[WWYC] WAE story from OZ1AA

Wed, 15 Aug 2001 20:24:20 +0200

+- WAE CW CONTEST -+

CALL: OZ1AA
Station: OZ7YY

Band   QSOs QTCs Multipliers
80m:    37    0     40
40m:    85   20     39
20m:   246   57     36
15m:   250   20     36
10m:    12    0     14
----------------------------
Total: 630   97    165

(Writelog says 119.955 points but the score doesn't count as I didn't follow
the 10 min
rule. Below I have explained why...)

Equipment
Rig 1: Icom IC-781
Rig 2: Icom IC-735
Amp: Collins 30S-1
Antennas:
160: GP
80: GP
40: 2 el @ 32 m
20: 4 el @ 30 m
15/10: 3 el duobander @ 15 m
Also 12 AVQ vertical for 10,15,20

On Wednesday before the contest I recieved an email from OZ7YY that I (as
usual) was welcome at the QTH but he wouldn't be home before saturday
evening. I would not be able to start with the contest before saturday noon
anyway. As I have operated from OZ7YY quite some times I am familiar
with the station, so no problem. The goal for the contest was to try SO2R,
learn something about the QTC concept and give out the OZ multiplier if
someone needed. I had hoped to get the W5XD keyer ready for the 2 radio
setup but unfortunately I still need some parts so I really didn't knew how
I was going fix swiching.

At 1200Z on saturday I arrived at the OZ7YY QTH. I put my own IC-735 just to
the right of Finn's IC-781 and started connecting the keyer interfaces for
both radios. I found a free piece of coax and then the second radio even had
an antenna connected (12 AVQ vertical). This was going to be fun. I turned
on the computer and the old Collins 30S-1 amplifier but when I was going to
send the first CQ on 15 with the IC-781, the radio just kept sending dit's!
I unplugged the computer interface and the keyer, but the radio wouldn't
stop transmitting dit's - something was wrong with the internal keyer. Major
problem - I had broken Finn's radio already before I had made the first
QSO!!

A decision had to be made. Finn wouldn't be home before late in the evening,
but anyway, I was at a nice location and a contest was going on, so I
decided just to start using my IC-735 with 100 watts.

Time was 1255Z when I started S&P-ing on 15. First QSO was N2NC, no problem
to work him and he was already at QSO number 758 so condx had to be good! At
1258 and QSO number 4 I worked K3NM with WWYC (World Wide Young Contesters)
member LU9AY behind the key. Then at 1301 and QSO number 6 I worked another
WWYC'er Chris KL9A with an unbelieveable signal, but afterall he was running
something like 4/4/4/4 to EU. Chris was at number 718 so I felt a little
behind :) Cool to work two WWYC'ers in the first six minutes!

I decided not to ask enyone about QTC's as I thought the serious guys
needed them much more than I did (this could also be read as an excuse for
my limited CW copy skills, hi hi). Anyway, from time to time somebody asked
me if I wanted QTC's and then I just took them... The next hours I
jumped around between 15 and 20 and called all the DX i heard. Also tried to
call CQ a few times and I was able to have a slow run going on 15. At 1730 I
saw a USA packet spot for OH1F on 10, and decided that if Timo could work
USA on 10, I could too! So, I QSY'ed to 28017, called CQ a couple of times
and sure enough K5KG answered, weak but copyable. A minute after I saw K5KG
spotted me so I prepared for a US pile up, but only N2NC found me two
minutes later. Kept calling for 10 minutes but I guess I just forgot for a
few moments that I was only running 100 watts to a 3 elm duebander :) KC1XX
and some UA9 stations had tried to move me to ten earlier, but I couln't
copy anything at that time :(

Around 2100Z Finn arrived at his home station, and I told him about the
IC-781 problem. This radio had not had a single problem since it was bought
so I felt a little bad. Anyway, Finn wanted to fix the radio for me
immediately so I could continue the contest with two radios and real power.
He returned with the radio 1 hour later excusing it took so long time, but
now the radio was 100% ok - what a host!

At 2230 I started calling CQ on 20 with the IC-781 and 1 KW and soon I got
a nice run going. I was at 250 Q's at this point. At the same time I tuned
around with the 2nd radio for the first time ever. With the CW monitor
tone on the run radio set as low as possible it worked quite well - even
with no headphones but only the audio from the loudspeakers! I found
C4A on 80 for a new mult, so when he was ready I stopped the CQ on 20 and
signed my call. C4A came right back and I quickly send the exchange, he said
TU, and I was back CQing on 20. Wow, My first SO2R QSO ever! I just
continued to search with the IC-735 and soon found some new USA stations to
work on 40. Then I decided that I didn't want to play by the 10 minute rule
as I found it much more important to get some SO2R practise. Anyway, I had
no chance of putting up a good score as I was not collecting QTC's. It was
so much fun being able to call CQ on 20 and work all the new US stations on
40.

As I got more and more tired during the night I became less focused on the
2nd radio and at a time I simply just called CQ because I felt I worked
everything on the 2nd radio (if I had searched carefully I would probably
have found some of the weaker stations...) but I was getting rather tired at
this time. Had some very nice PY and LU QSO's on 80 and also quite some US
stations called me. I always feel loud on 80 from OZ7YY. At 0429 and QSO
number 516 I found WWYC'er Dan N6MJ with the 2nd radio running on 20 with a
very nice signal - I was very surprised when I learned he was only running
100 W (with 5 el. mono, but still nice signal for W6 and 100 W!). During the
morning I worked a lot of JA stations on 15 and I was especially happy to
work some 001's and 002's. The rate wasn't great but still I was surprised
of the JA activity, thanks! The last QSO was RK9CWW on 10 at 0939. I
stopped early because I felt I had reached my goals for the contest (trying
SO2R, learning that QTC's are hard, give out OZ). I didn't want to push
myself to continue when I was not serious in the contest - that will have
to wait for the CQWW contests :)

I think this is a unique and fun contest and I certainly hope I can do it
seriously next year (with a bit of CW training I might even start asking for
QTC's :-)

Hmm, this somehow got quite long! Next contest will be SAC
(Scandinavian Activity Contest) on September 15-16. Hope some of you will
turn on the radio this weekend and work some Scandinavian stations!

Vy 73 de OZ1AA, Thomas

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