TopBand: 160 TEST @ P49I

[MIKE GREENWAY]

THANKS TO ALL THOSE THAT GAVE ME A QSO IN THE TEST.  I'M SURE THERE WERE
MANY I WAS UNABLE TO HEAR DUE TO QRN/QRM.  

    QSO'S     COUNTRIES      USA/VE      SCORE

     814         65           55          970K+

MAINLY DETAILS TO FOLLOW SO TRASH IT IF YOU ARE NOT A DETAIL PERSON.  I
TRIED TO IMPROVE THE TRANSMITT ANTENNA THIS YEAR AS I WAS TOLD LAST YEAR I
WAS NOT AS STRONG AS P40WA.  ANTENNA IS MAINLY A 60 FOOT TOWER WITH FORCE 12
C-4 AND 30 M ROTATABLE DIPOLE ON TOP.  IT IS SHUNT FED.  I PUT A 15 FT
EXTENSTION MAST PIPE ON TOP AND 4 4O FOOT TOP HAT WIRES.  ALSO LAID OUT 100
FT OF 2 FT WIDE ALUMINUM SCREEN WIRE AT BASE OF TOWER.  IN ADDITION TO THAT
HAD 80 RADIALS OF VARYING LENGTH.  AVERAGE ABOUT 75 FOOT LONG. RX ANTS ARE
ABOUT THE SAME AS LAST YEAR.
NE/N/NW/E-W WIRES ABOUT 400 FT LONG EACH.  THAT IS ALL THE PROPERTY I AM
ALLOWED USE OF.  THEY SEEM TO WORK VERY WELL.  BEFORE THE CONTEST I WAS
THRILLED TO WORK JW5NM WHO I STILL NEED AT HOME.  AT THE START OF THE
CONTEST ON FRIDAY I COULD TELL SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH CONDITIONS FOR ME.
THE BIG CONTEST STATIONS WERE VERY WEAK AND EU WAS FARILY STRONG. NORMALLY
THE MULTI OP STATIONS ARE STRONG BEFORE SUNDDOWN WHICH THEY WERE NOT THIS
YEAR.  I MOVED ALONG WORKING STUFF AS BEST I COULD.  MOSTLY EU AND STRONGER
USA.  THE QRN TO THE NORTH WAS ALSO VERY HEAVY.  HAD ABOUT 500 Q THE FIRST
NIGHT.  SECOND NIGHT LOOKED LIKE THE SAME WITH USA BEING VERY WEAK BUT GOOD
EU SIGS.  I GOT OFF TO A SLOW START THE SECOND NIGHT AS COULD NOT FIND A
FREQ WHERE I WAS NOT BEING CLOBBERED.  WOUND UP BETWEEN W2GD AND W4MYA.
EACH WERE 200 HZ EITHER SIDE BUT THERE DIDNT SEEM TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE ANY
BETTER SO I STUCK IT OUT MOST OF THE NIGHT.  ONLY 300+ QSO THE SECOND NIGHT
BUT SOME INTERESTING MULTS.  VQ9SS CALLED WHICH WAS A THRILL AND ALSO KL7Y,
KH8/N5OLS.  HAD NO JA QSO'S.  HAD 625 USA/ 206/ EU/ 10 SA/ AND EACH OF THE
OTHER CONTINENTS HAD 3 EACH.  EA8EA HAD ONE OF THE BIGGEST SIGNALS EARLY IN
THE EVENING.  HEARD 4X4NJ CALLING EARLY 0N BUT HE COULD NEVER HEAR ME.  HAD
MANY EU CQ ON TOP OF ME.  USA WAS FAIRLY GOOD AS FAR AS NOT COMING ON AND
STARTING UP A CQ.  HAPPENED A COUPLE OF TIMES.  HATS OF TO K3NZ WHO COME ON
AND CALLED CQ BUT MOVED WHEN I POLITELY ASKED.  HE NEVER CALLED ME FOR A QSO
THOUGH.
T77C STARTED A PILEUP BELOW ME AND WAS LISTENING ON TOP OF ME FOR A WHILE,
SO HAD BIG EU PILEUP ON ME BUT NOT CALLING ME.  TORE IT ALL DOWN ON MONDAY
FOR DEPARTURE AND NEED A CHIROPRATOR, DENTIST AND EAR DOCTOR WHEN I GOT
BACK.. I WAS A PHYSICAL WRECK AFTER A GRUELING WEEKS WORK IN SUN.  THERE WAS
NO TIME FOR ANY BEACH OR LAYING IN THE SUN.  IT WAS ALL JUMPING INTO THE
CACTUS PATCH AND GOING TO WORK.  WILL I DO IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR??  GUESS I'LL
SEE HOW THE CACTUS NEEDLES
COME OUT.. AGAIN THANKS TO ALL CALLERS.... 73 MIKE P49I  K4PI


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