[3830] CQ160 CW WO1N Single Op Assisted LP

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                    CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW - 2021

Call: WO1N
Operator(s): WO1N
Station: WO1N

Class: Single Op Assisted LP
QTH: Massachusetts
Operating Time (hrs): 27

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 701  State/Prov = 52  Countries = 21  Total Score = 130,524

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

Station: FTdx5000, Inv-L at 70', Shielded rotatable small loop, K9AY NE Loop

Soapbox : 

This contest is a process. A long and drawn out effort. Noise environment be
damned. 

Start by digging a hole for a 4x4 post to hold the DX Engineering
radial plate. Do that before the ground freezes. Check.

Dig out the Inverted-L chunk-o-wire that has been in use since 1995. Check.

The main rope support is still up, carefully curated since N1IW (SK) and I put
it up
sometime in the mid-2000's. Get the far end rope back up in the tree. Check.

Pull up the Inverted L. Install the radial plate and feedline choke. Check.

Start rolling out 3000' of pre-cut radials. Do that under the cover of
darkness so you don't have to answer curious neighbor questions ;-). Check.

Deploy a W1AEX inspired small delta loop. Check.
 
Resolve an open shield on the loop feedline. Check.

Resurrect the shielded loop and associated bits that didn't play at all
the last time it was used (2013). Diagnose a cold solder joint on the loop
tuning capacitor on the bench. Check. 

Two receive antenna choices now.

Dig out a 2x1 switch and connect up. See SWR all over the map on both antenna.
Realize the switch is trashed. Get another switch. Check.

By now, you get the picture. This took place starting November up to and
including the weekend of the contest. I hadn't gone through this process since
the 2013
season, so I was in it for a full time effort.

Reading the rules I noticed there are now assisted categories. Decided to
run SOLP Assisted to see what I was missing.

Pre-contest jitters melted away pretty quickly with a 33Q opening run at 1809.

Grinding it out the first evening with lots of short runs followed by S&P
up
and down the band. The shielded loop is the go-to antenna for receive. The
Inv-L and the W1AEX delta loop are too noisy. 1800-1805 unusable with a broad
noise source. 1840-1842 unusable with my beloved dual 51 KHz spaced switcher
peaks
that I've lived with since 2010.

However, it is clear I am having trouble hearing DX. Caught an LY early in the
evening but I was not hearing any of the Eu spots. 0. Nada.

Finish the overnight at our sunrise once a KH6 was in the log. 400Qs.

During the day I implemented a plan to turn the W1AEX Delta loop into a NE
pointing K9AY loop. This went smoothly and I managed to avoid frostbite.
Initial
test results show a 10 dB rearward null using a local AM station as the
test source. Cool! Need to compare against design expectations, but an
encouraging
sign.

Start up the 2nd evening at 2200Z. The shielded loop is still the only useful
antenna. Really frustrating. Work a UA2 around 0130Z. That was promising.

At 0417Z I work a DL that called me while I was running. That was a
trigger to go S&P focusing on all 10 point spots. In the next 3 hours I
only
manage 3 other 10 pointers. It's now 0715Z and most of central Europe looks
to be past sunrise. Was just about ready to throw in the towel when suddenly
something somewhere switched off and my noise floor dropped about 20 dB! Holy
crap!

In the following 90 minutes I was able to double my DX mult count and put 15
10 pointers in the log. Additionally, the K9AY loop was the best for Eu.
Awesome.

With all of the EU now in sunlight I spent the rest of the 2nd night was
calling CQ and working the 2nd VFO until shortly after our sunrise. This was
good for a couple of mults including Nebraska minutes before our sunrise.
Obviously not a contest regular, that guy got more than a few TU's from me!
Ended the 2nd night with 671Q.

Back on for the last 90 minutes and managed to top 700Q's with about 1 minute
left.

Why do I do this? I don't know. I love the over night shifts. Hearing the band
change over the course of the evening. Sometimes slowly, sometimes suddenly.
Watching the full moon transit the sky. Twice. Dawn. Twice. I just love it.

CU in the next one,

Ken - WO1N


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