[SECC] improving 160 results

[Jim Worthington]

It will be very hard to outscore VY2ZM when Jeff can work Europe at noon local time. This past weekend, VY2ZM finished with twice the scores of K1DG and K8PO (the top 2 US finishers last year). However, in the CQ 160 contests, Canada and stateside are in separate categories, so VY2ZM doesn't matter. I think it's encouraging that the top two finishers in SOHP this year were both in the South (K3ZM in Virginia and Tom here).

73,
Jim AD4J


On Feb 3, 2011, at 9:00 PM, David Thompson wrote:

> The operator of that Florida W4 with the 75/80 beam was WA4PXP.  He now is 
> in North Carolina.  I think the W4, who already had a good contest station, 
> is now a SK.
> 
> I think what has happened is that the W1, 2, VY2
> stations thought they had 160 locked up in the CQ 160 CW until Tom came 
> along with his effective transmitting antenna.  Ron W4WA (ex AB4RU) ran a 
> competive station on SSB.  Even AA1K said Ron was working stations that he 
> could barely hear.
> 
> I think a better RX set up would only help marginly
> as I have been told by VE1ZZ and VY2ZM that they can work Europe virtually 
> all day.  Plus I have heard them working VK/ZL 2 hours before we get 
> conditions here.  Case in point was my QSO with FK8CP.  He was working VE1 
> then W1, W2, W3, W4 VA (N4CH, W4DR), and finally N4JJ.  Minutes after the 
> N4JJ QSO the signal came up and was easily worked in GA.  I feel that having 
> this double advantage is hard to beat.  We are also at a disadvantage on 
> gray line propagation.  I remember VE1ZZ alerting everyone that Heard Island 
> was on 1823 at 2045Z then W3BGN saying they were 579 at 2130.  Its 2230 
> before we get grayline and most of the DX is now in daylight.  This even 
> expands to 80 for say A52.  I had to scratch out a QSO with A52 on 40 even 
> with my beam.  We missed the window by 45 minutes even on 80.
> 
> But one big equalizer on 160 is the conditions.  There have been times when 
> the Up East Coast stations have little or no propagation to desired areas 
> for a night while we are working them like gangbusters.  This happened to me 
> way back in 1970 in the CQ WPX SSB.  I was working all over Europe on 10 and 
> only stations in the SE USA had conditions.  One SM5 said he was tired of 
> listening to me call CQ for hours.  I rang up the NA record that was not 
> beaten until 1978.
> 
> I feel that the Up East stations stepped up their operating to re-take the 
> advantage they had.  K1DG and W5WMU are building stations in Maine so there 
> will be more Up East stations soon.
> 
> Keep trying.  The logs I used to look at said W8JI was the strongest station 
> in LY or UU7.
> 
> 73 Dave K4JRB  ex K5MDX 1957-1973
> Retired CQ WW 160 Director
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> SECC mailing list
> SECC at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/secc