[SECC] CQWW SSB approaches

[David Thompson]

When I started in the CQ WW Phone it was mainly AM not SSB.  My first attempt was in 1958 using a Viking Ranger and 75A2 that I borrowed.  I spent several hours
and worked about 40 stations all on 15 as I also borrowed a 15 meter 3 el beam.  Best Dx was PY0NA which was a Dxpedition by a group of PY's to Trinidade.

In 1959 I had most of my K5MDX station assembled which was a Single 4-400A amp modulated by 811A's
and my receiver was a HQ-110 with a HC-10 SSB adapter.  I had a 3 el Gonset Tri-Bander on a 50 foot telephone pole.  My 75 meter antenna was the Trap dipole right out of QST.  The 40 meter did not do well
so I ran a 40 meter dipole from a tree to about 46 feet on the telephone.  This was broadside NE and SW.  Actually running a few Europeans on 40 at 0700Z including G2PU really got me excited.  Then working a group of ZL/VK several hours later was great.  I heard ZS6KD (Empty) on SSB but never could get him to hear me. Same for JA1AN so I strung up another 40 meter dipole broadside NW/SE at about 65 feet.  Wound up making just over 100K and making the top 10 USA.  I added a SB-10 so I could transmit SSB for 1960.  And hay I worked ZS6KD and two JA's.

The Gonset Tri-Bander was one of the first Contest Station/Dx Station antennas.  W1ONK and W1PDF both had them and I was forced to listen to them work Europe and the middle east I could not hear.  A W6 won the CQ WW in I think 1960 using the 3 el Gonset which had an 18 foot boom.  He modified it and my dad and I did those mods but like NQ4I said it was not the greatest Dx antenna.  But in the ARRL Phone SS its was a terror!  WA2CLQ (now K1ZM) said I had a killer signal on 20.  On most bands I could point the antenna to the NE or N and run W1-3 and W8,9 and 0 for hours on a frequency.  Boy being able to transmit SSB was so great that by 1963 I almost quit using AM.

I won USA twice in the CQ WW Phone and then went to College, started a career, and in 1973 got married.  I do have several Single band plaques for 40 or 10 in the CQ WW SSB.

Dave K4JRB  .   
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