SS-SSB LP KE5FI - 10 meters opened!

Tue Nov 21 13:09:12 EST 1995

Only worked half-heartedly on and off with some wire antennas with high SWR
on 40-20-15

BAND           QSOs          QSO PTS        SECTIONS
160                     0                    0      
 80                  128                256
 40                  140                280
 20                  231                462
 15                  202                404
 10                    57                114
___________________________________________
TOTALS          758              1516                  77              SCORE=
 116,732    20 hours Low Power

After I got the sweep, I went to 10 meters on Sunday evening 2337 - 0107 and
started CQing into the dead band.  Lo and behold!  Sporadic E skip into Ga,
Al, SC - MI - CO  mostly all contact nr 1 but most knew the drill!  I hope we
cultivate these guys during the 10 meter test.  

The rate meter stayed from 60 to 100 the whole time, which might not be too
bad for low power in the last few hours of the test.  I spent exactly 30
minutes there and worked 56 Q's.

73

Chuck
KE5FI at AOL.COM

>From Skelton, Tom" <TSkelton at engineer.ClemsonSC.ATTGIS.COM  Tue Nov 21 20:30:00 1995
From: Skelton, Tom" <TSkelton at engineer.ClemsonSC.ATTGIS.COM (Skelton, Tom)
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 95 12:30:00 PST
Subject: FW: SSB Sweeps- KF9PL (Long) + WB4iUX response
Message-ID: <30B2422E at admin.ClemsonSC.ATTGIS.COM>

1995 SSB Sweepstakes
KF9PL Single op QRP

509 QSO's x 75 Sections = 76,350 points
Operated from the QTH of NO9Z

<Sean's interesting SS story deleted>

Where was South Carolina, and why is there always a problem with that
section? I may have to go there next year.
<del>
 -------------------------------
WB4iUX  [ a proud South Carolinian ] responds:

1.  South Carolina is located between North Carolina and Georgia, kinda
where it's always been.  I don't think we have tried to move it much lately
ourselves, but hurricane Hugo kicked a** and took a lot of the beach away
(it's mostly back now -- gotta get that tourism plug in).   South Carolina
tried to secede from the union a few hundred years ago, and was first to
do it, but we lost a war, wised up, and are proud to be part of the Big 50 
today.
Moonshine running is pretty much over.

2.  I don't know why there is always a problem with that section, even 
though
I have lived here 37 of my 41 years of life on this earth.  I know W4BTZ was
on for the CW portion, and there were some SC stations on for Phone.
However, I am certain none of them had big QSO totals.  I only managed
the time to make 92 Q's, and most of those were on 15m with just a temporary
dipole at 30 ft.
But really, here's the real problem that SC is rare on SS:
WB4iUX'S XYL HATES ALL CONTESTS, AND HE DOESN'T
LIKE TO FIGHT WITH HER ABOUT IT! (although sometimes he does)
Seriously, I am planning to spend much more time in domestic contesting
(instead of just DX'ing) in the next few years and SC should be much easier. 

We just moved into a new QTH this summer, and the first tower (a 40 ft 
shortie
for 10m, 6m and WARC) should be up between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  This
spring I'll get the 70 footer up (if the neighbors haven't hung me in
effigy by then) with the 40m yagi and tribander.  Also, I have room in a 
vacant
lot next to us to hang a pair of phased verticals for 80 meters.

3.  Please don't come to South Carolina to operate.  The last thing I need
is a good operator to give me some competition!!! ;-))

Seriously, sorry I couldn't get on more to hand out the mult.  It was bad
enuff when The Treemeister/N6TR said:
'Gee Tom, you're weak!'
ARRRGGGGGGH the pain of it all....

73,  Tom WB4iUX
Tom.Skelton at ClemsonSC.ATTGIS.COM

ps:  Would someone please report to K1EA a massive bug in CT:
YOU CAN'T MAKE A SMALL 'i' !!!  );-}}

>From jreid at aloha.net (Jim Reid)  Tue Nov 21 18:31:02 1995
From: jreid at aloha.net (Jim Reid) (Jim Reid)
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 1995 08:31:02 -1000
Subject: Contest Spurs/IM's and the TS-870S
Message-ID: <199511211831.IAA01143 at hookomo.aloha.net>

Aloha,  A Couple of weeks or so ago,  there was a brief thread
about this topic.  I inadvertanly deleted same.  Would appreciate
copies from someone,  if you happen to have saved them, 
(haven't found a contest reflector arcive [sp?] file as exists for the
dx reflector).

The point discussed was the 870's lack of crystal filters and
the  reliance on  only  DSP filtering which seems to have 
 led to spurs and IM's in dense,  strong signal situations,
These surs/IM's  usually  being eliminated by rigs when
using  dual crystal filters, say as in the 950SDX  where filters
can be used  in series in both the 8.83 mHz and 455 kHz IF
stages. (And are also awailable in the "sub" receiver section
 in it's second IF at  10.7 mHz,  where either CW or SSB BW's 
crystals may be switched in).

Lew McCoy's brief review of the 870 (pg 38,  Nov. CQ)  seems to
say that the DSP filter processing occurs in the final, and fourth
IF stage at a frequency of only  11.3 kHz!  (Note Lew did not
receive a manual for the 870 he reviewed, to new,  I guess)
This is essentially at
audio type frequencies,  isn't it?  But the IF has not yet been
run through a product dectector,  or whatever,  so it  has still
not been converted  to audio "baseband";  not sure what if
any difference that makes to the DSP processing.

So it seems that if McCoy's supposition is correct,  it is no
wonder in signal crowded environments,  the 870 is going 
to have spur/IM  response problems with the nearby or
even remotely generated strong signals.

Wonder how Kenwood is dealing with all of this in the,  probably,
soon to be announced (maybe at Dayton in May)  TS-970SDX,
which will be complete with sub receiver and multiple DSP circuits
for both main and sub receiveers,  as in the 950SDX?  Bet they will
include 8.83 mHz crystal filters again,  and maybe also at 455,
(note that these IF frequencies are maintained at 2nd and 3rd
IF's in the 870)  after the Kenwood engineers learn of the contester
results experienced with the 870 in the CQWW and SS tests.

73,   Jim, AH6NB     

  PS:  Still no word from Kenwood on the "apparent
shipping damage to my 950SDX,  tho I did receive a claim report form
from UPS Saturday,  which I promplty filled out and FAX'ed directly
back to UPS Customer Service.)

>From km9p at IS.NET (Bill Fisher, KM9P  Concentric Systems, Inc.)  Tue Nov 21 18:58:24 1995
From: km9p at IS.NET (Bill Fisher, KM9P  Concentric Systems, Inc.) (Bill Fisher, KM9P  Concentric Systems, Inc.)
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 1995 13:58:24 -0500
Subject: Contester's diet...what's best?
Message-ID: <199511211858.NAA15510 at mail1.is.net>

>From a Single-op's perspective:

          L O W    F A T   

1.   Eat things that are no fat.  When you eat things that are fatty, the
body takes blood to the stomach to do the work of digesting the food.  It
takes a long time to digest and makes you feel sleepy and lazy.

2.  Don't eat meals.  It's better to snack (I don't like that word).  By
snack, I mean eat small amounts of quality food all of the time.  The idea
here is to take your body out of it's normal mode of eating schedules.  For
instance... I normally skip breakfast, eat a big lunch, and very little for
dinner.  If I did this during the contest, my body would be saying at
10:00pm that it's time to go to bed.  

3.  Eat fruit & protein.  I eat turkey breast that I get shaved at the super
market.  It digests quickly.  Any kind of fruit is good.

4.  Kick the caffine habit 2 weeks before the start of the contest.  Don't
start sucking the cokes/coffee until Sunday morning if you absolutely have
to.  Ever since I quit the caffine habit, I have more energy and waking up
after only 3 hours of sleep is much easier.  Before, it would take me an
hour of running the boys before I was "really" awake.

5.  I drink a lot of fluid (juice) during the contest.  I'm not sure why,
but I believe this helps to keep the system from freaking out more than it
already is from the lack of sleep.  Of course you have to keep in mind the
result of heavy fluid intake.  I won't tell you my solution.... lets just
say I take my contesting seriously.

73
---
Bill Fisher, KM9P   -    Concentric Systems, Inc.  

>From Gary Nieborsky <k7fr at ncw.net>  Tue Nov 21 18:14:53 1995
From: Gary Nieborsky <k7fr at ncw.net> (Gary Nieborsky)
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 1995 11:14:53 -0700
Subject: Contester's diet...what's best?
Message-ID: <199511211919.LAA17584 at bing.ncw.net>

At 08:31 11/21/95 -0400, you wrote:

>        What do some of you do/eat/smoke/drink/chew/ to keep alert for the
>24 hours or so of a contest?  E-mail me direct and I will post a summary to
>the list.

Well...I consume mass quantities of tea.  Converted from coke because the
sugar was making me revert back to 
adolesant skin problems.  Tea has a beneficial attributes:

a.) It doesn't gum up your vocal cords like sugary drinks (include high
fructose content juices).
b.) It has every bit the caffeine jolt that coke et al has.
c.) Being a diuretic (cleans you out), it makes you get up a go, so to
speak, often enough to keep circulation
      going in your lower extremities (your butt on down).
d.) It's real cheap!

I also scarf down tons of fat free Tostito's with garlic salsa.  The ensuing
indigestion makes sure that you won't sleep in.

Gary K7FR