ARRL 160 test

[JERRYWB9Z at aol.com]

WB9Z - multi-op  IL

1,384 Q's - 75 sections - 36 countries  336,552

Equipment  FT-1000  & KW

Transmitt ant.  160' vertical tower on a base insulator with 120 buried
radials & 4 elevated ground radials

Rec. ants.  9 terminated beverages ranging from 600' to 2,050'



>From Wallace Offutt <woffutt at davinci.netaxis.com>  Mon Dec  4 01:17:15 1995
From: Wallace Offutt <woffutt at davinci.netaxis.com> (Wallace Offutt)
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 1995 20:17:15 -0500 (EST)
Subject: K8HVT ARRL 160 So-Called Results
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.951203184611.17659C-100000 at davinci.netaxis.com>


ARRL 160 at K8HVT

QSOs:     437
Mults:    64 (9 DX)

Op Time:  6.5 hours

Equipment:  TS-930S, Drake L7 at 800 Watts

Quit at 11:30 PM Friday.  Decent but unspectacular rates for first four
hours (90, 69, 83 & 71).  Used new tree-supported inverted vee with apex
at 70 feet.  Seems a little better than the old ladder line dipole at 60
feet but the difference may have been the better conditions.  With no
Beverage here, sigs from Europe did not seem very strong.  Worked most DX
on first or second call (except for I3VHO who needed a zillion repeats)
but then I didn't hear anything very exotic.  Worked everything east of
the Mississippi River (including VE1) in the first three hours!  First
West Coast was N0DH/7 who called at 0009Z.  Strongest West Coast was NW6N
who was S7 at 0052Z.  West Coast signals seemed weaker later on.  Couldn't
get W6GO to hear me but nearly everyone else could.  

DX Window seemed to be successful but there always seemed to be at least
two US stations CQ-ing whenever I tuned by.  I heard some exchanges
reminiscent of 75 meters between some of the window violators and the
window cops.  I'm sure those folks CQ-ing in the window were under the
impression that the window was 1825 to 1830.  Now that they know, I'm sure
they won't do it again.  Right? 

The first 6-8 hours of this contest are always fun but putting in a full
effort (and then coming in only about 20th) is just not worth ignoring the
family for yet another weekend and messing up my sleep cycle and feeling
crappy (and crabby) for several days.  Six trips to Japan each year means
my body goes through twelve jet lags per annum - or about 60 days of
feeling sub-par.  I am becoming increasingly reluctant to add to this
torture via contesting.  Maybe something to do with age?  Bring on the
SprINT, the NAQPs, and the Sprints! 

73, 

Hal Offutt K8HVT/1 Darien, CT
woffutt at netaxis.com

     
  

>From Kurt Pauer <0006743923 at mcimail.com>  Mon Dec  4 02:02:00 1995
From: Kurt Pauer <0006743923 at mcimail.com> (Kurt Pauer)
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 95 21:02 EST
Subject: 160 Window - Postscript
Message-ID: <95951204020259/0006743923ND3EM at MCIMAIL.COM>

                ARRL 160 Contest Window - Postscript
 
    I operated about 20 hours in the 160 M Contest and I would like to
observe that the "window" was a big success if you look back to previous
years.  ON4UN worked 460 W/VE stations.  I would suspect that many of
them would not have been able to hear John if it weren't for the clear
frequencies.  Yes, there were some guys calling CQ in there, but most
QSYed when reminded.  With the exception of **3C who stayed there
for hours, there was no widespread CQing by W/VE's and many DX contacts
could be made.  This was the first year of a workable DX window and
it went well.
 
    Some have criticized the size of the window for DX.  It must be
remembered that the ARRL 160 M Contest is a single band Sweepstakes
event, and any DX that can be worked is a bonus.  The main activity
is W/VE's working other W/VE's.  With this perspective, the size of 
the DX window is realistic.
 
    Instead of negative stuff about this first run at a smaller 
window, I would like to hear some positive stuff from anyone who
found the window useful or who was able to work their first DX, etc.
 
    Conditions were not nearly as good as for the CQWW.  I had trouble
working W6 from NH and missed a bunch of sections there, even though
I could hear them faintly.  The first W6 to be worked was W6GO at 0039z
with a very nice signal.  Other notable signals were N6DX, N6SS, and 
NI6T.  On the other hand, many Europeans (46 in the log) were available 
and they are as easy to work as a W5 from here.  
                                                          
    It was a lot of fun.        
 
                                Kurt Pauer, W1PH
                                CAC, New England Division


>From svogrine at pop.srv.ualberta.ca (Sharon Vogrinetz VE6SLV)  Mon Dec  4 02:44:29 1995
From: svogrine at pop.srv.ualberta.ca (Sharon Vogrinetz VE6SLV) (Sharon Vogrinetz VE6SLV)
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 1995 19:44:29 -0700
Subject: VE6FR CQWW & ARRL 160 LP S&P
Message-ID: <199512040244.TAA24414 at bock.ucs.ualberta.ca>

Didn't want to waste a lot of bandwidth so decided to send these together.

I've only been licenced for a few years and have ignored CW until about a
year ago and have been trying to improve my skill. Still not confident
enough to try and run so only S&P efforts.

CQWW CW SO LP Allband Unassisted(packet, what packet?)

184 QSO's   446 PTS    67 ZONES    112 COUNTRIES

SCORE  79,834

Great conditions on the low bands even in the propagationally challenged
north. Was able to hear and work Europe on 80 and 160 m. From this QTH with
low power and only slopers on the low bands equates to exceptional
conditions.


ARRL 160 CW SO LP Unassisted

103 QSO's    41 SECTIONS    3 COUNTRIES

SCORE  9592

What a difference a week makes. I guess the coronal hole didn't help
matters much either.

Worked S51AG/MM, how should this be scored? I think he said he was off the
coast of B.C. but gave an exchange of 599MM2 which my logging program
doesn't seem to like. Please e-mail direct.


Finally what better way to end a year than in a contest! Hope to be able to
work many of you from the multi-op entry of VE6RAC at VE6JY in the RAC
sponsored Canada Winter Contest. Starts at 00:00z Dec 31/95 and lasts 24
hrs so you'll be done in time to bring in the new year! Remember there is a
nice plaque for the top scoring non-VE entry. Stay tuned as I'm sure Dave
VE2ZP will be posting the rules soon.

73 de John VE6FR ex-VE6JAV aka-CJ6V



                        """""
                       " o o "
                       (  _  )
                        \___/

                      Smile - no one
                        can tell what
                            you're up to!




>From Lee Hiers <0006701840 at mcimail.com>  Mon Dec  4 02:47:00 1995
From: Lee Hiers <0006701840 at mcimail.com> (Lee Hiers)
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 95 21:47 EST
Subject: ARRL 160 - AB4RU
Message-ID: <43951204024734/0006701840DC3EM at MCIMAIL.COM>

1995 ARRL 160 Contest

Call:           AB4RU

Class:          Multi-operator

Operators:      AB4RU, AA4GA

Section:        GA

Hours:          36
                  
Valid QSOs:       1,538
Sections:            74
Countries:           43

Score:          407,277

Logged Dupes:   106  (I agree with Ville's (OH2MM) philosophy on working
                      dupes)  We had one west coast station with a good
                      signal call us at least six times!  Just for
                      grins, Sunday morning I heard him calling CQ, so I
                      called him, to which he replied "QSO B4"....was
                      relieved to find out we finally made it in his log!
 
Stuff:          1/4 wave elevated feed ground plane with 22 radials,
                      inverted vee, beverages to 1200' feet, FT1000,
                      FT990, Commander HF2500, MLA2500B.

Another fun weekend of ringing ears and headaches!  Like some of the
other posts I've seen, we also experienced better DX conditions on the
first day.  Very little EU on Saturday night and no JA on Sunday
morning.  According to K2WI, their condx about the same both
nights...congrats to the K2WI crew for another great performance!

Took off about six hours during the day Saturday...left a rate
of about 35 per hour to get some sleep so we'd be better rested and in
peak condition for the EU activity later that night, which, as
mentioned, really didn't happen.  Oh well.  QRN level was low most of
the time, although picked up a little bit on Friday night.  Not _too_
much in the way of frequency squabbles, we mostly CQed around 1828 or so
both nights.  Missed some mults that we heard, but for whatever reason,
just missed...especially upset to miss EA and VP2E.  Missed KL7, VE8,
and KP2, so still no 160 sweep...but we're still trying!

Notable signals from N0DH/7 (he called us early, with a fine signal -
what's that Dave, phased inv-Ls?) and several EU stations at s8+ on the
beverages.

We have a lot of receive antennas to choose from and sometimes it takes
us a while to figure out which one is the correct one.  We may ask, say,
a 6 for several fills, all the while trying to decide which of the 3
west antennas is the best one and finally figuring out that we need to
listen NE when the section is given as NH or whatever.  It would sure
help speed things along in such cases if the op would sign portable,
even if the station being called is loud....in 90% of such struggles,
when we find the right antenna, the guy is Q5.  These antennas are
pretty sharp. I've got a blister on my thumb from beverage selecting!

Now, a personal apology.  I (AA4GA) was CQing merrily away late into the
first night and switching VFOs, trying to time a call to a KH6 who was
running folks in the window.  I inadvertantly got confused about which
VFO was which and I ended up CQing on top of the pileup, trashing the
frequency and violating the window.  In my semi-conscious state, it took
about a minute or so to figure out why all of a sudden I was being
bombarded with "QRL", "QSY", etc.  when I had been "on my frequency" for
several hours.  To make matters worse, a couple of folks kept asking
"WHY U THINK U SPECIAL?", which I answered that I wasn't, that I'd been
on the frequency for hours.  About that time, I realized my mistake and
sent a quick "SRI" and got outta there.  With all the sensitivity being
expressed over the window, I thought I'd explain and apologize for the
benefit of anyone I upset Friday night.  I humbly beg your pardon.

>From the amount of listening between 1830 and 1835 I did, I thought the
window sounded "cleaner" than it has in the past, but Ron ('RU) thought
it sounded about average.  I guess we'll get another look at it for the
CQ contests....see y'all then!

73 de Lee
aa4ga at mcimail.com

"I ain't changin' my call...I'd have to change my computer password....oops!"


>From Jon E. Casamajor" <0006874944 at mcimail.com  Mon Dec  4 03:40:00 1995
From: Jon E. Casamajor" <0006874944 at mcimail.com (Jon E. Casamajor)
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 95 22:40 EST
Subject: KN6EL Lil pistol 160
Message-ID: <41951204034014/0006874944DC3EM at MCIMAIL.COM>

Call: KN6EL                                       Section: Sacramento Valley
Mode: CW                                          Catagory: SO, LP

         QSO       QSO PTS     PTS/QSO     SECTIONS     COUNTRIES
Totals   128        265         2.07         41            2 (!) = 11,395

All reports sent were 599 unless otherwise noted.
Equipment description:
Icom 765-100 watts(sorta)- 80 meter Delta loop, apex at 72'
Club Affiliation: Shasta DX and Contest Club

This is to certify that in this contest I have operated my transmitter
within the limitations of my license and have observed fully the rules
and regulations of the contest.  

                            Signature______________________________________
              Mailing address:

                   Jon Casamajor KN6EL
                   24 Graceland CT.
                   Chico, CA 95973
Soapbox:
What IS it about this contest? It is a HOOT! No DX, no BIG runs, no great
openings...at least for us 160 challanged types...but it is sure addicting
and lots of FUN! 
There weren't many highlites or lowlights...just 9 hours of fun!
No power here, forcing an 80M Dloop to act like a radiator and sure heard
some big guns who weren't hearing what I heard...course, they were workin
guys that I couldn't work!
Gotta get a radiator up! Pretty much fun contest!
  73 de Jon
  KN6EL


>From Steven Sample <aa9ax at iglou.com>  Mon Dec  4 04:06:06 1995
From: Steven Sample <aa9ax at iglou.com> (Steven Sample)
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 1995 23:06:06 -0500 (EST)
Subject: ARRL 160 Score (QRP) ATTN:K7SS
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.951203230150.5342A-100000 at iglou>

Danny-
Do you have any more cigars?  I've had it with QRP.  Tried it once couple 
years ago in Field Day with some guys, and swore off it then. Tried it 
again this weekend, and you're right: "Life's too short for QRP!"  Yuk!

5 Watts to 160 meter loop up about 50 feet:

340 QSO's   59 Sections  NO (0) DX    Total  40,120 points.

NEVER AGAIN!!!!!         Steve/AA9AX

>From w6go at netcom.com (Jay O'Brien - W6GO)  Mon Dec  4 04:24:43 1995
From: w6go at netcom.com (Jay O'Brien - W6GO) (Jay O'Brien - W6GO)
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 1995 20:24:43 -0800 (PST)
Subject: W6GO ARRL 160 & Comments
Message-ID: <199512040424.UAA12833 at netcom19.netcom.com>

1995 ARRL 160 Meter Contest Results -  W6GO  - Multioperator category

541 QSOs, 1154 QSO pts, 2.13 pts/QSO, 74 Sections, 5 Countries = 91,166

Operators: N6IG: 213 QSOs,  8.2 hours
           W6GO: 328 QSOs, 19.3 hours

Worked all states, missed MAR, PR, VI sections.  16 JA QSOs. 

Equipment: FT-1000D & Alpha 77

Antennas: 153' Rohn 55 with KLM 80M dipole at top, fed as elevated
          ground plane for transmit, 80M dipole at top used for receive.
          Vacuum relay detunes ground plane during receive to kill noise
          coupling from vertical antenna to dipole.  Also 500' due-east 
          beverage.

COMMENTS: (long)

  Jim, N6IG was here before the contest to help me replace a neighbor's
electric fence.  Unfortunately the neighbor didn't meet our scheduled time,
leaving only her guard dog.  In Rio Linda we don't argue with guard dogs!
Jim had such a good time operating that he came back Saturday for more.

  I installed a JPS ANC-4 Noise Canceller on Wednesday.  It worked great
before the contest, but during the contest all my noise went away and the
ANC-4 was of little use.  More on this great little box as I get familiar
with it.  If it scares the noise away permanently and I never have to turn
it on again, it was worth the money.

  I feel the DX window worked great.  There were a few (even some of the
luminaries!) that didn't get the word, but not a problem.  In my opinion
the previous 20 kHz window was so wide it was not useful and was ignored.
5 kHz is reasonable and is observed.  So, we didn't have a DX window 
before, but now we have one.  I even heard a whisper (once) from ON4UN 
in the window!

  Where were the rest of the JA's?  

  During the middle of the night I was CQing at 19 wpm.  Why don't people
know to answer at the senders' speed?  There were several east coasters
I didn't work because they were going too fast for their strength here,
and I just couldn't pull them out at 30+ wpm.  

  One of the antennas I use for receive on 160 is a 80M double-quad loop.
It is fed with about 500' of "volunteer" Andrews 7/8" hard line in 75-100'
pieces.  One of the RG-213 jumpers (PL-259's each end) between two of the
7/8" sections was left over from a batch of incorrectly soldered ones, and
the bad shield connection (60 ohms!) introduced noise and intermod from
all the local BC stations.  That was Saturday morning's project to find
and repair, and when that was done I was short of energy.  N6IG showed up
at the right time and gave me a breather during the contest.  Thanks Jim! 
That makes 29 of the bad soldered joints I've had to fix!  Whew. 

  Hi to Danny, K7SS.  Thanks for the comment, "Loudest W6 and hardest to
work...lots of dididumdumdidi's  must have QRN there".   I dunno about the
"loudest W6" comment, but I sure remember the QSO.  For some reason my 
mind was not in gear at all.  My RES file from CT says that I came to 
1822.16 at 0515 and worked you at 0516.  I worked two stations before you
and the next log entry was 0517.  For some reason I couldn't translate 
your callsign into keystrokes and had to hit the "?" key more than once.
Sorry about that, I'm still learning.  Absolutely no QRN here, there was 
NO noise at all except that introduced (??) after it leaves the headphones
and before it gets keyed into the computer.

  When N6IG was operating Saturday night I noticed that all of my local 
users on the W6GO PacketCluster node had been disconnected.  I found 
that the 144.95 audio was being interrupted by Jim's keying!  This 
wasn't a problem Friday night, but after all, Jim IS a much better 
operator than me, so maybe something wore down under the stress.  
The 144.95 transmitter was being (partially) keyed by Jim!  The VHF 
144.95 radio is in a small building at the base of the tower that is 
also the 160M transmit antenna, and the packet antenna is on top.  I 
found that the optoisolator in the line terminating unit that is on 
the other end of the telephone pair from the node computer was 
momentarily keying the FT-211 when Jim was transmitting on 160!  I 
replaced the line terminating unit with a spare and my users were 
then able to stay connected. It appears that there isn't a RF bypass 
on the PTT lead in this unit, but there is one in the new one.  A 
project for next week.

  Why won't people accept "dupes"?  I attempted to work WA7UQV and he 
passed me off as a dupe.  When I called him again, he patronized me by 
slowing down to 5 wpm (so I could copy, I guess) and told me again we
had a previous contact.  I called him again to ask the time, and after
several attempts, he slowed down again to 5wpm and gave me the time.  He 
would not work me again.  The time he gave is when N6IG was operating.  I
am not the world's best operator, but N6IG comes close to that description.
WA7UQV, you did not work W6GO, because you are NOT IN THE LOG.  For some
reason WA7UQV thinks he worked W6GO.  If WA7UQV was mortal, I would think
that perhaps he worked N6RO and logged it incorrectly.  However, given the
superior operating skill shown by WA7UQV, it is inconceivable to think
that he could have made a mistake.  He must have worked the "other W6GO".

  Thanks to W3LPL and others who have commented on beverages.  I don't know
whether changing from steel wire to copper made it work or adding to the 
far-end ground by tying it to a perpendicular fence was the answer, but it 
really worked, for the first time.  I'm going to put up several more of 
them, now that I can see how they are supposed to work.

  I did not cut the 10 MHz connect to VE3CDX for this contest, so our 
cluster exchanged spots with the rest of the world.  A bunch of the spots
from the east (and from NL7GP, probably via Internet/VE3CDX) really paid
off for me and didn't overwhelm our cluster.  I hope others also benefited
from the extended connections.

  Last, but no least, congratulations to neighbor NW6N who, as a 160M 
regular, really showed me how it should be done from the Sacramento Valley
section.  He has put a lot of effort into optimizing his 160M station and 
it really shows!  Way to go, Bob.  His S/O score (124,583) really indicates
what can be done if you know what you are doing!

  73, Jay
      w6go at netcom.com