Stew Perry Topband Challenge
Call: OT6M
Operator(s): ON9CC PC5A
Station: OT6M
Class: Multi-Op HP
QTH: Voeren (JO20ws)
Operating Time (hrs): 11:33
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 276 Total Score = 861
Club: White Horse Contesters
Comments:
We used the Stew Perry to check out the RX antennas as well as the 160m vertical
that was raised in the past days/weeks. Except for the caribean beverage that
was not workin at all ('cause I forgot to connect it to the coax ... duh ...)
and an rare intermittend high SWR on the vertical (unsure why ... further
investigation needed), everything worked as expected.
Due to the 14 hour limitation, our strategy was to listen if we could hear any
DX (ODX) from the east. So I searched the band and listened for the very weak
signals (only then you remember how difficult that is without a DX-cluster or
RBN!). Not easy in the lower part of the band due to the many fishing buoys
signals who are strongest on the 35° and 60° beverages. The only DX station I
could hear was HS0ZIA in Thailand whom I tried to work for quite a while, but
wasn't able. I also heared many others calling him but also weren't able to
work him. Guess he had a lot of QRM/QRN on his side ...
I started about half an hour before Aurelio, PC5A got here. In between the CQ's
we scanned the band for any other DX but heard nothing, nor returned any far
East station our CQ. Hence no other DX from the east was heared (JA, HL, VK, ZL
etc...)
Then we heard P4/DL6RAI (the only station from the caribean BTW)... we tried to
work him but also weren't able to work him. Some story as the HS0 ... :(
Perhaps due to missing the OM-Power 3k5 table-top dB's? Don't know but will not
pursuit that path anyway.
The first North American station in the log was K1LZ. Krassy was worked at
22:52 followed by VE1ZJ as the first Canadian at 23:01. Unfortunately we didn't
hear our good friend Steve NR4M.
Overall we found the conditions were bad ... even North American stations were
generally weak, except for (strangely enough) K4AB in Alabama, (EM64 = ODX 7298
km) who had one of the strongest signals when I was operating (S7 on the
300m/1000ft 315° beverage). We worked only 276 stations in 35 countries.
Resumé we can say that this Stew Perry felt much like a VHF contest: low
rates, QTH locators and many DL and OK stations. However, we had fun again and
that is what we're doing it for :) We now know that the beverages are working
and we're prepared for the CQ160CW. Just hope that the weather stays this way
until the end of February so I can use the beverages and vertical in the
CQ160SSB (the farmer who owns the land lets me use it during winter time).
As usual we have recorded all QSO so drop me a note if you want me to e-mail
you a copy (MP3).
73
Frank ON9CC
Aurelio PC5A
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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