CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW - 2023
Call: C37N
Operator(s): K1CC K1EP NI1L W4WF
Station: C37N
Class: M/2 HP
QTH: Andorra
Operating Time (hrs): 48
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 342 11 50
80: 1294 20 86
40: 1909 30 109
20: 2081 36 121
15: 2229 37 125
10: 1351 29 105
------------------------------
Total: 9206 163 596 Total Score = 13,547,391
Club: YCCC, FRC
Comments:
This started as a very casual low-key effort to put Andorra on the air for the
CQWW CW contest. The station is the URA club station located near the Spanish
border in the Pyrenees, about a 3-4 hour drive from Barcelona. Joan C31US gave
us access to the station and offered us incredible hospitality during our short
visit. The C37N contest call is frequently on the air for SSB contests but
rarely on CW.
Since the station is quite modest by contest standards, we decided to bring our
own radios, a K3S and K4. We chose to operate M/2 to maximize operating time for
the team, which consisted of Chris W4WF, Rich K1CC, Ed K1EP and Les NI1L. There
were 2 Acom 1010 amplifiers on-site available to us, but even with just 700W, it
raised the question of possible interstation interference between the 2
tribanders and with the other antennas, all of which are closely crammed on the
small space of the club station. We brought a set of high power VA6AM filters
and triplexers with us and automated the station for easy band changing and
operator convenience.
On Friday we put up a 3-radial 160 inverted-L and ran the wire across the street
to the trees on the opposite side of the street. It allowed us to work beyond
Europe and North Africa, which was the case with the lossy trap vertical on 160
they had been using. Although the site offers spectacular scenery of the
surrounding mountains, it presents a severe handicap to the south – the
antennas beam directly into the mountain! The terrain is flat in the other
directions for several kilometers and then rises into imposing mountains,
blocking anything less than 25-30 degrees to the rest of the world, except to
the US which has the best shot.
Our operating plan was to maximize the fun of operating from Europe, the first
time in a contest for all but one of us. At the start of the contest, despite
some technical difficulties which we mostly overcame, we soon realized that
working multipliers presented severe challenges because of our low power, the
small antennas and the imposing terrain surrounding us. We focused on rate
instead, hoping that our call would generate sufficient interest to at least
have some of the multipliers call us. This only works to a certain extent, as we
know.
Our operating team dwindled to 3 people, as one operator got sick during the
contest and did not operate more than 6 hours in total. Nevertheless, we gave
it our best effort and met our objectives -– lots of seat time, the joy of
being a multiplier and a new contest experience.
We would like to thank Joan C31US for his wonderful hospitality, showing us
around the small, beautiful country of Andorra and inviting us to the URA annual
Christmas dinner on Thursday where we met a roomful of other Andorran hams. We
also extend our thanks to Gerardo EA3HCJ for spending the weekend with us and
helping out, Allan EA3HSO for loan of his K3S and for giving us a taste of
Catalan food and to Doug EA3DZ for showing us around Barcelona.
Station and antennas:
K3S and K4
2x Acom 1010
VA6AM filters and triplexers
N1MM Logger
160 - Inv-L with 3 radials on 15m tower
80 - Quarter sloper
40 – Dipole at 17m
20/15/10 – OB9 tribander @ 15m, Nagara tribander @ 21m
--- Rich K1CC
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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