Topband: ARRL 160M Contest

[John Bastin]

On Dec 3, 2006, at 9:46 AM, John Harper wrote:

> Well that was way too long a contest for me to participate in for the
> duration

I'll go along with that. I lasted until 2:30 AM Friday night (and got  
up at 6:00 AM to catch any possible sunrise openings), but Saturday  
night I petered out and crashed a little before midnight. I totalled  
17 hours in the chair.

> but I got 42 states with my 100 watts and inverted L (18 65'
> radials).

Congratulations! I was running 500 watts to my helically-wound  
vertical (32 radials in lengths ranging from 45 feet to 100 feet). I  
got 46 states the first night and added one more on the second.

> I now have 46 states on Topband altogether and am missing ND, AK,
> MT and ID.

I missed RI, ND and AK in the contest. I heard W1OP in RI once, but  
he and I were both S&P'ing at the time and I couldn't get a contact.  
KL7RA was spotted several times the first night but I couldn't hear  
him anytime I checked. And I saw or heard no trace of ND.

>
> Something tells me that those 4 states are going to be tougher than  
> the
> first 46 combined ;-)

I worked K0TO in Idaho in the contest; that's his QTH #2 so you have  
to catch him when he's there instead of at QTH #1 in Minnesota. W7IZL  
in Montana is *very* active on Top Band. I'll have to look for N0UD,  
I guess, to get that elusive ND counter, and in the case of AK it's  
going to have to come when conditions are right.

Maybe when we have an opening to Japan?

>
> John  Harper AE5X/2
> http://www.ae5x.com


John Bastin K8AJS
bastinj at gmail.com