[SCCC] ARRL 160m CW

[RGrubic at aol.com]

Contest: ARRL 160m  CW 
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Call:  NC6Q 
Operator(s):  NC6Q 
Category: Single Op  Low Non-assisted 
Station: HOA  restricted QTH of NC6Q 
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Club: Southern  California 
Contest Club 
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Summary: 
QSO     Mults 
CW       5           4  
------------------------------------ 
Total:    40  points 
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Simple  Station: 
Kenwood TS-50 
N1MM logger 
Rain gutters & indoor attic dipoles   
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Comments: This was to  be a learning/re-grouping contest experience from 
the start—going at things at a  slow pace. I planned to use N1MM logger for 
the first time in a real contest.  Spend some time getting to know it better. 
Nice. I have used N3FJP for several  years and it too is very comfortable 
and friendly—a good logger.   
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Loading up the rain  gutters to a low SWR doesn’t mean that they are 
radiating adequately or even at  all! I just couldn’t be heard--even with a decent 
ground connection. S-9 + noise  just ruins things. Thank you to those few 
ops who did manage to work me (in NV,  LAX, AZ, ORG)! The rain gutters were 
noisy and I couldn’t even hear many  signals. When I switched to my attic 
dipoles, the noise was reduces and the  signals were louder and workable, but I 
couldn’t transmit on those dipoles. (I  tried!) I even tried shorting the 
center conductor and the shield of the coax  going from the shack to the 
attic dipoles (100 ft of it) and tuning the whole  thing as a random wire with 
some big capacitive hats (the dipoles!). It all  loaded up okay with the 
versatile MFJ-969 tuner (under 1.2 swr), but I couldn’t  get heard. I figure I 
had a good tuned dummy load in the whole configuration,  but couldn’t get 
out. The coax run snakes through the house, all indoors from  the bottom floor 
up three floors and then up into the attic. That 160 meters is  a strange 
band. Oh well, spent some good hobby time  learning. 
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73,Bob,  NC6Q