TopBand: LZ 2 CJ apology

[Valeri Stefanov]

Dear Fellow Topbanders ,

With this message I would like to apologize to all of you who have been
trying to find LZ2CJ on top band during the last CQ WW DX SSB.
Murphy has been here again.
I have spent about 300 US $(700m 2.5mmdia wire and 150m RG213 coax) on
coax and wire , I have got my FT 847 and an Alpha 91b from LZ1JK and I
have arrived at the QTH supposed to be my 1998 contest QTH on
time.Opposite to the predictions weather was really fine. So at first
glance everything was just OK for a great fun.
Then the problems started !?! First the chief at the cottage allowed me
to install the station only in a large room with 15 beds inside. This
was OK but in this room there was only one source of electricty with
almost melted wall plug.
When I connected  Alpha91b to it and tried to transmit the plug was
flashing like a lighthouse lamp - Hi !!! I decided to postpone solving
this problem and started errecting antennas.
Due to the fact that a friend of mine who was supposed to help me
putting antennas up , urgently has to travel to another city I gave up
my plans for phased dipoles and decided to go for three folded dipoles
in three different directions. I have put two of the dipoles up on
Wednesday and tried to tune them. Then came the next problem.
The whole roof of the large cottage has been covered with galvanized
sheet iron and it was so close to the dipoles that there was not any
chance to tune them for SWR lower than 3. On Thursday I spent all day
long trying to tune the antennas but possibly due to the kind of roof
they were passing over they interacted in a such way that any SWR below
2.5 was practically not possible. I gave up and decided to try to get
antennas away from the cottage on the trees located around after adding
some more coax I was supposed to buy from Gabrovo on Friday the morning.

Then  the killing news have arrived at Wednesday evening. They told me
that  people from electric company have just phoned to warn that they
will stop electricity for Saturday and Sunday to do maintnance of power
lines which go from Gabrovo ( the nearest city ) to Uzana ( the place
where cottages are located). They wanted to use a good weather
conditions to change problematic insulators and to get the lines ready
for the winter season.( Uzana is overcrowded in the winter - there are
over 12 cottages in the area.) Cottages were requested to use their
generators for a weekend.
I of course was not prepared to pay for a big generator to work during
whole weekend and that's why have given up completely.
Friday morning I have got all my staff back in the car and headed to
LZ9A location near Troyan to join the LZ9A gang thus saving the contest
fun anyhow. My arrival at LZ9A was badly needed one since LZ2PO has not
been able to arrive back home from Macedonia on time and there were not
any Alphas at LZ9A at all.
We started the contest with single Alpha and Ogy arrived with others at
03.00 GMT Saturday morning.
Higher bands have been opened with 15m at its best for last 10 years. So
we have had the FUN. Thanks to all those who worked LZ9A.

Best 73's
Wally LZ 2 CJ
lz2cj@qsl.net


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