[SCCC] ARRL 160 W6PH Single Op HP

[W6ph at aol.com]

ARRL 160-Meter Contest

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

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Lone Pine CA (ORG)
Operating Time (hrs): 15

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 728  Sections = 78  Countries = 12  Total Score = 135,630

Club: Southern California Contest Club

Comments:

Equipment:  IC-781, AL-1200  CT-DOS 9.89

Antenna:  Pseudo inverted L (see below)

I thought conditions were excellent.  I have seen a lot of complaints about
high noise level.  It was very quiet here in the high desert which allowed 
me to hear very well.  I didn't plan to do much as it is difficult to 
justify
two weekends in a row.  But I was getting pretty good results with my Rube
Goldberg antenna.  It started out as a MA160V last year but the loading coil
overheated with 1500 watts and shorted out some turns raising the SWR low
point out the top of the band.  So I substituted a length of air inductor 
that I had
(71 uH) which was less than the original coil.  I had to lengthen the top of
the antenna with 8 feet of aluminum tubing and 20 feet of horizontal wire to
get a resonance at 1.825 but with an SWR just over two.  This was all done 
on
Friday and I didn't have time to match it better.  Nonetheless it worked 
okay. 
If I use this antenna again I will work on the match.

I quit Friday night at 10 pm local time missing RI, NNY, SNJ, DE, WCF, MS, 
VO,
VE4, NT, PR, and VI.  About an hour before sunrise, I got back on for an 
hour
or so and added JA, UA0, and ZL8.  I got back on about 4 pm Saturday 
afternoon
and operated until 10 pm and picked up the needed sections except NNY, VO, 
NT,
and PR.  I woke up about 2 am and went back out to the shack and found a 
lonely
VE8EV calling CQ at 1850.  Then I was called by VO1TA leaving NNY and PR as 
the
only sections that I didn't work or hear.  I operated until 4 am and then 
quit
after not finding any new calls for about ten minutes.

A couple highlights were being called by Europeans for my first ever 
contacts
with Europe on 160m.  RI1FJ and F2DX called.  I heard a few others but 
didn't
think I could be heard in Europe.

There seemed to be quite a bit of alligator syndrome which was probably due 
to
the variation in noise levels.  Some very strong signals asked for repeats 
and
very weak signals answered and copied in one call.  One of the oddities of 
top
band.

My level of operating was just about right.  I enjoyed it.

73, Kurt, W6PH