[SCCC] N6KI CQWW 160 CW Contest SO HP ( non - Assisted)

[Dennis Vernacchia]

CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW

Call: N6KI
Operator(s): N6KI
Station: N6KI

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: ca
Operating Time (hrs): 11

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 418  State/Prov = 51  Countries = 9  Total Score = 62,160

Club: San Diego Contest Club

Comments:

Because NX6T portable/remote site station 40 miles from my home QTH,was QRT
on 160 Meters due to some technical issues, I decided I would put my home
station
at N6KI back on the air after 7 years of not being able to use my home
station
for various no longer working antennas and other technical and non technical
reasons.

The only HF antenna that was still supposedly intact and ASSUMED working on
my
home QTH 70 foot crank up tower was my 160 meter wire antenna. To my dismay,
after cleaning my hamshack out which took me 6 hours ( the shack had turned
into a garage storage unit and I also had to completely set up my gear and
computer), I transmit and find my SWR on 160 was now 10 to 1......hmmmm....

Ok so now it's Friday afternoon and getting dark fast so I climb tower and
inspect all antenna connections and parts and find NOTHING wrong. OK...so I
disconnect my venerable K6NA balun ( I've never seen one go bad in 20 years
)
and because I see a rusty U - Bolt holding a bracket that grounds the
shield of
the coax to the tower, I take a short jumper made from battery jumper cable
jaw
clamps and reground the coax shield back to the tower. I am up on tower
after
dark with a hat headlamp for 2 hours....Aren't we hams just nuts about this
supposed FUN HOBBY !!!!

It's now 0330Z, contest is in full swing for 5.5 hours and I go back into
shack
to find my SWR is STILL 10 to 1 ( but hearing just fine except for the
perpetual
city QTH S9 noise level) ......So,... no change after all my repair
efforts...
So, I break out two 2 kW rated antenna tuners and one of them reduces the
SWR to 1 to 1....then any power out over 750 watts launches an ARC FAULT on
my ACOM 2000A Amplifier, that happening either at antenna or inside antenna
 tuner....well, I determine that most stations I can still hear over my S9
noise level can hear me with 750 watts, so I am now sort of back on the air.

Oh and same problem as I have at NX6T site, my 160 mtr antenna too close to
my house, kills my modem or router so my plans to run internet telnet
Assisted Category is shelved....

The 10 to 1 SWR problem is left to resolve another day and my 3830 report
says
not a bad score considering I can't hear half the stations answering my CQs,
and at 1200Z Sunday I run out of steam and have to QRT and miss all the JAs
and
other DX who I might have heard after only working only 2 JAs around
1145Z....

N6KI (usually operating from NX6T) back on the air from home ?....to be
continued .....K3, ACOM 2000A, 1 broken 160 mtr wire antenna...73 de Dennis
N6KI