[SCCC] W6PH CQWW CW SOAB HP

[W6ph at aol.com]

CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: W6PH
Operator(s): W6PH
Station: W6PH

Class: SOAB HP (SO1R)
QTH: Lone Pine, CA
Operating Time (hrs): 33

Summary:
Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
160:   47    15       23
80:   93    21       36
40:  426    33       94
20:  614    34      108
15:   70    19       41
10:    1     1        1
------------------------------
Total: 1254   123      303  Total Score = 1,421,136

Comments:

Rig:  TS-930S, AL-1200 (SO1R)
Antennas on Field Day AB-577 masts
40m: 40-2CD at 60 feet
20-10m:  Cushcraft ATB-34 at 55 feet
80m:  Inverted L (35 up by 30 feet horizontal)
160m:  Base loaded 80m inverted L

I almost gave up after a couple hours as I had a high noise level.  I took a
couple hours off but went back to the radio and found the noise gone.  The
bands seemed pretty good but I was demotivated and tired and went to bed at
midnight missing some good low band openings to Europe.  Same thing Sunday
morning.  We were out of town for Thanksgiving so I had to put all my antennas
up during the day Friday.  Not a good way to start a contest.  No equipment
problems at all, just operator issues.

40 meters was a really great band.  I did a lot of S&P trying to break 100
countries and ended up low on QSO count.  I think the JA's are back though. 
They answered my CQ's continuously for a couple hours.  I missed going to 
40 meters the last hour staying on 20m trying to milk out the JA's.  I might 
have gotten to 100.

20 meters was only open to Europe for about an hour at sunrise here and then
faded away.  I never worked HA or SP on 20m.  I only worked two OH's and one
SM.  Signals went all the way up to 14140 while the band was open to Europe.

15 meters was only open to the Caribbean and South America with no propagation
to Japan or Asia which we usually get.  During the last hour I checked 15m and
found JA5FDJ and JA3YBK CQing.  I couldn't get JA3YBK to hear me but got 
JA5FDJ
in the log after a couple tries.

My only contact on 10m was with W6YX who was weak but came to S9+ on bursts. 
Nothing else despite frequent checks.

I am disappointed in my 80m results.  I worked stations on 160m that I 
couldn't
work on 80m.  I think the guy wires for my AB-577's are resonant on 80m which
suck energy from the inverted L right near them.  My antennas are spaced 
pretty
close in an area 75 feet by 75 feet which puts the masts about 30 feet apart
with the vertical in the middle.  I put up a 1/4 wave sloper below the 40-2CD
but something happened to it after 10 minutes of operation, no signals.  No 
way to 
troubleshoot it as it was at the top of the mast with a single unbroken 
feedline.  
I was hoping to compare its effectiveness with the inverted L.  The idea was 
inspired by W6TK.
 
My DX great operating awards go to W2SC (8P5A) and K1XM group (TO4X) 
for signing their calls after every QSO.  Bronx cheers to those other guys.

Lots of "shoulda's" but there is always next year.  I sure hope we aren't in
for another Maunder Minimum.  I only have a couple more sunspot cycles left.
N6TJ thinks I only have one.

73, Kurt, W6PH

**************Life should be easier. So should your homepage. Try the NEW 
AOL.com. 
(http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000002)