CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW
Call: 4X0W
Operator(s): W1UE
Station: 4Z1UF
Class: SOAB LP
QTH: DX
Operating Time (hrs): 42
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 144 7 34
80: 452 9 56
40: 1142 25 85
20: 1188 28 91
15: 1091 28 74
10: 15 10 10
------------------------------
Total: 4002 107 350 Total Score = 5,278,350
Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club
Comments:
CQWW CW this year was truly an adventure for me! First, a few details of the
4Z1UF station.
The station is located on the tenth floor of a condo in Lod, Israel. The
station consists of an FTDX5000, amp (which I never turned on), and a computer.
Software used was N1MM+ and LP Pan Adaptor. Antennas are a Delta 64 (2el on
each of 40/20/17/15/12/10m), and inverted groundplanes for 80 and 160m; rx
antenna consisted of an LZ1AQ loop which helped a lot on 80M but not much on
160M. SO2R was out, as there was only one radio. I could never get the N1MM+
CAT commands for the radio to work through the LP Bridge; rather than spend
time trying to get them to work, I decided that the Panadaptor was a more
useful than SO2V capability. So, after playing with it for a little while, I
was set to go (for the first time in a long time) as non-SO2R and non-SO2V. In
reality, this contest for me was going to be a "boy and his radio"
event.
In 4X, the contest starts at 2AM local time. The band of choice at that time,
of course if 40m to Europe. The first hour produced 126 Qs; the band was good!
I kept alternating the running band from 40 to 80 to 160M, doing nothing but
running. At 0545Z, I checked 10M, and was surprised to find it wide open to
the Far East. I worked a few stations (AH0K also moved me to 15M for a double
mult there also), but I figured, hey, it will be open in an hour, but for now I
needed to run Europe on 20M. In retrospect, it was a tactical error; I should
have worked as much as I could on 10/15M to the Far East at this time, because
10M never opened again. I figure it cost me 30 Qs and 12 mults on 10M, and I
traded it for 80Qs on 20M (Qs that I could have gotten later). 1 hour later,
when I went back to 10M, it was closed.
Back to 20M and running Europe. Pile ups were constant but never more than 3
or 4 stations deep. Other than checking 10M every hour or so for mults, I kept
with my strategy or run run run. I kept changing the run band from 20 to 15 and
back again, trying to keep the spots fresh. Feeling good, I decided to take a
sleep break from 2200-0100 to work through Israeli sunrise on the low bands
while still getting some sleep. I finished the first day with 2207Qs, 366
combined mults, and a score around 2.2Meg.
I got back on about 0045Z, and ran on 40/80/160. I checked 10M at 0545Z, but
the opening that was there Saturday morning wasn't there. I did find A44A all
alone on 10M for an easy double mult, but that was it. I spent a few minutes
working Far East/Oceania mults on 15M, but then it was right back to running
Europe on 20M. The second day I did devote more time to hunting mults, but I'd
like to think I didn't overdo it. A few final stats:
Hours with rate > 100/Hr: 17
Hours with rate > 150/Hr: 4
% Time spent running: 85%
Off Time: 6 hours, 1 of them due to 3 computer crashes
I finally crashed about 2215Z. I didn't have the hallucinations that some
others have made mention of, but I started having bouts of
"micro-sleep". I'd call CQ, someone would answer, I'd put them in
the Entry Window, then I wouldn't send the report- I'd fall asleep. When they
asked for a repeat, it may woken me up and I sent it- and it may have taken 2
or 3 requests from them. Or, I'd get the reports sent, they'd sent their
report and I would log it, and then I fell asleep and didn't send the
"TU". I tried eating, fresh air, calisthenics, stretching, and
drinking something, but nothing I did could shake the micro-sleeping episodes.
I decided my body had had enough, I had exceeded what I expected to do, and it
was time for some sleep. So I did.
I'd like to add a big note of thanks to all the many people that made this trip
and this operation possible. I would like to thank Ilya, 4Z1UF, his wife Raia,
and his children Barry and Rita, for their hospitality in hosting me for the
contest. It was an experience I won't soon forget.
Dennis 4X0W/W1UE
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