ARRL 160-Meter Contest
Call: K9AY
Operator(s): K9AY
Station: K9AY
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: WI
Operating Time (hrs): 22
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 1204 Sections = 79 Countries = 24 Total Score = 267,491
Club: Society of Midwest Contesters
Comments:
BEFORE the contest...
10 Sep -- Broke ground on a new house on our property just N of Mt. Horeb, WI.
Now I'm REALLY getting itchy to see how radio works from there.
15 Oct -- Took my L'il Chief bow-and-arrow and Shakespeare fishing reel and
installed ropes in two fairly tall trees about 100 ft. apart. Got lucky -- both
are near the tops and it only took a couple tries for each. Doesn't look like
the house will be far enough along to operate inside for awhile.
29 Oct -- Shed on the property already has power and a concrete floor, so I
start framing a simple room. Busy schedule keeps me from getting done for SS.
19-20 Nov -- Finish a 6 x 9 room with 1-1/2" EPS foam insulation. XYL declares
it to be a real "shack." My contractor, who already wonders about me, is a bit
puzzled. I briefly describe ham radio contesting. He seems to understand --
says he knows a couple triathletes.
26 Nov -- Inverted-L goes up easily, about 50 ft. up and 85 ft. over -- far end
is more than 60 ft. up. Only install 1/3 of the radials, since I know the phone
company is going to trench through the area next week.
29 Nov -- 3 days to go. The phone company hasn't been there and I have no RX
antennas yet. In the dark (5 to 8 p.m.) I put in posts for Beverages to the NE
and NW. It's snowing lightly, too. And it's 15 deg. F, but I'm not cold with
all this exercise and the right cold weather gear.
30 Nov -- Haven't even turned on the radios since February, so I set everything
up this evening at home to make sure it all works. Make a couple minor repairs
-- like a new power supply for the ham station computer.
1 Dec -- Contest is tomorrow -- The phone company finally trenched in the cable
today, so I finish installing the radials (total 22 x 100+ ft. long). Run the
wires for the NE (850 ft.) and NW (450 ft.) Beverages. Get some posts in for E
and SE Beverages, but can't finish them because they will be in the way on the
job site. It's dark and 14 deg. F at 10 p.m. when I finish. And it's still
snowing a bit.
2 Dec -- Contest day -- Finally get free and out to the site at 2030Z knowing it
will be a late start. Unload, set up the station, run coax to the Inv-L. Finish
adjusting the TX matching at about 2155Z, but still don't have RX antennas
hooked up. The contest starts while I'm running coax to the NW and NE
Beverages. I already decided to finish everything before operating, so I go to
work on the E, SE, and WSW short Beverages (about 330 ft. each). Everything is
finally done at 0030 -- I work the stations in the DX window for the "first RF"
from the site: 6Y0A, P40TA, PQ7Q, ON4UN, SN7Q and OK1RF. That was easy, so now
I'm stoked! I'm also dog tired and hungry, so I run into town to eat and relax
a few minutes. At 0130, my contesting begins in earnest.
Everything actually worked! My 'shack' got up to a sweltering 75 deg. F with
the amp running and nothing broke. No RF problems, either, which is lucky for
such a crude lash-up.
73, Gary
K9AY
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