ARRL 160-Meter Contest
Call: K3KU
Operator(s): K3KU
Station: K3KU
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: MDC
Operating Time (hrs): 12
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 553 Sections = 59 Countries = 6 Total Score = 72,000
Club: Potomac Valley Radio Club
Comments:
Operated Saturday night 2345Z to 1230Z with a few short breaks. 100W and a
200-ft dipole with tuned feeders (no way to feed it against ground as a T).
TS-850SAT. 486 computer with CT-DOS. Computer usually works fine, but this
time it would not boot properly, and I spent 15 minutes calmly making it go.
During those 15 minutes I even considered if I could operate this 'Test with
paper logs and dupe sheet. Had some other minor hardware (paddle) and software
problems during the night, but did not lose any significant time.
I was happy not to find the intermittent local QRM (buzzing) that gave me
trouble on low bands in NAQP and SS. Even so, condx clearly not as good as
last year for me. "Only" 100 QSOs in the first 60 minutes (it even
felt slow sometimes); 92 more in the next 85 minutes. With about one more hour
operating time than last year, QSOs down 44 (7%); Sections down 9 (13%);
countries up 4; score down about 14K (17%).
Some PVRCers with real antennas have reported lots of EU Saturday night, but I
worked only two, (9A at 03Z and EI at 08Z!). Struggled to make western QSOs,
especially southwest. Heard only one Texan (South), and he was struggling to
make QSOs around 08Z. In California, worked only SV (2) and LAX; heard some
others, but could do no better than a few "??" or "3?" or
CQ in my face. Heard VE7 early -- even heard a VE7 and Montana QSO early --
and chased BC all night long, but no luck.
Having missed Oklahoma in SS SSB, I was elated to find K5YAA early, but could
not get through. Got a different one later.
CQing did bring some nice mults -- Oklahoma, SV, ND, WCF (late! but then
another on the next QSO), SFL (late!). Even the rare ones can get desperate
for QSOs after the first night and a half.
Of course, tons and tons of upper W4 through MN, W8, W9, W3, W4, W2, W1, and
Ontario eastward.
Sunday morning the noise rose along with the sun, and by 1230Z could hear only
the loud easterners. No hope for any last-minute western mults, so QRT.
Overall, lots of fun. It'd be more fun if I had some receive antennas and if I
knew how to operate this band. But I don not think I'd want to do it fore more
than the one night.
73, Art
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
______________________________________________
3830 mailing list
3830@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/3830
|