[CQ-Contest] EAST vs. WEST in ARRL Sweepstakes

[T A RUSSELL]

On Sat, 31 Jan 1998 18:33:01 EST K7LXC at aol.com writes:
>In a message dated 98-01-31 12:39:08 EST, n4kg at juno.com writes:
>
>> Overlooked is the fact that 40 meters blankets the whole
>>  country well after eastern sunrise, often as late as local
>>  NOON.  This is especially beneficial on SSB where the
>>  bothersome European broadcast stations disappear
>>  after the early morning hours.
>
>     Spoken like a true East Coaster.
	
	Well, I  DID  write this for the benefit of easterners. :-) -
N4KG

		 Whereas a funky dipole on 40 can  work
>the whole East Coast, those of us on the Left Coast can only pray to 
>work a few Q's on 40. This is particularly true on SSB where there are
only a 
>few  'channels' available. A channel being a frequency that doesn't have
a
>broadcast station on it. Since they're all occupied, trying to get any 
>sort of run going on 40 is largely futile. Personally since I normally
run A 
>(100w)
>class, I stay on 20 until it's gone (and I've worked the easy Pacific 
>at that
>point) and then go right to 75M. Then I work the close zones and only 
>go to
>bed after I've worked Bip in SF section (usually the last W6).
>
	HELLO!  Anybody listening?
	I said to stay on later in the MORNING,
	AFTER the Broadcast Stations are long gone,
	AFTER   EAST   COAST  SUNRISE 
	until LATE  morning....  N4KG
	
>>  
>>  If more eastern USA contesters stayed on the low bands
>>  later in the mornings, I believe they would be rewarded
>>  with higher rates, higher contact totals, and still work all
>>  (or nearly all) sections.
>>  
>      Why stay on the low bands when perhaps 10M is open. 

	HELLO!  Ten meters is probably NOT open (to the
	west) until several hours past east coast sunrise,
	like when the sun comes up in the west maybe?
	
The first  year that there were 10M SSB privileges for Techs, W7WA 
went there (And WHAT  TIME WAS  THIS?) and stayed until the
>band closed. He worked 800 Q's on 10M. Who needs the hassle 
on 40 when you can go to 10M?   

	What hassle?   40 is pretty clean and clear in the mornings.

>
>>  BTW, when you DO go to the higher bands, it is VERY
>>  beneficial to have a LOW tribander or monobaners
>>  (preferably 35 to 40 ft) to provide coverage to the closer 
>>  skip regions.  For example, from north Alabama, my
>>  TH7 at 40 ft is 20 dB stronger into W1 on 20 meters
>>  than my TH6 at 80 ft due to the pattern null of an 80 ft
>>  high antenna at 800+ miles.
>>  
>      I totally agree. Hating to disclose ANY contesting secrets, the 
>"secret
>weapon" at W6GO is a KT34A at 35 feet. High angle is a killer, right, 
>Jim?

	An even better antenna for stations in the 
	CENTRAL  USA would be a  2 wavelength 
	(1/2 WL on a side)  HORIZONTAL   LOOP
	for 20 meters at 35 to 40 ft.  This makes a 
	good high angle (straight up) radiator on 40M
	and 15 to 40 degree OMNI - DIRECTIONAL
	Horizontally Polarized radiator on 20M.
	(I'm retired so I can give out a few "secrets".)
	de   Tom   N4KG

>73,  Steve  K7LXC
>

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