[UK-CONTEST] M6T (G4PIQ) Post CQWW Sleep Deprived Ramble

[Andy Cook, G4PIQ]

                    CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB

Call: M6T
Operator(s): G4PIQ
Station: G0KPW

Class: SOAB HP
QTH: JO02RF
Operating Time (hrs): 45
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:  216    14       53
   80: 1092    24       92
   40:  565    25       91
   20: 1534    37      112
   15: 1422    34      123
   10:  292    15       62
------------------------------
Total: 5121   149      533  Total Score = 6,663,822

Rig : 2 x FT1000MP + Alpha 87A + Ten Tec Titan

Ants 
160 - Inv-V Dipole @ 28m
80 - 4 square + Dipole @ 23m
40 - 402CD @ 30m
20 - 204CD @ 30m + TH5 @ 32m
15 - Extended 155BA @ 30m + TH5 @ 32m
10 - 105CA @ 33m + TH5 @ 32m

It became clear a month or so ago that we weren't going to be anywhere far
enough forward to do a proper effort at multi-multi from the new M6T site so
I got the opportunity to do a single op entry. There was quite a lot of work
to be done. The only antennas up were the 80m 4 square and a TH5. Thanks to
Dave, G4BUO for coming up the previous Sunday and helping me get the stuff
done where it helps to have two pairs of hands. I was then able to spend
Thursday and Friday finishing off the antenna build, winding up the towers,
swearing at halliards (what sort of rope do you need so they don't twist!)
and wire antennas and building the station. 

This was my first real serious SOAB contest effort since the birth of our
daughter almost two years go - don't seem to have had the time somehow! I
was worried about how my general state of sleep deprivation would effect my
ability to do a long stretch, but a decent station and SO2R generally keeps
things interesting enough and I managed 45 hours operating. I was sure that
I set the alarm for 1 hour 15 mins sleep, but I obviously got it wrong with
automatic time updates on my Windows phone and took 2 hours 15 mins...
Probably a good thing!

The master plan was that on Friday all I had to do was wind the towers
up.... right... those of you who know me will not be surprised that at 2300
Friday I still had a soldering iron in hand rather than having a sensible
sleep! I really didn't get the antenna work done and the station build
started until 1800 Friday. Contrary to popular rumour, I was however ready
for the start this year - although I was logging on paper while TR imported
the latest version of MASTER.DTA (about 45 minutes on a 100 MHz Pentium!)

Yet again, I'd planned to use WinTest for the first time in this contest,
but I ran out of time to make the voice keyer changes to support a sound
card rather than  K1EA DVP board, so at about 2230 I changed my SO2R box
back to N6TR mode, dragged out the old DOS computer and scuttled back to TR.
I still think TR has the best SO2R user interface anyhow. 

No automated antenna switching this year I'm afraid which was a bit of a
pain. One manual 6 way switch for the 2nd radio and to pick an antenna for
the run radio you unscrewed the right one from that switch and plugged it
into a patch cable from the run amp! Good job that the Alpha on the 2nd
radio is well protected!

I've done this contest a number of times since 2001 operating from G4MRS at
work. I've always complained about the noise level and it was fabulous to be
able to operate from a quiet site this year and with some monobanders. The
80m 4 square was generally the best 160m receive antenna - I heard lots of
stations who couldn't hear me (esp in the Caribbean)  - but it did make 2
radio operation limited when on 160. 

It's a bit difficult to tell because effectively the station was new to me,
but I thought that conditions were a bit better than we could have hoped for
given the position of the cycle and the auroral activity. Sure - northerly
paths were awful - I can't remember not having worked a JA on 15m in this
contest before, missing zone 3 on 40 and 80 was bad, missing zone 19
everywhere, and openings to the West Coast of the US were very poor - but I
can't quite reconcile my score with lousy conditions. There were some decent
openings on 20/15 and I thought 80 was OK, but not spectacular. 

No major hardware failures. I had one rotator control box which decided to
stop allowing me to move the antenna clockwise, and a most bizarre fault on
one of the FT1000MPs where I think it got software defined radio jealousy
syndrome (it wanted to be an Orion) - I was in the middle of one of the best
runs of the contest on 15 and went to transmit and there was no drive. CW
worked, but Tx audio on SSB had just disappeared. I blamed my dodgey
microphone connections for a minute or so, but radio 2 was fine and swapping
mic connectors left the problem with the radio. Turning the radio on and off
didn't help (so it exceeded the Orion standard!), but a master reset cured
it...... I had visions of a frantic 15 minues with the covers off another
radio swapping filters coming on! 

I tried to start the contest on 40m, but just couldn't make it run and
scurried back to 80m for the night where the 4 square was very effective. In
fact in general - I just couldn't make 40m work well this weekend at all -
from the comments I've seen I was not alone.

As usual the contest is something of a blur. No spectacular hours but decent
rate throughout. Tried to work the 2nd radio hard, but probably didn't do as
much as I should have done (as usual!). As usual there are a bunch of holes
in my multiplier sheet - some of which are just stupidity (e.g. GW on 15).
Saturday I didn't think 15m was in very good shape and ran most of the US
opening on 20m. On Sunday 15m sounded even worse in the morning, but I stuck
the run radio on 15 at 0902 as soon as a pass of DU9RG from 20 came off with
decent signals and didn't move from there until it closed quite early at
1630 (and I should probably have moved earlier tha this but was a bit of a
zombie at that point). What I didn't realise was that 20 was also pretty
poor at that stage, but would come back to life somewhat about 1800. Some US
stations were workable on 10 from here on the Sunday, but the rate was
better on 15 so I stayed there after a quick try on 10.

Ran a few JAs on 40m again - which is always amazing and was called by AH2R
there (which was even more of a surprise). 

Thanks to everyone for the QSOs and moves, and particular thanks to Bob,
G4BAH for use of the station again. 

73,

Andy, G4PIQ