU1A) SOAB Classic HP

[webform at b4h.net]

                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB

Call: RW1F
Operator(s): RW1F
Station: RU1A

Class: SOAB HP
Class Overlay: Classic 
QTH: 
Operating Time (hrs): 23:40
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:  113     8       38
   80:  190    14       62
   40: 1147    27      105
   20: 1100    37      101
   15:  344    26       59
   10:   15     5        9
------------------------------
Total: 2909   117      374  Total Score = 2,300,826

Club: Russian Contest Club

Comments:

It was a contest to be remembered for a long time!)
This year’s CQ WW  is a typical case of “when something goes wrong, it goes
wrong COMPLETELY!”
All stated  Oct 10, while being on my way to the airport to join EF8R team, I
had to cancel the trip due to force majeure.
After talking to Vlad RW!A (who also couldn’t make it to the Magic Mountain,
due to sad family reasons) decided to work SOAB from RU1A site.
Arrived  at the station on Thursday and found out that the 80m wire beam to US
lost a few elements, due the storm a few days before, and turned into a simple
IV. Though all other antennas were in top shape!)
Together with Vadim RU1F we’ve configured the hardware to a SO2R and did a
test operation on all bands – all was working as it should be!  
Friday afternoon found out that my very reliable FTDX5000 (intended primary)
decided to have a relaxing weekend and wouldn’t switch on!!! After unscrewing
untold number of screws, realized that reanimation of the dead  is not
impossible in due time! Though there are enough radios available at RU1A I was
kind of upset as I’m used to FT 5000 at home QTH and can operate it with my
eyes closed)))
Anyhow, dead is dead!) Changed the primary radio to FT1000 and short after got a
phone call from Jack RT1M that if needed he could bring over  the spare
FT5000!!! As it’s abt 200km driving from St Petersburg and it was Friday
evening (not the best traffic conditions) Jack arrived at the site 2 hours
before the kickoff! Have rewired the station again and finally everything was
ready for the battle!
Conditions were pretty good during the day on 15 and 20m and reasonable on 40m,
good run rates and fine mults collection by scanning the bands with the second
radio.
In the evening, I went outside for a short fresh air break and found out that
the winter has arrived, meaning unexpected snow (the first this year), which
later on at night turned into a real snow storm which caused power outage in the
whole area (as it turned out, for 14 hours)  
Blizzard knocked out the electricity when the only laptop running on batteries
was showing my operating time 23h 40m.
Obviously that was the end of the contest for me, though allowing to join the
Classic 24H category with a reasonable result!
My Thanks go to Vlad RW1A for general support and providing the site, Vadim RU1F
for technical support, Sergey RU1AF for coffee and snacks, Jack RT1M for
emergency delivery service!
Despite all odds, it was a great CQ WW weekend!!!


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