[NCC] Fwd: CQ160 CW W1NN Single Op LP

[Hal Offutt]

Good to work lots of members.  Sorry I missed the W2FU trip down memory lane;  I didn't think to look that high in the band.  I did hear NO3M way down low in the band and wondered if he was using a new strategy to put QRS stations in the log.  Eric talks about a Vibroplex from 1962 as though that's old.  Sheesh, I was a freshman in college then and had been a ham for five years.  Way to make a guy feel old, Eric.

I also worked W8AV sounding good on what I assume was a bug.  Way to go, Goose.

At home I have a Viking Ranger and my original HQ-110 purchased in 1958 with paper-route money.  I wonder what it would take to remote them?

I was very happy to pull out K8MR from the ether.  Boy was he weak!  But operating this contest with such a compromised antenna might be a lot more fun than operating with a regular antenna; every contact is a miracle and a thrill. It reminds me of my Novice days when I used an in-the-attic long wire (in a single-story house) with a 30 watt AT-1 transmitter.  How I made contacts with that setup I'll never know.

73, Hal W1NN



                     CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW

Call: W1NN
Operator(s): W1NN
Station: W1NN

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: OH
Operating Time (hrs): 11
Remote Operation

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 562  State/Prov = 53  Countries = 12  Total Score = 86,645

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

I operated my modest station in Ohio remote from my apartment in downtown Tokyo.
  The contest activity takes place during the day Japan time so, were I to be a
serious entrant, I would have an advantage since I wouldn't have to lose any
sleep to operate full time. The biggest barrier to putting in a full time
effort is boredom.  I always start these contests thinking I will go full bore
but the "bore" part wins out and I find myself looking for excuses to
do something else. I found several this weekend: taking a walk with the XYL,
going shopping with the XYL, having dinner with the XYL, reading the newspaper,
etc.

Activity in this event seems to have waned from years back.  Maybe the TBDC has
robbed this contest of some participation.  Years ago, I can remember that the
first few hours offered rates of 120-140, but this year my best hour was 96 and
I had only three hours over 70.  Maybe three 160 contests in the space of two
months is just too much for many ops.  I suppose if I had a lot of beverages
and switchable transmitting antennas,etc., this contest would be entirely
different, but it's pretty one-dimensional for a guy with 100 watts and a
dipole.

For a low power station in 8-land, the elimination of a DX window has really
hurt this contest.  It can take 3-4 minutes just to catch a DX station's call
when he is under a couple of S9+20 db east coast station working mostly other
east coast stations. It must be highly frustrating to operate this contest from
Europe.  Surely there's a better way.

I was happy to work KH7M and KH6LC after much calling and repeats.  Great ears
there.  I couldn't get KH6RS to hear me.  KH7M was loudest and very readable
for a couple of hours.

Station:  K3 in Ohio, K3/0 Mini in Tokyo + dipole antenna up about 50 feet.

73, Hal W1NN