[3830] Commonwealth VE3BR SO-Restricted-24 LP

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                    RSGB Commonwealth Contest - 2022

Call: VE3BR
Operator(s): VE3BR
Station: VE3BR

Class: SO-Restricted-24 LP
QTH: FN03es
Operating Time (hrs): 18:47

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Bonus Pts
-----------------------
   80:   28      320
   40:   56      860
   20:   81      700
   15:    6      120
   10:    1       20
-----------------------
Total:  172     2020  Total Score = 2,880

Club: Contest Club Ontario

Comments:

Radio: Ten-Tec Orion
Antenna: DX-Eng 80/40 Thunderbolt 55ft Dual Band Vertical
Software: N1MM Logger+ 1.0.9473.0

The weekend before the contest we had very strong winds with gusts of 100+ km/h.
At one point I saw my 55 ft vertical gradually bent (from the lower, 40 m,
section to the top) 90 degrees - yes, in the wind the top of it was parallel to
the ground. That was too much for my nerves and I lowered it. While putting it
back up on Thursday, I discovered that the trap assembly, which electrically
connects the lower 40 m part to the upper part over the insulator between the
two sections, failed. Two of three custom compression clamps with threaded studs
welded into them broke. Fortunately, I had replacements which I kept when
replacing the original trap after it failed due to age. My XYL often tells me
that I am a hoarder and unnecessarily keep "tons of useless junk".
Hoarder? Junk? How about "being prepared", eh?

Propagation, again, was MIA. Very deep QSB. I had to ask for repeats almost
every time. Stations going from 599 to below my noise level within one
transmission. On top of that the mother (or is it a father?) of all static
crashes. Yes, there were snow flurries outside, but not justifying that much
noise.

Conditions: I made one QSO on 10 (ZL) and that surprised me to no end; 15 was
bad on my vertical; 20 m - average; 40 and 80- OK; all bands noisy, 40 and 80
extremely so. 

Again, running while "legally deaf" proved productive. Without it, and
without people who can -amazingly- hear me and answer my CQ, I would not make
many Qs, some unexpected and very rewarding. On the other hand, I am probably
called an "alligator" by many. The cost of doing business.

Again, it was tough slogging with LP and an 80/40 vertical. See you next
year...

As usual, it's the emptiness of a giant arctic ice floe out there... when you
are running low power to a vertical.


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