[CQ-Contest] 160M - Sublime Torture

[TOMK5RC at aol.com]

W7RN 282, 48, 6, = 36,072  4.5hrs
TS950-Alpha 87-Full Size Delta Loop, beverages

Talk about mixed emotions, the CQ 160 CW contest gave them to me.

After 7 winters in NV, I have nearly forgotten how I would live for the day 
when the QRN on 160 would drop below S9 when I lived in Texas. I'm not sure 
which is better the frustration of S2 noise here allowing me to hear well or 
being oblivious to who is calling me.

I won't go into the why's of the many alligators I couldn't work, but there 
were dozens who were a solid S8 here who never even acknowledged with a ? when 
I called repeatedly. Others, at S3, came back immediately with no repeats. 
This phenomena repeated itself from the Midwest to Florida and all points east.

Even more frustrating was finding a clear frequency, calling CQ, seeing the 
rate meter hit 140 per hour and then have a W3 (who could not hear me) start 
CQing and blow the entire run for me.

Also sublime is the truism that you had better have many antennas on 160 if 
you are going to be competitive, because the wave angles change continually. 
K7NV has a dipole at 55' and I have a full size delta loop and am 2,200' higher 
in elevation. On Saturday night, we were dead equal and sometimes he was 
louder than I.

My hat is off to the top band enthusiasts. It is indeed sublime torture.

When is the 10M contest?

Tom, K5RC
aka W7RN