Dutch PACC Contest
Call: PI4TUE
Operator(s): PA3FGA, PA3GFE, PA4AO, PA5MW, PC5A, PE1SAC
Station: PI4TUE
Class: Multi-Op HP
QTH:
Operating Time (hrs): 24
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs Mults
---------------------------
160: 110 46 27
80: 246 22 42
40: 322 54
20: 313 91 70
15: 241 118 60
10: 43 15 10
---------------------------
Total: 1275 292 263 Total Score = 412,121
Club:
Comments:
Station Setup:
TRX: ORION I + 400W (carefully set)
ANT: 3EL SteppIR, HF2V, 40M hor. loop, 80M hor. loop, 160M sloping vertical,
BOG for RX (all TX antennas @ ~ 200FT/61M)
The preparations started a couple of weeks before the contest by thinking about
how to improve our 40m TX and RX signal from the HF2V. Given the space on the
rooftop and the limited preparation time we decided to try a horizontal loop
(like we have been using on 80m for years with great success). The weekend
before the contest we set up the loop and concluded that the 2:1 balun was not
necessary and the antenna needed to be raised another meter to 4 meters above
the rooftop.
The Saturday of the contest we gathered at the station around 09h00 and first
started to setup the loop. We had seen in simulations that the best corner to
put the feedpoint was the south-east corner. Like many times something did not
work as planned... first the coax (RG248) of the high power balun came loose
from the connector. Soldering it didn't help much since the ferrites were too
heavy. We decided to connect the coax directly to the loop. Of course the SWR
was not as nice as the previous weekend. In the end we had to lengthen the
antenna by about 1 meter, so much for the correlation between theory and
practice.
Next project was the BOG. It was placed in the same spot as last year: about
250M away from the shack (first the coax dropped about 50M, since our shack is
located on the 13th floor). Setting up the BOG did not take too much time.
Meanwhile in the shack everything was looking ok to start at 13h00 local.
So we did start 15M working Asia. After 11 minutes HK3Q called us (we really
LOVE our SteppIR in Bi-DIR mode...!!!) Within the first hour we tried 10M since
that band was showing nice openings the days before; the only stations we heard
then were our neighbors in PA. On to 20M were the band began to open into the
US (worked K3IPK, K3ZO, K8MP between 1300Z and 1330Z. Just before 1400Z VK6AA
came hollering in over the short path. Sometime after 14Z we noticed a
tremendous increase in the noise level. This made it impossible to work most
station, only the ones above S9 made it into our log. What happened? The high
noise level would disappear over the next couple of hours for brief moments,
then return. It was there on all antenna's. It seemed as our Orion was the
culprit; switching it off and on seemed to make the noise level go down to
normal values. Then that didn't work and we found out the noise could be nulled
on the SteppIR at exactly 265deg and 110deg. Hmm.. it must be coming from
outside.. but from where. After about 1830 the noise luckily disappeared. Two
crew members happened to see how a concrete-mixer on a truck was just driving
off the University campus (there is some major construction work going on). The
high noise level did not return any more. Hmmm.. hopefully that truck will not
be there next week for the ARRLCW test.
We progressed into the evening and were surprised by VK8AV calling us on 40M,
followed by an even bigger surprise; K1ZZ called us at just before 19Z, he was
still several hours in his daylight. We continued to switch bands and work
mostly CW. On 80M a first in any of the PACC contests we took part in: HB0WR
called us. The late evening hours produced some good runs on 160m especially
from the UK. The hours from 02Z to 07Z are always slow with a very slow hour
from 05-06Z with only 24 QSO's, the slowest of the whole contest. It's funny,
but going back until 2010, that hour is always the slowest. Thanks to the BOG
we worked the some US on 160M between 03 and 04Z: N8UM and K4WMS. All this time
we were sort of competing with PA6V who was also posting their score LIVE on
cqcontest.ru website. It was now a matter of how large could we make the gap
between them (they were leading the first couple of hours when we were
suffering from the high noise levels but during the early evening hours we
caught up rather quickly). Mark-PA5MW, Rens-PA3FGA and Taco-PE1SAC were
relieved of their hard night shift around 07Z. Analysis show they had the
highest number of QSO's during the night since 2010. Ah, finally some nice runs
from Japan in the log on 15M between 07Z and 08Z, including some nice mults like
HS0, ZL3. A quick check on 10M brought in some Asian Mults, but nothing special,
no JA's nor VK's yet... We had to wait until almost 0930Z to work VK6 on 10M.
That would be the only one... still no JA. Instead 15M was doing fine towards
Asia. The final hours ticked by with nice runs on 15M, the band were we ended
the contest.
Some statistics.
6 band QSO's: PI4CC,RK4HYT,RO3G,RV4AB
CW:SSB = 81:19 %
Best hour: 18-19Z with 132 QSO's
Slowest hour: 05-06Z with 24 QSO's
Another PACC with a high fun factor but without those super runs on 15M and 10M
we expect and hope for during a solar maximum... Guess it's not going to happen
for the next couple of years either.
In any case the station is ready for our favorite contest, the ARRLCW.
... So see you next week ...
73
-- Aurelio, PC5A
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
______________________________________________
3830 mailing list
3830@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/3830
|