[SECC] CQWW CW K4AQ SOAB QRP
Matt Lee, K4AQ
Matt at HiWAAY.net
Sun Jan 15 22:41:37 EST 2006
CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW
Call: K4AQ
Operator(s): K4AQ
Station: K4AQ
Class: SOAB QRP
QTH: CQZ 5 (Wise, VA)
Operating Time (hrs): 15.6
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 2 2 2
80: 3 2 2
40: 21 9 12
20: 98 14 48
15: 29 11 23
10:
------------------------------
Total: 153 38 87 Total Score = 47,250
Club:
Comments:
http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/WW%20Rules%208102005.pdf
1. My fourth CQ WW DX CW contest:
Score QSO CQZ DX Time WAC DXCC*
-------------------------------------------------------------------
2005 47,250 153 38 87 15.6 4/6 54
2004 31,122 125 48 69 15.6 6/6 37
2003** 100,998 231 61 120 20.1 6/6 65
2002** 80,214 200 58 116 25.9 4/6 58
-------------------------------------------------------------------
*Unique
**WB6BWZ
2. WAC: EU, NA, SA, AF (missed AS & OC)
* Called Asia (JA) and Oceania (KH6, ZL) unsuccessfully.
* Worked a very weak KL7DX successfully.
3. WAZ: 16 (out of 40) zones (unique)
4. Best Rates:
Hour 160M 80M 40M 20M 15M 10M Total
D2-1500Z - - - 21/8 - - 21/8
D2-1600Z --+-- --+-- --+-- 3/1 17/24 --+-- 20/25
5. K4AQ operated from outside the South East Contest Club "circle" in Wise,
Virginia. (Home QTH is Atlanta, GA.)
I decided to use the Hustler mobile antenna exclusively for 15, 20 and 40m
even after I had put up the Lazy Inverted-L on Saturday, Field Day style. (The
Inverted-L antenna loaded up fine on *all* bands [including WARC] with the SGC
SG-211 MiniSmartuner.)
I was curious to see how well the mobile antenna would perform QRP during a
major contest. I know mobiles do well in QSO parties but a world-wide contest is
something else. The results EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS...especially on 40m!!!
NOTE: I did not attach a counterpoise for 40m to the vehicle on purpose. When
at-rest, I normally attach counterpoises for bands where the vehicle length is
less than a quarter-wave.
Rule-of-thumb (IIRC): A Hustler 40m resonator on a 54-inch mobile antenna
mast is about 30-35 pct efficient compared to a full-size quarter-wave vertical
over good ground.
BTW, I have not installed "bonding" straps in the vehicle. That's on my "To
Do" List.
6. WriteLog Summary:
QSOs QSO points Zones Countries
-----------------------------------------------
160m: 2 2 2 2
80m: 3 2 2 2
40m: 21 47 9 12
20m: 98 258 14 48
15m: 29 69 11 23
10m: --- --- -- --
-----------------------------------------------
Totals: 153 378 38 87
160m Summary
------------
Zones
4 5
Countries
K VE
80m Summary
-----------
Zones
4 5
Countries
K VE
40m Summary
-----------
Zones
3 4 5 7 8 9 10 14 33
Countries
CT EA8 HC8 K KP2 KP4 ON P4 PJ2 TI
VE VP5
20m Summary
-----------
Zones
1 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 14 15 16 20 33
Countries
6Y 9A C6 CT CT3 CU DL EA EA6 EI
ES F G GD GM/s GW HA HB HC8 HI
HK HP I K KL KP2 KP4 LX LZ OE
OH OK OM ON P4 PA PJ2 PY S5 SM
SP TI UA V2 VE VP5 YU YV
15m Summary
-----------
Zones
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 14 35
Countries
6W 6Y C6 CT CU EI F FP G HC8
HI HK K KP2 KP4 P4 PJ2 PY TI V3
VE XE ZF
7. Station: Yaesu FT-897D transceiver operated at 5 watts. microHAM USB rig
interface. SGC SG-211 MiniSmartuner. WriteLog 10.54c.
8. Antennas:
a. 15, 20, 40M: Hustler mobile antenna, vehicle-mounted (no tuner)
The three resonators were mounted on a Hustler adapter plate on top of a
Hustler 54" mobile mast. The mast is quick-disconnected to a Diamond K-400
trunk-type mount, located near the top of the left rear door of my 15-psgr club
wgn. (This mount will not support the Hustler antenna safely while
in-motion.)
Transmission Line: 75-ohm RG-6 (the stuff used for cable TV), about 40 ft.
b. 10, 80, 160M: Very lazy Inverted-L (SGC SG-211 MiniSmartuner at rig
position, unbalanced mode)
Configuration: 82-ft 24-ga teflon insulated stranded wire (33 ft up to the
tip of an MFJ 33-ft telescopic mast, then sloping with the far end 6 ft AGL).
The base of the 33-ft mast was mounted temporarily 3 ft AGL on a patio deck.
Transmission Line: 10-12 ft 20+ year old Radio Shack 300-ohm TV twin-lead
(one lead goes to the Inverted-L; the other lead goes to the 80 & 33 ft in-line
elevated-counterpoise insulated wires)
9. Quickie photo descriptions of my "home away from home" ham radio operations
in the world-wide CW (Morse Code) contest this past weekend.
The unretouched photos were resized to 800x600 dpi. They may be viewed at:
<http://webpages.charter.net/k4aq/K4AQ_CQWW_CW_2005_WiseVA/>
Photo Descriptions
==================
1. DSCN3218.JPG: Wise (VA) double-wide trailer home ofc. New laptop in the
middle; old laptop to the right of it. FT-897D with microHAM USB rig interface
and Tigertronics SignaLink SL-1 sound card interface on top of it. SGC SG-211
MiniSmartuner beneath the rig.
2. DSCN3219.JPG: View from trailer home ofc window.
Right center window pane: Junction of antenna feedpoint. 33-ft white
insulated wire counterpoise is seen in both horizontal center and left center
panes. 80-ft orange insulated wire is seen in the right center pane. 300-ohm
twin-lead xmsn line goes is seen in the right center and right lower panes.
White (vertical) "nylon" guy line is seen in the right center and right upper
panes.
3. DSCN3220.JPG: "Close up" view of antenna feedpoint. White wire going to the
right is the teflon insulated wire.
4. DSCN3221.JPG: "Close up" of the rig setup.
5. DSCN3222.JPG: Hustler mobile antenna on 15-psgr club wagon. I positioned the
vehicle for the radiation pattern to favor NNE-NE.
6. DSCN3223.JPG: Left two windows of trailer home is the Master Bedroom (aka the
CEO's bedroom). The RG-6 coax passes through the bottom of the right window. I
removed the lower half of the window screen.
7. DSCN3224.JPG: Hustler (15, 20 & 40m) resonators on 54-inch Hustler mast.
8. DSCN3225.JPG: Close up of Diamond K-400 mount. The base of the mast is
attached to a Hustler Quik-Disconnect adapter.
9. DSCN3226.JPG: "Very lazy" Inverted-L antenna held up by an MFJ 33-ft
telescopic mast.
10. DSCN3227.JPG: Wide angle view of my "home away from home." I use the bedroom
at the right end of the double-wide trailer. If I cannot use the "home ofc," I
would bring my antenna "xmsn lines" through one of the right two bedroom
windows. I normally park the vehicle in front of the screened porch. There is
easily at least a 20-ft drop on the ends and backside of the trailer.
11. DSCN3228.JPG: Another "panoramic view" of the trailer home. The "green
trees" are rooted at the bottom of the 20-ft dropoff.
12. DSCN3229.JPG: There are utility wires (power for parking lot and yard
lights; also cable TV) that passes horizontally through those bare trees (and
over the roof of the trailer).
13. DSCN3230.JPG: The RG-6 cable is on the ground between the trailer window and
the right front passenger vehicle door. Also visible is one of the parking lot
light poles.
14. DSCN3231.JPG: View of the rear deck from the living room. MFJ 33-ft mast is
tied to the corner railing. Note the bird feeder. I refill it every 2-3 days.
15. DSCN3232.JPG: Close up of the bird feeder (and a regular diner).
16. DSCN3233.JPG: Closer view of how I tied the MFJ mast to the deck railing.
17. DSCN3234.JPG: Another view of the MFJ mast.
18. DSCN3235.JPG: The top end of the Very Lazy Inverted-L antenna, about 33 feet
up.
NOTE: I only resized these unretouched photos, not edited them, so you will
have to rotate them in your viewer, if necessary.
19. DSCN3236.JPG: Lower half of photo shows the 300-ohm xmsn line. The white
insulated wire to the right is the 33-ft elevated counterpoise. The 20-ft
dropoff begins at those trees.
20. DSCN3237.JPG: antenna feedpoint. (Sorry for the poor photo; I should have
used spot focusing. I took [all] these photos in haste during a break during the
CQWW CW contest.)
21. DSCN3238.JPG: Closeup of my homebrew clothesline reel antenna. This is the
other end of the 82-ft antenna wire. It amazed me that this small spool holds
more than 80 feet of teflon insulated wire!
22. DSCN3239.JPG: View of the Very Lazy Inverted-L antenna and MFJ mast.
23. DSCN3240.JPG: (ditto)
24. DSCN3241.JPG: The 80-ft elevated counterpoise (orange wire).
BTW, the 80 and 33 foot elevated counterpoises made up the OCF antenna used
in the ARRL SS Phone contest. (No log was submitted.)
The thermometer reads 7-10 deg F lower than actual.
25. DSCN3242.JPG: View of the "wild life" observation deck being built over the
20+ ft dropoff.
26. DSCN3243.JPG: One half (orange insulated wire in trees) of the Inverted-U
"antenna/counterpoise."
27. DSCN3244.JPG: Observation deck view of the orange wire.
28. DSCN3245.JPG: End of orange wire as seen from the observation deck.
Look very carefully in the top of the photo to see North Bear Creek. Not
much water this time of the year.
29. DSCN3246.JPG: Zoom-in view of North Bear Creek, more than 20 feet below the
observation deck.
30. DSCN3247.JPG: Rear view of the Very Lazy Inverted-L antenna and MFJ mast.
I attached a 10/12-ft 2x4 to the railing with duct tape before I decided to
go higher with the MFJ mast.
31. DSCN3248.JPG: (ditto)
32. DSCN3250.JPG: (ditto)
33. DSCN3251.JPG: (ditto)
34. DSCN3252.JPG: (ditto)
35. DSCN3253.JPG: Home ofc window, MFJ mast, Very Lazy Inverted-L feedpoint.
36. DSCN3254.JPG: Close-up of how I tied the MFJ mast to the deck railing.
37. DSCN3255.JPG: (ditto)
--
Matt Lee, K4AQ
Atlanta, GA USA
<K4AQ at arrl.net>
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