[VHFcontesting] ARRL UHF W9SZ Single Op LP

[Zack Widup]

                   ARRL UHF Contest

Call: W9SZ
Operator(s): W9SZ
Station: W9SZ

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Illinois
Operating Time (hrs): 6

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
 222:  14     10
 432:  15     10
 903:   8      8
 1.2:   9      8
 2.3:   6      6
 3.4:   5      5
 5.7:   1      1
 10G:   4      4
-------------------
Total:  62     52  Total Score = 19,812

Club: Society of Midwest Contesters

Comments:

I got to the hilltop in EN50rl at about 3:30 pm local time (2030Z) on
Saturday. It had been raining and continued to rain. I set up the antennas
in the rain and got drenched. I started setting up the station on a table,
with a large sheet of plastic over the gear and my head. I worked one
station on 222 and 432 and tried to work him on 903. I had just recently
built two new LNA's for 903 and 1296 and had them checked at the Central
States VHF conference a week earlier. I found out the 903 preamp oscillated.
I thought I had it fixed but couldn't hear the station OR the K3SIW beacon
with it. Fortunately I had taken my original GaAsFET preamp and swapped it
out (in the rain). By then the other station could not be found but at least
I could hear the K3SIW beacon with it. I retired to my car to wait for the
rain stop.


The rain quit at about 7 pm local time (00Z Sunday). I worked quite a few
people including W9SNR/R when he was in two of his grids. We worked on all
bands thru 10 GHz but 5760, where he was S9+20 but he couldn't hear me.


I slept in my car and actually had to run the heater a few times during the
night to keep warm! I never thought I'd have to do that in August.


I got up on Sunday morning and worked some more people. My only band sweep
was with K3SIW on all bands 222 through 10368 MHz. I worked W9SNR/R when he
was in another of his grids. He still couldn't hear me on 5760 even though
he was quite loud at my end.


I had to QRT at 1500Z on Sunday. Wish I could've stayed longer. There were
no spectacular long-haul tropo openings this year like there were last year,
but I did quite well all the way up to Milwaukee (240 miles) through 1296.


I had no other equipment mishaps and was happy with the way everything was
performing. All in all, a fun contest.


73, Zack W9SZ