ARRL 160-Meter Contest - 2023
Call: W2GD
Operator(s): K2TW KE2D KU2C N2HM N2NC W2GD W2NO W2RQ
Station: W2GD
Class: M/S HP
QTH: SNJ
Operating Time (hrs): 28
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 1121 Sections = 78 Countries = 31 Total Score = 259,420
Club: Frankford Radio Club
Comments:
STATION DESCRIPTION
Elecraft K3 x 3
OM2000HF 1000 watts
Win-Test Logging Software v. 4.49
TX Antenna: 3 element vertical beam @ 240' NE, West and Omni direction options
Beverage antennas NE, E, N/S, SW, W, NW
HI-Z Four Vertical System for Diversity
Transmit antenna is attached to a 300' FM broadcast tower surrounded by tidal
salt marsh for 200 meters or more in all directions.
COMMENTS:
Top band is always full of surprises. Just a week ago many of us were enjoying
widespread international communications on 160 during the CQWW CW. Not this
weekend.
Be especially weary when solar activity stories become major news in the
mainstream media. It was widely reported the sun released three CME's earlier
this week and they were headed toward earth. Enhanced conditions which
frequently occur prior to the hammer coming down were evident mid-week. The SFI
shot up and then so did the A and K numbers. The poor propagation predictions
unfortunately became reality.
It is still hard to accept that after last year's ARRL 160 dismal conditions,
they could be even worse ... but that's what we all endured this weekend.
One of our team's primary measures of success has always been the number of EU
stations logged. This weekend we worked just 48 stations in Europe - the lowest
number in any 160 contest since we moved the station from Sandy Hook to this QTH
on Barnegat Bay following the 911 attacks in 2001. Last year we worked just 70
EU and thought we'd reached the ultimate rock bottom. In the 2021 the total was
314 EU ... the current trend is rather disturbing.
Likewise all score computation components - QSOs, Sections and Countries, were
the lowest in 22 years. The final score reflects a shortfall of roughly 30
percent year over year.
The best run (if you can call it that) of five pointers occurred during the
first two hours of the contest. And the second night we logged just four more
EU stations (IT9EQO, F6AGM, G3PQA and OZ5W)... all requiring extraordinary
effort on both ends. The band shutdown was virtually complete - near total
absorption. Without diversity reception (Bev + HI-Z) we'd never have made these
QSOs. A loud shout out to K3LR and DXE for their help restoring our previously
dysfunctional Hi-Z Four to perfect performance in the off-season.
Conditions toward our west were marginally better but still challenging.
Working the western US sections was all too often difficult and at times
exceptionally frustrating - we'd see the cluster spots, hear other stations
working them, but there was no copy at all. Sections missed and not heard: SB
SDG EWA WY AK VE5 TER
This year's 160 meter Contest Season journey began just after CQWW PH with a
work party a month ago. Every year we take down the TX array hung from the 300
foot broadcast tower to preclude possible damage during hurricane season. We
also pull in the RX antenna cables and transformers. In about six hours the
team deployed all of the RX antenna feed line cabling and re-installed the the
three element TX vertical beam array.
Walking beverages and making repairs had to wait until this weekend. It was a
pleasant change to find there had been little damage to the beverages caused by
fallen trees. But walking back and forth over 8,000 feet of beverage elements
through thick woods and fresh water wetlands takes a physical toll with age.
The weather generally cooperated - only light rain late in the day during setup,
relatively warm, and no wind. Tide levels in the salt marsh surrounding the 300
foot tower were low. During the contest we had rain both Friday and Saturday
nights but the winds remained dead calm. Unfortunately the overnight rain
brought elevated power grid noise on the North/South and Southwest beverages.
But as storms go it was a non-event.
Traditionally the ARRL 160 weekend is our opportunity to fix whatever station
weaknesses are lurking here at "180 Murphy Drive" - since none of us
live nearby there is no opportunity to make incremental station improvements
throughout the year. Our objective is to have everything functioning 100
percent for the TBDC later this month and CQ160 CW in January.
We had one 'exciting' station failure at exactly 0540 UTC the first night, just
as conditions both toward EU and west were peaking. The event took us off the
air for 2 hours and 17 minutes of prime time. A flash, the SWR went off the
scale, the logging program was keying transmitters while unattended and were
unresponsive, flashing Blue computer screens, and even an RF burn or two. Dead
stop - total shutdown. What happened? We initially expected to find the TX
antenna on the ground. Reluctantly a team formed to venture out to the tower in
the dark to make an inspection. We could see very little in the mist in the
muddy marsh, but antenna analyzer readings taken at the base of the tower
confirmed the antennas were undamaged. Feed line failure? We trudge the 600
feet through the mud back to the building. Inspection of coax jumpers coming
off the 7/8 hardlines that terminate in the building crawl space (not visited in
the last 11 years since we made repairs following Hurricane Sandy) revealed a
bad coax connector ... we replaced the jumper to the shack. It seemed we now had
working antennas and feed lines again but the amplifier 'faults' continued so we
decided to swap amplifiers. In the process we discovered the connector on the
amplifier output was several turns loose! This turned out to be the root cause
of our mega failure two hours earlier.
The timing was unfortunate. From all accounts, during the period we were forced
off the air we missed opportunities to work EWA, VE5, and several more EU
countries.
The team enjoyed a fast start at the bell. But as mentioned earlier, we use this
the ARRL 160 to find station flaws and out of the gate we had very few - the SW
beverage being deaf was the most serious.
After a first hour of 232, then a second hour of 131, our peak rates ... it was
all down hill afterwards. Typically we enjoy several subsequent hours over 100
at this location under normal conditions - but this was far from a normal year.
Activity was noticeably down but that could well have been more casual operators
recognizing the propagation limitations.
We had the scoreboard interface working all weekend and enjoyed following the
individual and team horse races as they developed. Hope more ops decide to post
on the scoreboard during future 160 events this winter.
As always we enjoyed the special team camaraderie ... one of the reasons we've
been doing this together as a team for over three decades.
A big thank you once again to the owners of WYRS-FM for continuing to invite us
to this fabulous radio location. Saltwater remains King.
Now on to the Stew Perry TBDC in two weeks. CU on the radio.
73,
John, W2GD
For the 160 CW TEAM
Cabrillo Statistics (Version 10g) by K5KA & N6TV
CONTEST: ARRL-160
CALLSIGN: W2GD SNJ FM29
CATEGORY-OPERATOR: MULTI-OP
CATEGORY-TRANSMITTER: ONE
OPERATORS: K2TW KE2D KU2C N2HM N2NC W2GD W2NO W2RQ
Thanks to K8IA for providing this report.
-------------- Q S O R a t e S u m m a r y ---------------------
Hour 160 80 40 20 15 10 Rate Total Pct
--------------------------------------------------------------------
2200 232 0 0 0 0 0 232 232 20.7
2300 131 0 0 0 0 0 131 363 32.4
0000 97 0 0 0 0 0 97 460 41.0
0100 75 0 0 0 0 0 75 535 47.7
0200 65 0 0 0 0 0 65 600 53.5
0300 61 0 0 0 0 0 61 661 59.0
0400 42 0 0 0 0 0 42 703 62.7
0500 23 0 0 0 0 0 23 726 64.8
0600 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 726 64.8
0700 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 728 64.9
0800 15 0 0 0 0 0 15 743 66.3
0900 20 0 0 0 0 0 20 763 68.1
1000 16 0 0 0 0 0 16 779 69.5
1100 20 0 0 0 0 0 20 799 71.3
1200 14 0 0 0 0 0 14 813 72.5
1300 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 813 72.5
1400 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 813 72.5
1500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 813 72.5
1600 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 813 72.5
1700 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 813 72.5
1800 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 813 72.5
1900 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 816 72.8
2000 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 825 73.6
2100 22 0 0 0 0 0 22 847 75.6
2200 22 0 0 0 0 0 22 869 77.5
2300 27 0 0 0 0 0 27 896 79.9
0000 32 0 0 0 0 0 32 928 82.8
0100 32 0 0 0 0 0 32 960 85.6
0200 40 0 0 0 0 0 40 1000 89.2
0300 41 0 0 0 0 0 41 1041 92.9
0400 21 0 0 0 0 0 21 1062 94.7
0500 20 0 0 0 0 0 20 1082 96.5
0600 10 0 0 0 0 0 10 1092 97.4
0700 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 1095 97.7
0800 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1097 97.9
0900 8 0 0 0 0 0 8 1105 98.6
1000 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 1112 99.2
1100 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 1116 99.6
1200 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 1121 100.0
------------------------------------------------------
Total 1121 0 0 0 0 0 1121
Gross QSOs=1167 Dupes=46 Net QSOs=1121
Unique callsigns worked = 1121
The best 60 minute rate was 235/hour from 2201 to 2300
The best 30 minute rate was 276/hour from 2201 to 2230
The best 10 minute rate was 336/hour from 2201 to 2210
----------------- C o n t i n e n t S u m m a r y -----------------
160 80 40 20 15 10 Total Pct
---------------------------------------------------------------------
North America 1085 0 0 0 0 0 1085 96.8
South America 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.5
Europe 28 0 0 0 0 0 28 2.5
Asia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Africa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Oceania 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
--------------------------------------------------------------
Total 1121 0 0 0 0 0 1121
------------------ C o u n t r y S u m m a r y ------------------
Country 160 80 40 20 15 10 Total Pct
-------------------------------------------------------------------
8P 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
9Y 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
CM 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
CT 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
DL 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.4
EA 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
F 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.6
FM 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
FY 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
G 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.3
HA 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
HB 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
HI 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
HR 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
*IT9 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
K 997 0 0 0 0 0 997 88.9
KG4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
KH6 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
KP2 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
KP4 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.3
LY 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
LZ 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
OK 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
ON 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
OZ 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
P4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
PJ2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
PJ4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
TI 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
V2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
V3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
VE 70 0 0 0 0 0 70 6.2
XE 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
YL 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
YV 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
ZF 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
FS 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 1121 0 0 0 0 0 1121
------------ M u l t i p l i e r S u m m a r y ------------
Mult 160 80 40 20 15 10 Total Pct
-------------------------------------------------------------
OH 74 0 0 0 0 0 74 6.6
VA 68 0 0 0 0 0 68 6.1
EPA 51 0 0 0 0 0 51 4.5
IL 50 0 0 0 0 0 50 4.5
MI 46 0 0 0 0 0 46 4.1
MDC 45 0 0 0 0 0 45 4.0
--- 45 0 0 0 0 0 45 4.0
NC 38 0 0 0 0 0 38 3.4
WNY 34 0 0 0 0 0 34 3.0
TN 32 0 0 0 0 0 32 2.9
WI 32 0 0 0 0 0 32 2.9
EMA 30 0 0 0 0 0 30 2.7
MN 30 0 0 0 0 0 30 2.7
NNJ 24 0 0 0 0 0 24 2.1
NH 24 0 0 0 0 0 24 2.1
CT 22 0 0 0 0 0 22 2.0
ME 22 0 0 0 0 0 22 2.0
WMA 22 0 0 0 0 0 22 2.0
IN 22 0 0 0 0 0 22 2.0
ONS 20 0 0 0 0 0 20 1.8
WPA 20 0 0 0 0 0 20 1.8
GH 18 0 0 0 0 0 18 1.6
NFL 18 0 0 0 0 0 18 1.6
SC 18 0 0 0 0 0 18 1.6
ENY 18 0 0 0 0 0 18 1.6
SNJ 17 0 0 0 0 0 17 1.5
GA 16 0 0 0 0 0 16 1.4
MO 16 0 0 0 0 0 16 1.4
KY 15 0 0 0 0 0 15 1.3
WCF 13 0 0 0 0 0 13 1.2
NTX 13 0 0 0 0 0 13 1.2
AL 12 0 0 0 0 0 12 1.1
STX 12 0 0 0 0 0 12 1.1
AZ 11 0 0 0 0 0 11 1.0
IA 10 0 0 0 0 0 10 0.9
VT 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0.8
RI 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0.8
NLI 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0.8
SFL 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0.8
CO 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0.8
ONE 8 0 0 0 0 0 8 0.7
KS 8 0 0 0 0 0 8 0.7
QC 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.6
OK 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.6
AR 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.6
NNY 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.5
DE 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.5
MS 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.5
NS 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.4
LA 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.4
WV 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.4
NE 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.4
OR 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.4
ONN 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.3
UT 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.3
MT 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.3
AB 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.3
PR 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
VI 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
ND 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
SF 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
NB 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
NV 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.2
HR 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
PE 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
SD 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
ORG 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
PAC 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
EB 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
SV 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
ID 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
WWA 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
BC 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
NM 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
WTX 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
LAX 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
MB 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
SJV 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
SCV 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1
------------------------------------------------------
Total 1121 0 0 0 0 0 1121
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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