[SCCC] ARRL DX SSB - E51YNB

[Wayne Overbeck]

                    ARRL DX Contest, SSB

Call: E51YNB
Operator(s): N6NB
Station: E51YNB

Class: SOSB/15 HP
QTH: Rarotonga, S.Cook Is
Operating Time (hrs): 11

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
  160:          
   80:          
   40:          
   20:          
   15: 1442    58
   10:          
-------------------
Total: 1442    58  Total Score = 250,560

Club: Southern California Contest Club

Comments:

This was my first real DXpedition ever--unless 
you count operating in Mexico about 15 miles 
from the U.S. border in 1983.  After 55 years 
on the air, this was overdue.

Carrie (W6TAI) and I went to Rarotonga in the 
South Cook Islands mainly for a vacation, but we 
took along an IC-7000, a small THP amplifier and 
a 2-element Yagi for 15 meters.  The antenna and 
a 15' mast were broken into short pieces to fit 
in a 30" rolling duffel bag.  We stayed at the 
same motel where the E51Z group operated CQ WW 
SSB last fall and benefited greatly from their 
experiences on the island.

I obtained the E51YNB license as a member of 
the E51Z team but decided to reschedule my trip 
because Carrie couldn't go then due to work 
commitments.  We chose travel dates that included 
part of the ARRL SSB DX Contest weekend even though 
we knew we couldn't be there for the full contest.  
There's only one flight each week from Rarotonga 
to the United States--and it's on Saturday night.  
We couldn't stay an extra week and the only other 
way to get back would have involved flying south 
to New Zealand and then backtracking past 
Rarotonga to the US (a 4,000-mile detour).  Carrie 
opted to concentrate on hiking and bicycling instead 
of getting an E51 license, so I was in the single 
operator, single band category, operating a total 
of 11 hours Friday afternoon and Saturday before 
packing up to catch the plane.

I was astonished by what I heard during the contest.  
The pile-ups were huge.  This doesn't happen much on 
10 GHz or even two meters, the bands where I normally 
operate!  Having to dig calls out of the bedlam made 
for a really fast introduction to DX contesting 101.  
Most of the operators on the domestic end were 
patient and cooperative.  THANKS! 

All of the United States and Canada were loud at the 
same time all day long.  The suitcase station seemed 
to work really well and conditions were excellent.
I made 1,442 contacts in 11 hours over distances that 
ranged from 4,600 to 8,000 miles.  I think a more 
experienced DX contester could have made twice that 
many Qs in the same amount of time under those 
circumstances, but it was a memorable experience for 
me.

73,
Wayne, N6NB/E51YNB
(K6YNB, 1957-77)