[SECC] ARRL DX Contest from W4KZ, single band 15 M

[John Laney]

Hello all:

I made some notes during the contest from Rick's new QTH this weekend,
sort of a stream of consciousness process, and thought some of you might
be interested in it.  Others, just delete this message now.

I brought up my FT1000MP (with the W8JI key click mod), used one of
Rick's Alpha amps QSK (87A?), and the antenna destined to be the
multiplier station yagi, a 5 element at 80 feet in between the 20-meter
top and middle yagis in the stack.  Ian, K5ZM and Jeff, KU8E were there
as my control ops and Ian did 20 meters single band using NQ4I and Jeff
did 80 meters with his own call.  We used CT for logging.  I also had my
MFJ Grandmaster keyer, since I still feel compelled to use a paddle for
requests for repeats and the like.  Rick and Georgeann were on a car
trip to Texas, but returned for the last hour of the contest and the
wrapup.

Prior to the contest, 15 meters seemed very good to South America and
fair to JA and DU.  At the beginning of the contest, I was in a ragchew
with DU9HKD, Renoir, and it took me several minutes to get him to tell
me his power.  I didn't know that I would be called later that evening
by two more DU stations (DU3NXE and DU7/N7ET, the latter running QRP). 
Then I tried CQing and worked one JA, but got no more calls and did a
S&P of the band, working everything I heard.  The ninth QSO was with
D88S.  I knew he was a Korean station on or near Antarctica and the
logging program thought he was in Korea.  I guessed it was Antarctica,
so entered D88=CE9 and that cured the problem, or so I thought.  Very
late in the contest, I worked LZ0A in So. Shetlands and, after the
contest, figured out that D88S was also So. Shetlands, so my country
total is actually one less than what we had posted at the end of the
contest.  After 42 S&P QSOs, I was finally able to get a run going on
21027 about 0100Z beaming 330 degrees to JA and DU.  

End of first hour:  44 QSOs x 18 countries.

At 0125Z and again at 0131Z, a very strong unstable carrier drifted by
my run frequency, momentarily blocking out any received signals.  I was
concerned that it might be a recurrent birdie from somewhere in the
house or a problem in the receiver, but it never happened again.  I
decided not to move frequency and that was the right decision.  I had a
nice surprise by a call from Pat, 8P6AZ, on Barbados where I go every
year to give me his QSO #1.  He didn't have any way of knowing who I
was.  Finally got him to send his power (16 watts!).  I thought this was
a lucky stroke and might be the only Barbados QSO in the contest since
K4MA and AA4NC had cancelled their plans to operate from the Warleigh
Cottage station this weekend, but I did find Dean, 8P6SH, in the last
couple of hours.  Finally hit 100 QSOs at 0155Z.


End of second hour:  102 QSOs x 23 mults.  Hour ending 0200Z:  58 QSOs,
5 new mults.

During the next hour, W6YA frequently came on my frequency forcing me to
QSY up.  I guess he wasn't hearing me off the back of his beam.  At
0251Z, I worked the first dupe, JA6CYL/6.  I worked and logged all
stations who called two or more times resulting in 75 or more dupes in
the log.  Some stations called as many as 4 times.  I can't figure out
why a station obviously operating in a contest mode such as M8C would
call me 4 times during the contest, but they did.  

End of third hour:  154 QSOs x 27 mults.  Hour ending 0300:  52/4.

At 0317Z, I made the first QSO with the sub VFO, since the rate had
slowed considerably.  Then made 4 more with the sub VFO and realized
there were no more callers on my CQ frequency.  I made a mental note to
LOCK the main dial when using the sub VFO so I wouldn't move the main
dial by mistake intending to move the sub VFO knob.  By 0330Z, the JAs,
many of whom had been loud, were very weak.  Only So. Americans and
XT2WP were still strong.  There were no more QSOs to be had, so I QRT
for the night at 0345Z.

End of first night:  167 QSOs x 27 mults = 13,527 points.

When I listened about 1130Z, the band was already open to Europe, but
signals were weak.  For some reason, it didn't occur to me to check the
skew path (East to South East), but the first signals on Sunday morning
were definitely on the skew path.  Nobody seemed to be successfully
running Europeans yet, but there were a lot of CQs being sent by US and
Eu stations.  I was able to work the strongest ones first and eventually
the direct path opened and I could work almost anyone I heard, but
couldn't get a run going yet.

1200Z:  207 QSOs x 45 countries.  40/18 in the first half hour.

1212Z got a run going at last on 21074 khz.

At 1255Z, key clicks from HA8VK were very bad well off his frequency.  I
never used the noise blanker during the entire contest.  I did notice
that there was some slight noise with the beam west to south west, but
the NB didn't help it and it would have had to be a real big help to
justify the byproducts of engaging the NB.

1300Z:  321 x 59.  Last hour:  154/14.  This would be the best the best
hour of the contest.

1311Z noticed the meter for last 10 QSOs at 174.8 and for last 100 at
143.1.

1400Z:  431 x 65.  Last hour:  110/6.

Made QSO #500 at 1447Z and GI4KSH was mult #67.

1500Z:  519 x 67.  Last hour:  88/2.

1558Z:  Found a run frequency lower in the band and QSYed to 21027 khz.  

1600Z:  594 x 71.  Last hour:  75/4.

1700Z:  690 x 75.  Last hour:  96/4.  Rate went up slightly, possibly as
darkness reached Eastern Europe and 28 mhz began to close.

1715Z:  Off 5 minutes to grab lunch from the refrigerator.

1800Z:  755 x 77.  Last hour:  65/2.

1842:  QSO #800.

We had visitors. Tom W8JI brought over Georges, I4LEC.  Ian and I shook
hands and kept operating.  Jeff was asleep.  They looked around and
Georges took some photos.  Hope they didn't think us rude, but we
couldn't stop to visit and still try to be competitive.

1900Z:  819 x 78.  Last hour:  64/1.  Europe is holding up fairly well.

2000Z:  875 x 80.  Last hour:  56/2.

2008Z.  Do search and pounce.  Worked one station (KP4HLR) above 21100
and turned off the amp for that one.  Heard also a South American, but
he was in a ragchew.  Despite listening on the sub VFO above 21100 a
good bit the second day, I never heard another station up there that I
hadn't worked earlier.  Guess they answered my CQs as they moved up the
band until they found a clear spot to call on.  The US laws still limit
stations to 200 watts output between 21100 and 21200, but it is easy to
forget that since the reason for the rule is practically over.

2050Z.  CQing again, this time on 21069 khz.

2100Z.  908 x 88.  Last hour:  33/8.

2121:  Last European QSO (except Scandinavia or TF) was EA5BY.  Still
could hear the big guys calling CQ for sometime later.  Think the last
one in both days was CS6V in Portugal.  

2122:  Heard first JA (JA8RWU).  This is their sunrise.
2138:  First JA QSO: JH2BCN.  His signal and those of other JAs were on
the skew path from the West for 30 to 45 minutes before the SP was open
to JA.

2200Z.  923 x 93.  Last hour:  18/5.

2203Z:  Worked a weak FO/F6FRR.  Computer counted him as Tahiti and it
makes no difference if it was another island group since I never worked
another FO.  Didn't hear anyone else calling this station.  Would have
been a good one to spot on packet if I hadn't been single op.

2233Z:  First answer to CQ by a JA today (JA6CUX).  

2300Z:  937 x 96.  Last hour:  14/3.

WP2Z has a very strong, but very broad signal.  His spurious signals and
clicks are covering from 21057 to above 21060.  Signal sounded somewhat
better on Sunday, but wasn't as strong.  Have a vague recollection of
having noticed this type of signal from WP2Z from some past contest too.

2400Z:  End of first day.  959 x 96.  Last hour:  22/0.  This is a lot
like hard work.  And it won't get much easier except for the European
opening Sunday morning.

0100Z:  1000 x 97.  Last hour:  41/0.  Nice JA run.

0200Z:  1052 x 99.  Last hour:  52/2.

0209Z:  Started to QRT for the night.  Decided to give it one more try
and finally QRTed at 0239Z.  Band was closed except for very weak JAs
(all worked), strong South Americans (all worked), and a few South
Pacific stations (all worked).  VK5GN was still coming in well.    1053
x 99 = 312,741.  

Lightning and thunder very close by woke me up about 1050Z.  We
disconnected what we thought we could and waited it out.  A dial light
on the control box for the NW 80 meter four-square went out at the time
of a lightning strike, but the antenna still seemed to work later, so we
thought the dial light was the only damage.  Rain was very hard and
there was a lot of wind.  I later found the passenger side of the front
seat of my car pretty well soaked.  This had not happened before, but
the car has been kept in a garage or carport since repairs after a limb
fell on the roof a few years ago and it may be that the repairs didn't
completely seal that side of the car, even though you can't tell it from
any wind noise.  That was some rain!

1125Z, storm seems to be past and I start listening.  Again, the
European signals are in there but weak. This time, I am sure they are
all on the skew path southeast.  I discover that I can't rotate the yagi
further toward NE than 60 degrees.  This will probably be close enough
for most Europeans, but not what I had hoped for.  5B4AGC is worked for
mult #100.  After sunrise, while taking a walk outside, Ian reported
that the half of the 160 meter inverted vee hanging from the 110 foot
level of the same tower that support the 20 stack and 15 M yagi had
broken.  By that time, I had been able to rotate the yagi on around to
Europe and had no further trouble with the rotator.  We theorize that
the 160 meter wire must have had the yagi hung up earlier.

1150Z, the European signals are now direct.  Still must S&P.

1200Z:  1060 x 100.

1211:  First European run of the morning on 21037.  I would stay on this
frequency until run off by an extremely bad signal from N2LBR about
2000Z.

1300Z:  1116 x 100.  Last hour:  56/0.

Many stations tried to take the frequency without asking, but they moved
on when requested or when they didn't get answers.

1400Z:  1189 x 101.  Last hour:  73/1.  

1435Z:  Began some S&P with sub VFO as the rate dropped.  This is hard
work.  Much harder than SO2R since you cannot listen except when the rig
is not transmitting.  During the 2 or 3 seconds between CQs, you need to
concentrate on your CQ frequency so as not to miss a weak caller and to
guard against losing it.  The easiest use of the sub VFO is to quickly
QSY to a nearby frequency when you hear a needed station running there. 
I got EA6BF and a new mult that way.

1500Z:  1241 x 101.  Last hour:  52/1.

1530Z:  Band is nosier today than Saturday.  Must be atmospherics as
opposed to power line noise.  In either case, it only bothers the
weakest of signals.
About this time, I began hearing a spurious signal from my friend, Ady,
YO3APJ.  He must have been running near the frequency and I heard this
weak but bothersome signal for an hour or more.  

1537Z:  Worst signal worked in the contest.  LZ2AP.  Sounded like the
birdie noise I had the first night but keyed and a lot weaker.  He was
sliding lower in frequency so rapidly, I had to chase him with the
clarifier and ask for many repeats until finally I got the clarifier
where he was ending up after the slide.

1600Z:  1287 x 101.  Lat hour:  46/0.

1601Z:  DL2ALK called for a dupe QSO.  He had given me #2 on the
previous day and today he sent his power as 50.  Will not change the
log, but will do a note to the logcheckers.  Obviously he figured out
the exchange after the first QSO.  I had two stations dupe me using
serial numbers each time. They had never figured out what the exchange
should have been.  It isn't too hard usually to explain it on SSB, but
on CW you may get a power if you ask for it, but that doesn't change
that they are still sending serial numbers.  I have decided to write
down what they send unless they send no number at all.  All I could get
from one RV3 was "73" and I think one station was deliberately sending
the power as "88."  

1700Z:  1331 x 101.  Last hour:  44/0.

1800Z:  1371 x 104.  Last hour:  40/3.  At this point, my frequency
seems pretty well protected by XT2WP on the low side and ZF1A on the
high side.  But then, ZF1A started getting louder and louder and the PBT
won't adequately get rid of his loud signal.  What ever happened to ZF
skipping over us on 15 and 10?  Worked C31LJ up around 21097 on the sub
VFO for a new mult.

1900Z:  1427 x 104.  Last hour:  56/0.  This would be the last good rate
hour.

2000Z:  1452 x 104.  Last hour:  25/0.  Finally run off my frequency by
N2LBR who was about 4 khz broad.  It was like a wide tone from this
station. He was on 21039 and I could hear nothing on my 21037 frequency
except his tone.   I QSYed to his frequency and called him to tell him,
but he ignored me.  Obviously he could hear me, so I suspect I wasn't
the first to complain.  Wonder what kind of a rig he has that can
produce such havoc?                         

2005Z:  Missed 4U1ITU for a mult on 21081.  AA4GA was calling him too,
but guess he was just going QRT.

2038Z:  Found a fairly weak CO8DM and worked him in a big pile up for
mult #105.

2100Z:  1466 x 105.  Would love to exceed 1500 QSOs, but there is no one
else left to work.  The band is filled with US and some DX stations
calling CQ.  A few DX stations have pileups, but I have worked all
except C6AKQ.  I can just barely hear him and he has a very big pile up
of 599 stations calling.  Turning the beam SW doesn't help.  His best
signal is from the SE, but there is no chance unless the loud callers
get through.  I noted the frequency, but he was never there again.  

Got one JA to answer a CQ at 2230Z.  JAs are much louder tonight than
either Friday or Saturday and are exceedingly loud by the end of the
contest.  Of course, there are almost no new JAs on the band.  There are
some of the regulars already worked and the others have gone off to
work.    Had a brief QSO with K2RD, Ira, who was doing a M/2 with Rusty
as W6OAT.  He can't find anyone to work either and Rusty is having the
same problem on 10M.  This from the West coast, even.  Worked LZ0A
thinking it to be a new mult, but it turned out that it was not.

2300Z:  1478 x 106.  Last two hours:  12/1.

Spent most of the last hour CQing high in the band and got a few JA
callers.  Searched the band two or three times completely with only the
same old calls heard.  

2400Z:  1487 x 106 = 472,866 points.  CT meter shows 27.2 hours of
operating.  No idea how this stacks up against prior score or others
this year.  We listened to 3830, but couldn't pick out any 15M scores. 
Am pretty sure conditions this year were very inferior to the past
several years.  Rick's station plays well.  It will probably be possible
to make a few more QSOs when the main station stacks are up, but this
one antenna really worked well.  I didn't have to call anyone more than
a few times and the three DU stations answered CQs as well as 9V1YC and
VR2BG.  

Hope everyone has a good week.  It surely is nice to have a work holiday
on the day after a contest.

73,


John, K4BAI.