[Mldxcc] ARRL 160 N6RK SOLP

[Rick Karlquist]

Band    QSOs    Pts  Sec
   1.8     763    1565   80
 Total     763    1565   80
Score: 125,200

Single op low power
SO2R
22 hours (got ~3 hours of sleep each night :-)

For some reason, there seemed to be a pipeline to MN.
I worked 40 of them, most for any section but WWA at 53.

Only worked a few JA's and some Caribbean stations.

Again, I experimented with SO2R.  I worked 81 QSO's
(over 10%) on the second radio, but is not clear that
these were all a net gain, considering the problem of
running out of stations to work.   One problem was
that the SO2R radio only received on the small loop, which
was arranged to null the run radio signal.
Many stations could not be copied on the loop, so I
basically worked the big guns with it.
I have a plan for next year to use a different SO2R
receive antenna that will be more effective.  I think
the loop is about as good as it is ever going to get.
The main advantage of SO2R is that I can keep my run frequency while
looking around.  The beverages were essential in posting
this score.  Many stations were not copiable on the
loops.  The big loop was, however, much better than listening
on the TX vertical.  I don't understand why, since both are
vertically polarized.

Station:

Run radio:  FT-1000, 150 watts
S&P radio:  TS-570, 100 watts

TX antenna:  90 ft top loaded vertical
RX antennas:  40 ft circumference loop
              six Beverages, 400 feet long

SO2R RX antenna:  20 ft circumference loop, 900 ft from TX ant

Homebrew SO2R switching

Rick N6RK