[SECC] Fwd: SS SSB AA4LR Single Op LP

[Bill Coleman]

                    ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB

Call: AA4LR
Operator(s): AA4LR
Station: AA4LR

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: GA
Operating Time (hrs): 22
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
  160:    0
   80:  237
   40:  169
   20:  261
   15:   85
   10:    2
------------
Total:  754  Sections = 78  Total Score = 117,624

Club: South East Contest Club

Comments:

Equipment:
1st Rig:
Elecraft K2/100 w/ SSB, NB, 160m, DSP
Heil BM-10
Homebrew K1KP-style voice keyer (1 message)

2nd Rig:
Kenwood TS-430S
Homebrew 2-radio switchbox

Antennas:
Cushcraft A3S at 15m (20m, 15m, 10m)
1/4 wave 40m sloper (NE) at 12m
1/2 wave 40m sloper (NW) at 12m
125 foot 80m doublet at 10m
Shunt feed 15m tower with 13 60 foot radials (80m)
R7000 (2nd radio)

Comments:

First, I'd like to say that this effort would not be possible without 
coordination by my family. It's taken a long time to get this right, the 
credit goes to my wife for putting up with my strange hobbies.

While it's not my first time using 2 radios, it is the first time I've 
actually had a proper setup for SO2R operation. Built a switchbox just 
hours before the contest started. I can count the 2nd radio QSOs on one 
hand. I'm going to need more practice to properly coordinate this.

Also hung a 40m 1/2 wave sloper toward the northwest, roughly 330 
degrees. Previous experience showed that the 1/4 wave sloper just didn't 
cut it into the midwest. The 1/2 wave sloper worked quite well, and 
improved my 40m numbers. Next step will be a 40m attachment for the A3S, 
which is about as much as I can put on the tower from this location.

K2/100 worked (almost) flawlessly. I was amazed at how hot the heat sink 
would get during the higher rates. RIg just kept on plugging away. My 
first contest using the DSP module. It worked great. I left the 
auto-notch on all the time, which took care of the tuner-uppers and many 
of the strong heterodynes on 40m. The DSP filters also reduced the 
splatter and grumble. Left the DSP on the S2 filter all contest.

K2 does have a VOX insensitivity problem. Every once in a while, it would 
appear to go nearly deaf. Rig could be keyed by shouting, but the voice 
keyer would drop out. I think I have a fix for this. During the contest, 
it required the power to the cycled on the rig, which often meant my run 
frequency was forgotten.

Got off to a good start. First 6 hours, I maintained nearly 50 Q/hour 
rate. After 0300z, however, things went into the tank quickly. Tougher 
conditions halved my rate.

I'm pretty happy with the overall effort, though, since conditions were 
really bad. Usually 10 and 15m are bustling with western stations well 
into the early evening. 10m never really opened, and both 15m and 20m 
died shortly after sunset. This meant everyone was squeezed down into 40m 
and 80m after 0100z. You know it is bad when you hear PR and VI stations 
on 40m at 0100z. And when you hear CA stations on 80m before about 0400z. 
Bad. The unsettled conditions made for tough going for those guys at high 
lattitudes, like AK.

Spent 1/3 of the contest time on 80m! This is not my best band, as my 
doublet is too low, and the shunt fed tower doesn't work much better. 
Even so, go a good run there from about 0150z to 0240z, which was my best 
rate of the contest. My youngest daughter asked to be tucked in bed just 
as the run started. I finally did so an hour later.

Spent almost 1/3 of the time on 20m. Except for the start of the contest, 
never got a good run there. 20m is the strongest band for a domestic 
phone contest from this part of the country, but it depends on relatively 
short skip, which we never really got. In a good year, I'd spend half my 
time on 20m.

Only 78 mults. Never any sign of NT at all. Only heard AK (KL7J) at 2350z 
on Sunday. Called him for 10 minutes, but he was being called by half the 
contest participants. 

My last Phone SS (2001) netted me #78 place, low power. (Isn't the Web 
results cool?) This score isn't much higher, but likely to be in the top 
50 for low power, given the conditions. #2 personal best score, and the 
best from the current QTH. Shy of the 1993 127k, but beat the 117k 1995 
score from the KM9P superstation. (Conditions in 1995 were even worse)

Heard some very big signals, especially on 20m. Some stations lit up 
every segment on the very scotch K2 S-meter. Glad it has such a great AGC.

Have two pet peeves:

1) You need to send the stations call! Every time. More than once, while 
calling CQ, I was actually on top of someone else I couldn't hear. This 
sort of thing is common on 20m and higher, but was clearly happening on 
40m given the conditions. Some guy would answer the other station, not 
me, but the timing sounded right. If you send the stations call, then it 
is clear who you are contacting. 

2) Got run off by a "net" once. Was at a nice spont on 40m for more than 
15 minutes, then it got close to the hour. An anonymous station comes on 
and announces to me that I'll have to QSY. Well, you know, I'm using this 
frequency, so I ignore him. Naturally, I had to QSY once the rate 
disappeared. Just because a net is commonly on a certain frequency 
doesn't mean they own it. 

A couple of cool moments in the contest: At about 2200z, heard someone 
say on 14294 "this frequency stinks, you can have it." Not hearing 
anything after that, I started calling CQ, and had a good run for about 
20 minutes.

A CA station on 15m was run off by a net. His comment was something like, 
"Come on, guys, you leave me no choice but to QRT. I realise that nets 
provide important services, but just because you happen to use a 
frequency over a period of time doesn't mean you own it. It's not fair to 
spoil my half hour of fun this way." Amen, brother.

Late Sunday, found W3GH (where has Dr. Bafoofnik gone, now that we need 
him?) running on 80m. Called him a couple of times, but he disappeared. 
After about 30 seconds, I started calling CQ on the frequency. Worked one 
station in two minutes. After that, W3GH comes back on, and I work him. 
Since the frequency wasn't doing much for me, I gave it back to him. 
Turns out, he had a computer crash followed by a phone call. Go figure.

Heard a number of SECC stations on. K4BAI worked me about half way 
through the contest and commented I had nearly as good a score with low 
power as he did with high. N4LR did quite well in the U category, dispite 
running barefoot with nothing but wire antennas. Gosh, Gordon, having all 
that land probably helps! W4ATL put in a great score from GA on low 
power, although he didn't beat his record setting score from last year. 
Great work, Sherman!

Next time, I have a couple of things to change in my strategy.

First, I missed the early morning opening on 40m. I got on the air around 
dawn, but fooled around on 80, (where I'd already spent too much time) 
and got to 40m late. By then, 40m was crowded with activity. If I had 
gotten there earlier, I might have had a good run.

Second, the rates late at night got pretty low. Usually, I try to be on 
for the first 12 hours of the contest straight. This year, I only did 11, 
and in retrospect, should have done 10 and gotten on earlier.  Rates 
Sunday weren't so bad until after 2300z, probably because the bands 
closed down again.


Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901