ARRL 10-Meter Contest - 2023
Call: K2UA
Operator(s): K2UA
Station: K2UA
Class: SO CW HP
QTH: WNY
Operating Time (hrs): 7.5
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
CW: 737 99
SSB:
-------------------
Total: 737 99 Total Score = 291,852
Club: Rochester (NY) DX Association
Comments:
It was a pleasure to see 10 meters so good! I had bigger plans for this one but
it was not to be. I was unable to complete my antenna project in time for the
contest--but there will be other contests. I'm replacing the 4/4/4/4 Cushcraft
stack that I put up in 1999--they've served me well, but had deteriorated
(especially the gamma matches) and the feed lines were due for replacement; it's
time for something better. I chose three InnovAntennas five-element LFAs on
8-meter booms. These LFAs are pretty great--they have a 2:1 SWR bandwidth of 1
MHz and are under 1.5:1 over about 800 kHz. The amplifier loves them, and they
are really, really quiet on receive. The three-high stack will be at roughly
95/65/35 ft. The top two antennas will rotate together and the bottom one will
be on a side mount that rotates independently over about 300 degrees.
For several years I've been using N1MM+ exclusively for contesting, but I
decided to try DXLog this time, more or less on a whim. I really liked it,
probably because I cut my teeth on CT (well, on paper logging, but on CT for
computer logging). I will definitely use it again for single-band contests and
similar one-radio operations. It has some quirks that I need to figure
out--probably settings that I haven't found yet--but it plays well with the
radios (even integrates the 7610 spectrum display into the bandmap in a neat
way), the YCCC SO2R box, and the Green Heron GH Everyware antenna switching. All
flawless. I also decided to run HAMCAP for the first time to see where the band
might be open and found that to be quite accurate. Really interesting.
There's nothing like running full QSK with the 7610 and Alpha 89 at 1.5 kW, the
rate meter close to 200 per hour on CW on 10 meters where the band is so quiet
that you can hear and copy the weakest of signals and then be called by someone
who's S9+20 on the very next over. All with one antenna at 23 feet off the
ground.
Would have loved to have spent more time in the chair. Lots of domestic chores
this weekend, so it wasn't to be, but I had a lot of fun in the two chunks of
time plus 30 minutes I was able to grab here and there. Thanks to everyone who
called in!--73, Rus, K2UA
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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