160 CONTESTS

Wed Feb 28 14:54:28 EST 1996

It's called the CQWW 160 Meter DX Contest.

The CW version is my second favorite contest behind the CQWW DX CW.  In the
last one we worked 400+ DX stations.  While people bitch about the QRM in
that one, if you have a 250Hz filter you can find a slice of the spectrum. 

Let's not kid ourselves about the Phone version.  It is not a DX contest as
hardly anyone can work much DX through all that QRM.  This year's top
entrants were working maybe 70 DX stations out of 1400-1600 QSOs.  This is
also the worst contest I am aware of in terms of it's monopolization of
spectrum.  In other contests the non-contestants can usually find some haven
to retreat to.  

Casual operators might find it annoying that stations call CQ endlessly in
this contest but if you are not calling CQ 90 percent of the time in this
contest, you are not working as many people as you can.  

Let's cut the CQWW 160 Phone DX Contest out completely and see what we can do
to improve the code version.

The DX window has been controversial at best.  What it means is that a EU
station who can monopolize a frequency in it has  an advantage over the rest
of EU in terms of working USA.  Do they ignore the EU stations calling them?
 The rules would require them to but I doubt it.  The function of the DX
window is for stations in S. America, Asia, Africa to get a better shot at
being heard throught the QRM.  Why don't we make a W/VE/EU-free window for
these other areas to run in.  No station in W/VE/EU shall call CQ between
1830 and 1835.  It shouldn't take any more than peer pressure to enforce.

Let's make this contest 48 hours so that the contest period doesn't favor NA
so much and add mandatory off time so we don't have to struggle through dull
daylight hours.

73,  Rob K2WI

>From Ken Silverman" <ken.silverman at CCMAIL.AirTouch.COM  Wed Feb 28 18:14:26 1996
From: Ken Silverman" <ken.silverman at CCMAIL.AirTouch.COM (Ken Silverman)
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 96 10:14:26 PST
Subject: FO5IW Rent-a-QTH
Message-ID: <9601288255.AA825537400 at CCMAIL.AIRTOUCH.COM>

     Hello Reflectorites,

     Does anyone have information on FO5IW's rent-a-QTH?

     In my constant quest to find information on places to contest from, I 
     am looking for the following information on FO5IW's place:

     1:  Name, telephone, FAX numbers
     2:  Costs
     3:  Equipment
     4:  Lodging
     5:  Contest experiences at that location
     6:  Related stories and experiences
     7:  Travel methods

     If anyone can send his printed information, I will be glad to pay for 
     copy and postage fees.

     Many thanks!

     Ken WM2C/6

     ken.silverman at airtouch.com

>From C. Logan Dietz" <ke5fi at WT.NET  Wed Feb 28 18:47:39 1996
From: C. Logan Dietz" <ke5fi at WT.NET (C. Logan Dietz)
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 1996 12:47:39 -0600
Subject: 80m + Rohn 25 in swamp = HELP!
Message-ID: <199602281847.MAA13516 at userv.wt.net>

At 09:22 AM 2/28/96 -0700, you wrote:
>At 10:25 AM 2/28/96 -0500, you wrote:
>>In a message dated 96-02-27 22:01:11 EST, you write:
>>
>>>How deep would you have to go in the swamp-like condx Charlie's talking
>>about ?
>
>

I have looked at the problem of verticals and towers in a swamp and mu
soloution was to build a road to the base and build up the base out of the
water.  Some sort of shell or road base material would be best.  I tried
putting in rohn-25 as un-guyed verticals, which worked ok for a couple of
years until a big wind.  I would guy them to screw anchors.

Chuck

KE5FI

>From oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills)  Wed Feb 28 20:22:42 1996
From: oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills) (Derek Wills)
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 1996 14:22:42 -0600
Subject: Rules

	But no one responded to N3ADL-Doug's suggestion about
	moving some of the dates around. Like NO US Sponsored contest
	should fall aon a US holiday. This would make for better 
	YL/Harmonic's relationship. This is a valid easy no rule change
	that makes sense. My dollars worth 73

For those who haven't looked at their calendars, note that the CQWW 
contest this year is the weekend before Thanksgiving.  This happens 
once every 7 yrs on average.   

Derek" what's Thanksgiving?" G3NMX
oo7 at astro.as.utexas.edu

>From K0RC - Robert Chudek <K0RC at pclink.com>  Wed Feb 28 20:23:30 1996
From: K0RC - Robert Chudek <K0RC at pclink.com> (K0RC - Robert Chudek)
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 1996 20:23:30 +0000
Subject: Output Spike on Icom-706
Message-ID: <199602282023.OAA30105 at pclink.com>

Bruce...

   I've experienced this same problem (and ETO is aware of it too) with
my Alpha 87A when driven by the Icom 781 transceiver.  Depending upon
where I had the transceiver drive controls set, the initial pulse would
light the Alpha like a Christmas tree!
   I judicially adjusted the RF drive and another control (sold the Icom
so I don't remember its name) to reduce the problem.  The control is
similar to the Carrier Gain control on my Kenwood TS-950SDX.  It sets the
ALC level within the transceiver.  If I set it too high, even the
Kenwood tends to pump the amplifier on the first dot.
   I was able to adjust the IC-781 drive controls to eliminate the problem,
but if I remember correctly, I'd have to readjust the controls each time I
switched bands.  This was unacceptable to me during contesting so I sold
the Icom and stuck with the Kenwood.
   I'm not familiar with the IC-706 so I can't offer help here, but maybe
you can use this information in the quest for a solution.

   73 de Bob - K0RC
   k0rc at pclink.com

At 11:38 AM 2/28/96 -0500, you wrote:

>In preparing for an upcoming CONTEST expedition for WPX, I recently set out
>to test my new Icom 706 with my Alpha 87A.  I know this is a bizarre
>combination, but I'm looking at the 706 as a backup rig.  (Incidentally, my
>apologies to all who were in the Sunday morning 40/20m pileup on KH6CC during
>ARRL-CW and couldn't understand why I didn't answer them and just kept on
>CQing.  It turns out the receive oscillator on my main rig had suddenly taken
>a sideways step. We finally found the pile-up by using a second rig and I
>finished out the contest with a whole lot of RIT dialed in!)
>
>Anyway, when I try to drive the 87A with the 706 I see some very unexpected
>behavior.  No matter how low I set the drive power on the 706, the very first
>dit I send causes the power output lights on the Alpha to flash full scale.
> Succeeding dits which are closely spaced will give the expected power
>reading based on the amount of drive supplied.  In SSB, a similar situation
>holds.  I can pull down PTT so that all the T/R switching is complete but
>then the first bit of audio supplied causes a momentary full-scale reading on
>the 87A's power meter.  After that momentary flash, the reading is expectable
>in the same way as it is in CW.  
>
>In the course of making these tests, I noticed one other interesting piece of
>data.  If I wait a half second or so after the first dit before sending a
>second dit, then the second dit will cause a power reading which is still
>excessive but less than full scale and reduced by an amount proportional to
>the time elapsed since the first dit.  To give an example of the pattern, a 1
>second delay might show 1KW out, a 2 second delay 800w, and so forth.
>
>I first contacted Icom Customer Service about this and they had no
>explanation at all.  Their representative mentioned K1KP's article in the Nov
>'95 issue of QST on using a optocoupler for T/R switching, but even he
>acknowledged that the problem I was seeing didn't sound like a timing problem
>with T/R switching.  This morning I contacted ETO Customer Service (Ray
>Heaton), and he gave me what I think is a totally plausable explanation.
> This is that the 706 is actually putting out a momentary spike when it first
>starts transmitting that is full-scale (or worse) output.  Some time delay is
>required for the ALC circuitry in the 706 to kick in and cause the output
>power to be cut back to the proper amount.  This time delay is in
>milliseconds, of course, so a peak-reading wattmeter is not fast enough to be
>able to record it.  The LEDs on the Alpha do show it, though, and Ray
>suggested that I was risking damage to the PIN diodes in the Alpha if I
>operated it with this initial spike coming down the line from the 706. He
>suggested that what I really need to do is use a scope to measure the size
>and duration of that leading spike and then go back to Icom with the
>information.
>
>This sounds fine, but I don't have access to a scope these days.  So, for
>those of you with the perseverance to read this far, I wonder if there's
>anybody out there with a 706 and a scope who would be willing to take a look
>at this for me?  Alternatively, I'd eagerly be willing to go anywhere in the
>SFO bay area to set up a test with my 706 if you have a scope we can use.
>
>Bruce Sawyer, AA6KX
>
>