squirt results

Sat Dec 3 14:11:19 EST 1994

Big fun! Thought it was a joke when I saw N6TR's posting
(can't tell whether Tree really meant it:). I didn't work
him, so maybe he thought it was a joke. Couldn't resist tuning  
around when the time came.

I nominate K1VR's crew for "most likely to
succeed". Not the loudest, but they were everywhere!

Wayne
w5xd at delphi.com

>From Hodge Thorgerson David Cameron-INBA <hodge at redvax1.dgsca.unam.mx>  Sat Dec  3 21:28:29 1994
From: Hodge Thorgerson David Cameron-INBA <hodge at redvax1.dgsca.unam.mx> (Hodge Thorgerson David Cameron-INBA)
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 1994 15:28:29 -0600 (CST)
Subject: squirt results
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.90.941203152714.3600M-100000 at redvax1>

How many points do I get for being on the Internet reading my mail during
the contest?   By the time I got to that message it was too late to run home
and make a few non-diaper assisted QSOs.   DARN!  David  'RX

>From CTA <0006806220 at mcimail.com>  Sat Dec  3 22:21:00 1994
From: CTA <0006806220 at mcimail.com> (CTA)
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 94 17:21 EST
Subject: SquINT Results
Message-ID: <32941203222123/0006806220DC3EM at MCIMAIL.COM>

Results: WA6CTA SquINT

         Operators: Ed (WA6CTA) & Lauren (age 5)

         12 Q's  60 minutes x 4 positive comments = 240 pts

Couldn't get my 2 1/2 year old interested, so lost out on the potential
diaper bonus. Lauren got bored about half-way through; had to bribe her to
stick it out! I discovered that she a) couldn't copy through QRM, and
b) only would answer strong signals (so what else is new?). She particularly
liked it when the jr op on the other side had picked the same color! Lots
of fun; if I HAVE to get on SSB, this is better than most. It would appear
that the kid who had the least trouble with the QSY rule (or was way to
young to question it) was N6VI - he was EVERYWHERE! We had a little skirmish
here over why we had to tune around! 
73, Ed (and Lauren) WA6CTA

>From Lyndon Nerenberg - VE7TCP <lyndon at canada.unbc.edu>  Sat Dec  3 21:36:27 1994
From: Lyndon Nerenberg - VE7TCP <lyndon at canada.unbc.edu> (Lyndon Nerenberg - VE7TCP)
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 1994 13:36:27 -0800 (PST)
Subject: ARRL SWEEPSTAKES HELP (VE8)
Message-ID: <Pine.BSI.3.90.941203133146.5085D-100000 at canada.unbc.edu>

On Sat, 3 Dec 1994, Cyndy Clemons wrote:

>      I agree with John (WB2K) about the propagation.  I worked VE8 one year on
> 40 cw and the station was loud.  However, I remember the year N7DF went up 
> there with a tower, tribander, and amplifier.  I also worked him, but I had to
> ask him for 4 or 5 repeats, while he copied all my info on the first shot (I
> was running 100 watts).

Although not as far north as the VE8 stations, VE7ZZZ often finds itself 
in the same situation. On thing to try when you can hear the pileup but 
the station is to try working the VE8 (and us!) off the *back* of your 
beam. The radiation angle off the back is typically much higher than the 
front. Within North America (especially on 20m) a low angle of radiation 
will make it difficult to work other North American's.

Quite often when I'm running US stations on 20m I will point the beam at 
350 degrees or so and achieve much better results than if I was pointed 
at 170 degrees.

--lyndon

>From genewill at efn.org (Gene Williamson)  Sun Dec  4 00:18:09 1994
From: genewill at efn.org (Gene Williamson) (Gene Williamson)
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 94 16:18:09 PST
Subject: CQWW CW at XF3/K7DBV
Message-ID: <9412040018.AA22295 at efn.efn.org>

   CQ WORLD WIDE DX CONTEST  1994

      Call: XF3/K7DBV                     Country:  Mexico
      Mode: CW                            Category: Single Op, AB, LP

My operating class for CQWW was truthfully Single Operator "Trifecta,"
Unassisted, Low Power (operated only three bands due to RF and antenna
loading problems on 160, 15, and 10, where I could make *no* contacts):

BAND     QSO     ZONES     COUNTRIES
80             110        8                  17
40             385        18                45
20             655        26                58
                 --------     --------           -------
                 1150      52                 120

Equipment: one IC-735, one 250ft random wire, one 386SL/20

Wow! What a great trip to XF3! I was at the Fiesta Inn Cozumel for precisely
seven days (noon 11/22 to noon 11/29), plus 39 hours travelling total on
both ends. I lugged two carry-on bags weighing 176kg through twelve airports
and on and off of ten airplanes. My 75m long random wire Hertz antenna was
mounted on the third-floor roof of the hotel, tied between two red
aircraft-collision warning lights (planes must fly mighty LOW along that
beach!), and raised slightly in the middle on a pole about 4m long. All in
all, the antenna must have been 15m or more above ground.

Station set-up went well: my old faithful IC-735 (which is being rewarded
with a trip to International Radio for two new filters) and PS-15 power
supply; Logikey K-1 keyer and Bencher paddle; MFJ 941C ATU; Zenith
MastersPort 386SL/20 running CT 7.25; plus both data interface and cw keying
interface. The neatest thing about the data interface is that the exact
frequency is printed in the log, so it's easy to tell when I was holding a
frequency and when I was searching. The un-neatest part is that I screwed up
the logging and about 600 or so Qs got logged as RTTY instead of SSB;
fortunately it's an easy (put painful) thing to correct. Just finished
printing out the logs and reports today (Saturday).

My week on Cozumel Island went like this: operate the rig; eat when hungry;
operate the rig; lie down when sleepy; operate the rig. During those nine
days (counting the five-legs-each-way air trip--my travel agent must be
trying to kill me!) I never once slept for more than 3.5 hours at any one
stretch. The last night and morning--when I skipped breakfast and finally
got some propagation for my best SSB hour during my last SSB hour--I was
running on adrenaline. All I could think was, "Tomorrow I can eat and sleep,
but tomorrow I CANNOT make more Qs!"

Total contacts in the logs (one for CQWW and the other, in DXpedition mode,
for everything outside) were 3130; I had 54 dupes, for a dupe rate of 1.7%.
I was glad to work everyone on as many bands and modes as possible, but I
purposely tried to keep the band/mode dupes to an absolute minimum. About
80% of my operation was cw, the remainder SSB. Code speeds varied between 22
and 24 wpm, and I sent my call after *every* contact. (A personal and
perhaps peculiar point of pride with me is that on fone I only said "QRZed"
*once* that entire time. I was trying to NEVER say "QRZed" at all--"CQ" is
one-third faster, just as appropriate, and technically more correct--but I
got tired and slipped. I'll be better next time!) Next I'll use the CT QSL
program to print a label for the *first* contact for *each band/mode* for
each station; I've got 3,000 cards on order, and will QSL 100%. My
rates--both in and out of the contest--were pretty puny (best CQWW hour 63;
best SSB hour about twice that), but greatly exciting to a country boy who
operates at home into a ground-mounted vertical on the property line of a
city lot. (In 36 years I don't believe I've *ever* worked an EI. Got *two*
this trip!)

Mr Murphy, thankfully, stayed away almost completely. Although I had
quarter-wave counterpoise wires cut for *each band* from 80 through ten (two
four-conductor cables; one for 80/40/30/20 and one for 17/15/12/10) and
attached to the ground strap of the ATU, on 30 meters I had enough RF in the
shack to "burn" my finger if I touched metal parts on the Bencher; on 17
meters, when I keyed the rig, squawks and thumps would come out of the tv
set speaker (with it turned OFF!) and the digital controls for
color/sharpness/etc would be reset to zero! I was only on 30 and 17 to keep
my OH skeds--where I managed 40 Qs on 30m and 121 Qs on 17.

This DX vacation was my 50th birthday present to myself . . . and an
absolutely first-rate experience. As Martti says, "Where shall I go next?"

73 Gene K7dBV

-------------------------------------------------------
Gene A. Williamson / Amateur Radio K7DBV
In A Word / 2160 Fairway Lp / Eugene OR 97401 USA
Voice (503) 683-4164 / Fax (503) 344-3413
Internet: genewill at efn.efn.org
-------------------------------------------------------
~~
 * VbReader 2.02 #NR * . . . Exacerbate obfuscation!

>From Fred Hopengarten" <k1vr at k1vr.jjm.com  Sun Dec  4 08:39:03 1994
From: Fred Hopengarten" <k1vr at k1vr.jjm.com (Fred Hopengarten)
Date: Sun, 04 Dec 1994 03:39:03 EST
Subject: SquINT
Message-ID: <2ee1802a.k1vr at k1vr.jjm.com>

Results

Annie, age 10, favorite color:  Neon, made 8 QSO's.  We
started at 29 minutes past, which means that her rate for
her first contest (~16 QSO's/hr) was a gabillion times
better than the rate I had in my first contest.  As I
recall, it was 1956.  I was age 10, and I made about 45
QSO's in two weeks.  Annie pronounced the event:  "Awesome."

Highlight:  When she echoed perfectly to Kelsey (age 11,
green), as I whispered in her ear:  "N4 Bravo Oscar, this is
K1 Victor Radio."  Ah yes, the sins of the father have thus
been visited upon the daughter.

In re Push to Talk

     Steven, age 7, didn't want to talk over the microphone.
He just wanted to sit on the floor under the operating desk
and push the foot switch.  That's why some of our responses
were a bit delayed.

     Annie:  "Steven, push."

     Steven (returning from Mighty Morphin brainwave
     thinking):  "Huh?"

     K1VR:  "Push the footswitch, Steven."

     Steven:  "You don't have to shout."

     Annie:  "Just push it, Steven."

     Steven:  "Okay, okay."

K1VR Thought

     Best event this station has entered in a whole week.
Looking forward to another.
-- 
                      Fred Hopengarten K1VR
           Six Willarch Road * Lincoln, MA 01773-5105
     home + office telephone:  617/259-0088 (FAX on demand)
                   internet:  k1vr at k1vr.jjm.com
"Big antennas, high in the sky, are better than small ones, low."