North American QSO Party, SSB
Call: VE7FO
Operator(s): VE7FO
Station: VE7FO
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: BC
Operating Time (hrs): 10
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
160:
80: 22 14
40: 13 10
20: 198 49
15: 190 44
10: 135 32
-------------------
Total: 558 149 Total Score = 83,142
Club: British Columbia DX Club
Team:
Comments:
Well, buoyed up by my success in the cw version, I thought I would go all out
for this one. i.e. spend some time figuring out how to do better instead of the
usual dive in and do whatever seems appropriate at the time.
THE STRATEGY:
1. GET MORE MULTS
In the cw I was reasonably happy with my 45, 47 and 47 mults on 10, 15 and 20.
However, 35 on 40 wasn't very good and 9 on 80 sucked.
Figured I could get more high band mults if at 1800Z I tried to work a bunch of
Eu. Checked the Equivalent Sun Spot Number and plugged it into DX Atlas. Set
the time to 1800, Jan 18, and looked at MUF contours. Hmm... Predicted MUFs
suggest should be able to work south western Eu on 20, maybe 15, but not 10.
However, don't yet know how to take absorption into account, let alone K values,
other than that they are both going to make things worse. So, the beginnings of
a plan, start on 15, point the beam at Eu and, if no Eu drop down to 20 and work
them there. More comments on this strategy later.
I attributed my poor mult showing on 40 and 80 to going straight through for the
ten hours and running out of time before 40 and 80 were at their best. Looking
at the cw log I decided that I should take some time out around 0200Z. Now I've
got both the beginning and the end of a plan. Just need to fill in the middle 7
hours.
I have very rarely asked mults to move to other bands and generally haven't
moved when others requested, especially when running. This time I'm going to
try doing that and also be more accomodating.
2. GET MORE Qs.
What the heck, I can talk way faster than I can send cw that others can read so
this should take care of itself.
Well, this has to be a winner of a strategy - get more mults AND more Qs. I bet
no one has figured this out before! Man, I'm going to clean up here. Now, if
only I had SO2R. Well, I do have something I call SO1.5R. I have devised a
method of programming TRLog function keys to simulate SO2R using the 2 VFOs of
my MkV. It involves running on VFO B while searching for unworked stations on
VFO A. When I find one on A, the press of a function key puts me on his
frequency so I can call and work him. Another function key press puts me back
on the run frequency. The audio also gets switched appropriately. I have had
this system working for some time now. The obvious difficulty is that I can't
hear on VFO A while calling CQ on B. This makes the S&P rather slow and
discouraging - so much so that I have resisted using it in other contests and,
when I have tried it, I had a lot of trouble getting the calls of those
responding to my CQ because of the two different audio streams into the one head
and I often had to ask for a fill. This time I vowed that I would persevere
with SO1.5R and not give up on it.
THE PLAN:
This is based on the foregoing plus taking advantage of some quirks of the MkV.
While it seems to be generally thought that the MkV can't hear on bands other
than that to which the A VFO is set, it isn't true. If A is on 15, B can hear
on 10 and 20. If A is on 10, B can hear on 15. Otherwise B can only hear on
band to which A is set. There are some strange non-contest bands scattered in
between but I don't know much about them, let alone what the MkV does with them.
I wonder what their purpose could be?
1800Z Work Eu mults on 15 if there are any. Otherwise, work them on 20.
1900Z Move to 10 and run. Use SO1.5R to S&P on 10 and then 15. Keep running
until 10 minute rate < 80.
When rate drops below threshold move to 15 and run. Use SO1.5R to S&P on 15,
then on 20, then on 10. Keep running until 10 minute rate < 80.
When rate drops below threshold move to 20 and run. Use SO1.5R to S&P on 20.
If rate not satisfactory, try 10 and 15 some more.
0000Z Probably should be on 20 now. My best hour in the cw straddled 0100Z on
20. Run & SO1.5R until rate < 80 and QRT to save time for 40 and 80.
????Z Pick a start time to have 10 hours overall.
S&P 40 and 80 for mults
Run 40 for half the remaining time while using SO1.5R
Run 80 for half the remaining time while using SO1.5R
Check 160 often.
THE ACTUAL:
1730Z Listened on 15 briefly. K=3 no Eu. Listened on 20. A couple of Eu in
QSO but I'm obviously not going to get a bunch of mults from there.
1800Z Start on 20 S&P. Move to other bands a few times at others' requests.
Really slow.
1837Z 12 Qs, 10 mults. Move to 15. Run into VE7UQ. We decide to run the
bands. K0OU, knowing a good thing when he hears it, follows. So, we work each
other on 10, 20, 40 and 80. No 160 as UQ has no antenna and I use an 80 dipole
for 160. We lost K0OU when we moved to 40. Back to 15 S&P.
1932Z 59 Qs, 40 mults. Okay, time to get serious about SO1.5R. Start running
on 15 while using SO1.5R to start an S&P sweep from bottom of band. Hmm... not
sure about this as my run exchanges aren't as crisp as I'm used to doing.
Still, I'm committed so persevere. At 2111Z OH5NQ calls me. Turns out he wants
me to phone VE7SV or VE7AHA to get them on the air. It seems that they stayed
with him when they were operating in the WRTC. Sure glad they don't operate in
the NAQP. There is a local "in" joke where they are referred to as "The
Milkshake Boys" which seems to belie many of the stories out of WRTC which refer
to the high test ethanol which apparently fueled a number of the competitors, to
say nothing of the saunas. Hmm... how come my log doesn't show him as a mult?
Have to get on the appropriate reflector and complain about this. Couldn't get
hold of them so back to the contest.
2115Z 161 Qs, 54 mults including first-and-a-half radio contribution of 14 Qs
and 3 mults. Ten minute rate has dropped below 80. Actually, not sure it ever
got above 80 for any appreciable length of time. Anyway, decided to S&P for a
while as I thought I should be able to get a few more mults before moving to
10.
2148Z 175 Qs, 56 mults, including the rare NY! Start S&P on 10.
2201Z 185 Qs, 63 mults. Remember I'm supposed to be hitting SO1.5R as hard as
I can so start running.
2329Z 304 Qs, 82 mults including SO1.5R contribution of 2 Qs and 1 mult.
Getting more used to dealing with different audio streams in each ear and not
fumbling quite as much when answering CQ respondents. But, 10 is dying earlier
than I expected and only have 32 10m mults. 13 fewer than in CW. Average rate
for period of 81/hr. Should have moved to 10 sooner. Too late now to do
anything about mults so switch to 15.
0006Z 337 Qs, 85 mults including 1 SO1.5R Q but no mults. Average rate of
53/hr. 15 is dying, switch to 20.
0246Z 528 Qs, 127 mults including 12 SO1.5R Qs but no mults. Started off with
about 20 min of S&P for mults then ran the rest of the time. Average rate for
period of 69/hr. Rate and mult production dropping off and need to save some
time for 40 and 80 in accordance with the plan so QRT and go eat supper.
0433Z 528 Qs, 85 mults. Start on 40. Tried running but no responses so all
S&P. Very tough, especially with S7-9 noise level. Listened on 160 from time
to time but heard nothing on my 80 dipole. Felt like I had got to 40 too late.
Average rate for period of 24/hr. Talked to everyone who could hear me.
Switched to 80.
0503Z 540 Qs, 95 mults. All S&P here also. Same noise level. Still hearing
nothing on 160. Average rate for period of 31/hr.
0543Z 561 Qs, 149 mults. Out of time.
GENERAL COMMENTS:
Strategy didn't quite work out. Fewer Qs and fewer mults = worse score.
Reminds me of the stock market.
Stayed on 20 too long, leaving too little time for 40 and 80.
Checked to see why OH5 didn't get scored as a mult. Read the rules. "You
idiot, it's the NA QSO Party. Only NA stations are mults. Read the rules next
time!" Oh well, not as bad as CW test when my not reading the rules turned my
efforts into a check log.
As always, worked that RO guy in Ca a number of times. Kind of puzzling,
though. In the CW test it's N6RO, Ken, while in the SSB it's K6RO, Larry.
Could this be the same guy and he changes his call and name depending on the
mode? If so, I can hardly wait to see who he's going to be in the NAQP RTTY!
SO1.5R Will I do it again? You bet I will. Produced total of 29 Qs and 4
mults. 2 of those mults I wouldn't have got if I hadn't done SO1.5R. This
translates into approx 5400 points I wouldn't have got. I wasn't able to follow
the plan of sweeping the band with SO1.5R that I'm running on and then sweeping
other bands as SO1.5R is so slow due to not hearing while transmitting. I did
find that I got better at listening on 2 different frequencies at the same time
and found myself wishing I could hear while transmitting. After a while I was
able to still pay attention to SO1.5R even when the short term run rate was
66/hr. So yes, I'm happy with it. Would be happier with real SO2R.
If you are curious as to how VE7SV and VE7AHA earned the "Milkshake Boys"
sobriquet you should come to the PNW DX Convention where all will be revealed,
or, at least, that much which is in good taste, if such terms can be usefully
applied here.
Speaking of which, the Pacific Northwest DX Convention 2003 July 18,19 and 20 is
being held in Vancouver. Keynote speaker is a world renowned Dxer as well as
being a member of both DX Hall of Fame and Contest Hall of Fame. How many of
these could there be? Check out the PNW DX Convention page at
http:\\www.bcdxc.org and find out. While you're there, you might as well
register.
73 and thanks for the Qs and the patience on 40 and 80 while you tried to figure
out if that really was a signal calling you.
Jim, VE7FO
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