[SECC] ARRL SSB 2000

[John T. Laney, III]

Hello all:  Hope everyone had a good time in SS this weekend. 
Conditions generally seemed pretty good, but better for the west,
northwest, and maybe Florida.  K4XS had a tremendous score from WCF and
I heard several stations sending numbers over 2000 toward the end.

My goal this weekend was to get the FT1000MP set back up (it has been on
the floor in the dining room since CQWW SSB, except for a car trip to
W4AN to have as a spare, and to avoid wearing myself out before the trip
to Barbados, which starts from here at 4:30 AM tomorrow.

I had used the FT1000MP only sparingly on SSB except for ARRL DX and CQ
WW SSB from NQ4I where we can't use VOX because of 6 stations in the
same room and use a footswitch, so I had never used it on VOX.  After
about an hour I got out the manual and figured out how to shorten the
VOX delay and the rest of the contest was much more enjoyable.  I had
used the 2000 khz. filter only a little from home, but it was a real
lifesaver on the band from 20 and below.  I didn't need it very much
(the standard filter is 2400 khz) on 10 and 15 since the stations were
spaced out more.  After a while the 2000 khz filter's skirts sounded
normal to me on 20 and below and I never considered changing it to the
wider filter.  

I prefer to CQ in this contest, giving me a chance to work the casual
operators who may appreciate a QSO and a QSL if they request one.  S&P
can be fun early before you work so many of the big guns, but is a bore
later on in the contest.  There is still the thrill of finding a new one
late in the contest that way though.  Without a second radio and without
a voice keyer, the CQing gets tiring.  I definitely need to buy a voice
keyer if I am going to continue to do voice contests.  I used to go 48
hours and get only slightly hoarse, but the years have taken a toll on
the vocal chords.  I did use the second receiver in the FT1000MP to
search a bit when the answers were slow to CQs.  I didn't count the
number of QSOs made by S&P on the second VFO, but it must have been no
more than 20 or 25.  Probably it would have been more if I hadn't worked
all sections fairly early.

The station setup:  FT1000MP with all factory filters, no mods.  AL811H,
probably about 700 watts output.  TH6DXX (probably 30 years old) at
about 45 feet.  40 meter 1/2 wave dipole at about 20 feet.  80 meter
inverted vee with the apex about 5 feet below the TH6.  It was cut for
the CW band.  Usually I fold back the ends for a SSB contest, but I
neglected to do that this time until it was raining.  I have to go onto
the roof to do it and it was pretty slippery on Saturday.  So I left it
cut for CW.  I ran it straight into the antenna without an antenna tuner
as the old MFJ I have has developed some intermittents in it.  Actually,
at the first of the contest I had no antenna for 80.  I made two
contacts on 80 on Saturday night (Ill and Tenn) with no antenna at all
except for several feet of coax connected to an antenna switch.  In the
middle of the night when I got back up, having waked up about 4 AM
worried about not having worked GA, AL, NFL, and maybe a few others in
close, I got up and realized that the lack of noise on the band was
trying to tell me something.  The coax was broken inside the coax
connector and I had to unsolder and resolder it.  After that, the
antenna worked really well as I was able to work several California
stations, even by calling CQ.  However, the activity on the band (at
least in the General class section) was very low in those early morning
hours.  I did get all those close in sections though.

Family and church obligations cooperated to keep me from wearing myself
out with operating.  I actually operated about 18 hours.  I heard the
group at W4AN only once, on 20 meters.  They had a big pile up of
stations much stronger than I was at their QTH, so I gave only a few
calls and moved on.  I hope they had a great time at Bill's station.

Here are the results:  I had hoped for 1000 QSOs and just couldn't find
that last QSO to make it an even 1000.  No doubt I will lose some in the
checking process.  By the way, at least in CT and NA, some KG6 stations
still have a default of Pacific and all KG4 stations have a default of
VI.  So you need to be very careful about entering those calls.  The
only change to my log I made after the contest was to change VI to VA
for KG4DVC.  I tried to make the change during the contest and thought I
had, but it was still VI when I reviewed the log.  I think the next
changes for CT and NA will change those.  At least the KG6 calls will
all be changed to US in changes that AD1C will make available before
CQWW CW.  I'm not sure that the KG4 changes can be so easily made.  I
guess it needs to recognize two letter KG4s as VI and three letter KG4s
as USA.  Obviously the solution for SS is to simply delete the default
entry, but it may be harder to do for the country.DAT files for CQWW. 
At any rate, be sure to check your entries in CQWW logging software for
KG6 and KG4 this weekend.  If the software thinks that they are DX
stations, you claimed score will be inflated.  Of course, the Cabrillo
log checking software will score them correctly with no penalty.

80	 67
40	115
20	619
15	120	
10	 78
ALL	999 x 80 = 159,840.

21Z Sat	Started CQing on 20.  Had a good frequency about 14240.  Fair
rates, but not much faster than on CW at W4AN.  I think most of the guys
who might have otherwise called were S&P the big signals from the west
on 10 and 20.  QSO #15 was when I was called by VA2GL giving me a mult
that apparently was hard for a lot of guys.  I later was called by
VE2AWR and VE2DO.  The only VE2 I heard calling CQ was our neighbor from
Tenn as VE2/K4BEV, but he gave me a very low number.

QSO # 121 was called by VO1MP.  Again turned out to be a rare mult.

2302Z, was called on 10 NH7/N6HC for the Pacific mult.  Later was called
by AH7C and worked KH7R, who will have one of the real high scores. 
N6HC
hopes to work CQWW CW next weekend from KH6BZF's station.

Took off one hour plus for supper with Weesie and visit to my parents.

Back on 20 about 01Z, worked W1AW.  I think it is good that the HQ
station is activated for ARRL-sponsored contests and that isn't always
the case.  When I first spotted W1AW, it was working WA4CNG, Steve
Reynolds, who was first licensed in Columbus years ago and is now active
again on HF from the Atlanta area.

20 stayed short longer on Sat than it did on Sun.  At 02Z, we still had
skip to VA, but the band went long just after that time.  At 0220Z, 15
was still open weakly to the west coast and I picked up KL7Y as a mult
and VE7IN.  KL7FAP was also very active, but there didn't seem to be the
usual number of AK stations active for this SSB contest.

About 03Z, I went to 40 and worked a number of close in mults, including
SC, but it was very difficult to find and hold a CQ frequency with a
poor antenna.  At 04Z, I worked KI9A and K4FUN with a few feet of coax
as an antenna on 75 and went to bed.

At 09Z, after repairing the 75-meter coax, I began to S&P and CQ
alternatively on 75.  There was no problem finding a quiet frequency,
but the problem was that most everyone had gone to bed.  I did work AL
(thanks Bridget), GA, and, at last about 1145Z, NFL.  In between, I had
worked some 40, but it was pretty sparsely populated also.  After 1145Z,
I was able to run some on 40 before the ragchewers got up and the band
went pretty short. 

13Z I tried 20 M and it was great for 20 minutes until I had to QRT. 
Then there was a trip to my parent's house to see to their breakfast,
Sunday School, and church, and return at 1725Z.  

Rates of answers to CQs were greater Sunday afternoon up until 00Z than
they had been on Saturday.  Rates after I returned to the air Sunday
night about 01Z were pretty slow because 20 was so long and so many had
met their goals and gone QRT.  15 and 10 had some shorter skip up East
and 10 had a lot of backscatter signals, some of which were loud and
easy to work.  The close in ones (GA, AL, TN) had loud echoes on them.  

1900Z found VE1OP for mult #79.
2145Z, VE9STU called me for the second MAR.

2218, found mult #80 from VY1JA on 10M.

0004Z, VO1HE called me.  I never heard a NL station calling CQ, but have
read reports of huge pileups.

0010 to 0110Z QRT for supper and visit to drug store for parents and
short visit with them.  Glad they live only about 6 blocks away.
0115Z found KH6/F5IDM on 15M.

02Z QSO #970.  I think I can reach 1000.
0230Z, QSO #975, I think there is no chance to reach 1000!
0257Z, QSO #999 with N7NS after a surprising run of calls from weak west
coast and Texas stations.  But, in the ensuing three minutes, no one
called and the final was one short of the goal.

Thanks to the following SECC members for QSOs:  KV4T (KS4YT, opr), NJ8J,
KT4ZB, W4NTI, K4SB, K4WI, W4WA.  Ron was 150 ahead of me on Sunday
afternoon and he was running low power.  I imagine the low power winner
for GA may beat the high power winner this year.  Also heard:  W4OC,
W4AQL (Ga Tech), W4AN.

Other Ga stations worked:  KT4Q, K4KJ, N4VMD.

Signals were of good quality generally.  W8UE had distorted audio, but
it was still readable.  I felt signal quality on SSB exeeded that on CW
generally.  It was good to hear old calls being used by new owners, such
as W1TS and W1TX.  I am disappointed that some of the offspring and
other friends of some of the revered old timers like W4KFC don't
activate their calls more.

Finally a word about the Barbados trip.  I should arrive in Barbados
about 5 PM tomorrow (Tuesday).  I may be QRV as 8P9HT as early as 00Z
Wed.  I will check in to the Ga State Net (GSN) on 3593 at 7 and 10 PM
on non-contest days.  Will be glad to move off net frequency with anyone
who asks for a QSO.  I have an e-mail address there, but don't it with
me at the office.  I'll put out a note on the reflector with the address
tonight if anyone wants to send me a message.  I'll be glad to sked
anyone for a new band or mode.  I should be QRV on CW and SSB from 160
through 6 meters outside the contest.  I will run a SSB sked to find
people from back home on 21375 at 14Z (9 AM EST) on Wed, Thurs, Fri,
Mon, and Tuesday.  I will need to QRT about 15Z on Tuesday, Nov 28 to
return home.  This will probably be my last trip there since the station
is scheduled for taking down in May 2001.  So, if you hear me from
Barbados, please call in.

During the contest next weekend, I will use 8P9Z again.  I am undecided
about whether to make it all bands or maybe a single band 10 meter
effort.  I really love all bands, but it is physically exhausting.  The
low band antennas are not what they were in the past as the 40-meter
beam is not working.  I have been unable to make my laptop computer key
the IC736 that I have from either NA or CT using either the COM1 or LPT1
ports.  I can only figure that the interfaces have both gone bad since I
last used them.  I haven't used them since I got the FT1000MP because it
requires a stereo plug.  Actually I tried it with a stereo plug and it
didn't work, but maybe it was the interfaces all along.  It is too late
now to get another one, so it seems that I will not be able to key the
rig from the computer.  In that case, I will use the computer only for
logging and will be sending with my MFJ Grandmaster memory keyer.  If
you notice that 8P9Z can't send CW (especially can't send it very
fast)--I mean if I am not accurate in sending callsigns toward the end
of the contest, you will know what the problem is.  The last time I used
a keyer for this contest and didn't have the computer keying was 1992. 
But, it was fun then, so it will fun now, just a little less so from the
pleasure of having used the computer keying in the intervening years.

Pray for me a safe and relatively sane trip.  My XYL won't make the trip
anymore, the local host (8P^PW) has moved away, and I will be all by
myself down there for a week, hi.

73, John, K4BAI/8P9HT.

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