K3WW sez:
>>>I missed this sprint, no one put the strong arm to me to join a team.
Tree alluded to it also.
Believe it or not there are lots of guys who like to contest, but because of
the way they balance life in general do not live and breathe contesting. I
can think of at least five good CW ops who, if I had called them or offered
them to be on a team would have gladly got on for more than a token effort.
Let's face it - new blood will hafta be recruited by salesmenship. Person to
person contact. The past several sprints have generated quite a bit of
activity which helps everyone. This was done by inviting new ops to be on a
team.
The California guys have done an excellent job of forming many teams. A few
years ago K1KI informed the YCCC members they were on teams increasing the
activity from up that way. Sure - not everyone got on, but they were
informed by something more than a published contest announcement.
PS: no more bug sending for me - and you naysayers don't hafta worry about
the Sprint going to the Derr... er uh dogs.
Form a team in February!!
73, Gator N5RZ ---------;--;<< N5RZ@aol.com
>From Charlie Morrison <charlie@packetcluster.com> Tue Sep 12 16:57:29 1995
From: Charlie Morrison <charlie@packetcluster.com> (Charlie Morrison)
Subject: M2 20+40m Owner Info WANTED
Message-ID: <19950912155729.48f03148.in@server.packetcluster.com>
I am considering the M2 20M4 and their 40M3 antennas
for my <<<CONTEST>>> station design.
Anyone with first-hand experience with these antennas,
please contact me. If you know someone with these,
I would like to know who they are.
(I have already purchased the MANUALS for these antennas.)
Please send a message to me directly to one of the addresses
listed below. THANKS
Charlie - WZ1R
wz1r@packetcluster.com
wz1r@chowda.com
>From Ray Rocker <rocker@datasync.com> Tue Sep 12 21:12:55 1995
From: Ray Rocker <rocker@datasync.com> (Ray Rocker)
Subject: Derekmania
Message-ID: <199509122012.PAA15325@osh1.datasync.com>
KU8E made a good point:
> I think what it showed is that the sprint elite are not only
> VERY good operators but, also have a tremendous propagation
> advantage over the rest of us (especially those of us in the
> midwest)
Great locations and Big Aluminum. Equalization (except among them at the
top-notch contest stations) this wasn't, but it sounded like a lot of fun
and a great opportunity for skill-sharpening.
I think it's great. I've always disliked the high-power nature of the
NA Sprint, which is especially hard on the eardrums of us with "cloud warmer"
antennas and proximity to Texas. :-) Sure am sad I missed it this time.
> They probably could of run 100 watts and wire antennas
> and still kick our butts........
That gives me an idea. How about a "100 watts and dipoles" team next time?
Would be a neat way for us who don't have the hardware to compete for the
real prizes to shoot for an attainable goal: top spot on the team.
--
Ray Rocker ... WQ5L | "Life would be much easier if we could
Long Beach, Mississippi, USA | just look at the source code." - fortune
rocker@datasync.com | Yes, I do speak for my employer.
http://www.datasync.com/~rocker | Go {Saints | Golden Eagles | Seminoles}!
>From w7ni@teleport.com (Stan Griffiths) Tue Sep 12 22:12:32 1995
From: w7ni@teleport.com (Stan Griffiths) (Stan Griffiths)
Subject: Guy Attachments and Torque Bars
Message-ID: <199509122112.OAA26109@desiree.teleport.com>
W7AGQ is putting up approximately 150 feet of Rohn 45 and is planning to
stack 10, 15 and 20 monobanders in a long mast on top. He also plans to
sidemount a rotating 40 down the tower a ways. Way down the tower he plans
several other sidemounts with monobanders that can be driven with the high
ones, rotated separately, and used independently. What he wants to know is
whether or not it pays to spend the money on the guy attachments and/or
torque bars that are available for Rohn 45. You can get guy attachments
without torque bars but if you are going to use torque bars, you must use
guy attachments.
There are a lot of alternatives here:
1. You can forget guy attachments and torque bars completely as I have
done on my three towers. I just run the guys around the tower legs
taking care to make sure the guys do not rest on any tower welds.
Towers are all over 100 feet high, moderatley loaded, Rohn 25, Rohn
JJ (bolted 45), and AB105, have been up since 1973 with no problems
at all. We have occasional winds to 75 or 80 mph.
2. You can use guy attachments and no torque bars as some people do.
This does not help with tower twist but some people just don't like
running a guy wire around a tower leg.
3. You can go all the way and use guy attachments and torque bars. You
also have the choices of using them at the top only, top and middle
only, or every set of guys.
4. There is also a big steel triangle you can install on the top as an
anti-twist device.
It is probably safer to install everything but is it cost-effective? These
things are not cheap. Cost is about $110 for one set of guy attachments and
torque bars for Rohn 25, about $145 for Rohn 45, and about $182 for Rohn 55.
About half of the money is in guy attachment hardware and the other half is
in torque bars. Rohn offers very little in the way of free advice about
this and I am not sure they can be completely objective about it since they
stand to make a good profit by selling them to you.
So here is the bottom line. Please offer some suggestions based on real
experience. We all have gut feelings (not particularly correct or accurate)
and we can all speculate on "what could happen if . . ." but I don't think
those would be particularly useful comments.
1. Can you cite an actual situation where there was tower damage or an
actual tower failure that might have been prevented by the use of guy
attachments or torque bars?
2. Other than cost, is there any reason you can think of not to use
either guy attachments or torque bars?
3. Without have a degree in mechanical engineering, is there a way we
can determine what is reasonable to do considering both cost and
safety?
I can't help but think that Rohn is extremely conservative about the
detrimental effects of torque on towers. The fine print says that due to
torque, the boom length should be limited to six feet on a BX tower.
(Imagine a ham antenna with 18 square feet of surface area and a 6 foot
boom!) I see lots of pictures with TH6's on BX tower and I do know of one
that actually came down. But a TH6 on BX tower is a gross overload when it
comes to boom length if you pay attention to Rohn's fine print. They give
you no hint on how big of a "boomless quad" you can put on a BX tower. They
impose no limit on element lengths. They simply don't give you much
information on the subject at all. I just stay away from BX towers.
If I get some interesting responses, I will summarize and post, so you can
respond directly to me instead of to the reflector. I hope nobody will
contest the content of this post. (NOTE to Tree: There! I used the "C" word!)
Stan W7NI@teleport.com
>From k2mm@MasPar.COM (John Zapisek K2MM) Tue Sep 12 22:30:36 1995
From: k2mm@MasPar.COM (John Zapisek K2MM) (John Zapisek K2MM)
Subject: Up Noyer Creek Without A Paddle
Message-ID: <9509122130.AA14931@greylock.local>
While the D&D boys were playing Hand-Sent CW in the Sprint, I was doing
exactly the opposite -- keyboard/computer CW only, no paddle, bug or hand
key -- from a second station at N6TR. (Noyer Creek is the stream that runs
through Tree's back yard.) Tree didn't have a second paddle, but I decided
to go for it anyway. The prospect of signing N6TR and contributing that
score to the NCCC team was just irresistible :-)
Operating without a safety net was a bit scary at first, especially using
TR-Log where you can easily get stuck in modes where it's hard to know what
buttons to hit next. But I managed OK. I would say, though, that one of
the most valuable courses I've ever taken has to be High School Typing!
* Just before I QSY'ed to 40m, Tree called me and tried to work me.
But just as I was typing in his callsign, his program crashed with
a runtime error. Now that's poetic justice!
* I noticed a lot of ops signing their calls at the end of the
exchange, even though it was their turn to give up the frequency.
(Even once or twice the op over my shoulder. Egad!) No biggie,
just that they earned whatever QRM they got because of it!
* Giving out the name ZAP with the callsign N6TR sure generated a
lot of requests for fills, though maybe not quite as many as the
Demented Derricks.
* In one QSO with Dick/N6AA/KA6LAF I got TR-Log so stuck I had to
type the whole exchange by hand. Dick caught me sending CA by
habit instead of OR. Thanks for asking for the CFM, Dick!
* On 3830 after the test, I got to fill in for Tree as net control
when a high-priority junior-op interrupt called him downstairs.
It felt very weird to dust off those phone-net NCS skills that I
haven't used in 25 years! His new 100-foot-high 80m dipole made
net-control duty real fun!
No, I didn't run low power. Instead I ran Very Low Antenna -- a 2-el 20m
wire quad in the Noyer Creek canyon, literally below average ground level.
I had to use an antenna that would let both Tree and me be on 20m at the
same time, and the quad gave the isolation we needed. Unfortunately, it
played like a dummy load. Running the amp probably reduced my disadvantage
from -25 dB to only -15 dB. It sure was a relief when it came time to
switch to 40m!
Some thoughts about the Top-Ops Low-Power flap:
* Some of the more critical postings seem to imply that the Top Ops
have an obligation to be there for us as a reference standard of
comparison. I'm reminded of a M*A*S*H episode where Radar gets
down on Hawkeye for stumbling in his duty as Role Model when all
he was doing was being human. Bzzzt.
* Several of the D&D's have remarked that they hadn't realized how
tough it was to run low power. I think the increased respect the
low-power perennials have gotten among the Top Ops from this event
is just great!
* Dave/WX3N complained, "all these guys didn't do all this to make a
better score or improve themselves--they did it because it sounded
fun and 'everyone else was doing it' . . ." Well, isn't having
fun what any hobby is all about?
* The NCJ write-up for this Sprint is likely to be a real gas to
read. I suspect a lot of readers will be so jazzed by it that
participation in the February Sprint will be way up. E.g., WX3N
trashed a fair part of the first Internet SprINT by sending vulgar
names, but it made the write-up so interesting that the contest
really took off. Gee, Dave, maybe you should have driven those
3-1/2 hours just to even out your Karma :-)
* It'll be VERY interesting to see how the scores stand up after all
the busted names are taken into account!
* In any given contest, variations in propagation and in station and
operator readiness can produce anomalous results. It's easy for
the Real Best Op to not be the Best Op That Night, just as in any
other sport. The point is to not attach too much significance to
any one running's results, but rather to the patterns built up
over several runnings.
* Yes, the value of winning with high power this time is somewhat
reduced. But, considering how well the Top Ops did anyway, it
feels not nearly so meaningless as, say, winning a DX contest from
New England or the SS from the Caribbean ;-)
That's about it for now. Hope to work you all in CQP in 3-1/2 weeks!
73. --John/K2MM
P.S. N6TR (op K2MM) 139-39-5421 VeryLowAnt TooMuchFun
>From morpheus@kuwait.net () Wed Sep 13 01:45:17 1995
From: morpheus@kuwait.net () (morpheus@kuwait.net ())
Subject: good amplifier??
Message-ID: <m0ssd9L-0003oxC@access.kuwait.net>
hi all,
sorry about asking many quistions,as you all know I got new call for special
events and for CQ WW CONTEST it's (9K0A) I hope that I can join the next
contest with this call, but I'm thinking about new amplifier which can work
with out getting any trouble, and good for hi power I mean over 1KW, and many
hams in kuwait told me that the alpha 87A is the answer. what about U.S.A.
and the other countries about this?? is that right is the alpha 87A is the
best amplifier I can get today?? and if not which is the best?? I was using
TL-922 it's good but not for me because I'm always in the air almost every day
working with hi power. from June 94 till now I changed the tube two time and
each time cost me about 500$ the last one was today when I was working with
(9K0A) that why I'm thinking of some thing better.
thank you
de 9K2HN
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
9K2HN | E-Mail: morpheus@kuwait.net |
Hamad Al-Nusif |--------------------------------------------------<
Kuwait City | This space is intentionaly left empty |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From Larry Tyree <tree@cmicro.com> Tue Sep 12 23:42:52 1995
From: Larry Tyree <tree@cmicro.com> (Larry Tyree)
Subject: CW Sprint score rumors
Message-ID: <199509122242.PAA14301@cascade.cmicro.com>
Here is the final list of score rumors for the CW sprint. Remember, you
can submit your log via the internet to n6tr@cmicro.com in ASCII format.
K5GA 295 45 13275
K6NA 289 ?? ??
KC5NWX (KR0Y) 269 48 12912 LP (WOW!)
K7UP 263 45 11835
WN4KKN 241 47 11327 LP
K2ZJ 263 43 11309
W2RQ 267 42 11214
KT3Y 255 43 10965
N6XI 247 44 10868
NM5M 253 42 10626
K0RF 230 46 10580 LP
W0CG (WD8AUB) 251 42 10542
AC6T 245 43 10535
K6XO 248 42 10416
AD5Q 243 42 10206
N6RO 254 40 10160
N6VR 254 40 10160
N4OGW 246 41 10086
K6LL 245 41 10045 LP
KC7KMC (N6TR) 227 43 9761 LP (Corrected multiplier)
KC5PRF (K5GN) 232 42 9744 LP
N0AX 223 43 9589 LP
AC8E (K8MR) 231 41 9471
K9ZO 230 41 9430
KB0SRK (N2IC) 238 39 9282 LP
N8SR 237 39 9243
NN7L 237 39 9243
K7SS 231 40 9240
WB5SQG (K5ZD) 221 40 8840 LP
NL7GP 215 41 8815
AH3C 231 38 8778 LP
KC5OYM (N5RZ) 208 42 8736 LP BUG
KA6LAF (N6AA) 198 44 8712 LP
VE4VV 229 38 8702
KA9FOX 221 39 8619
NV6O 215 40 8600
W0UA 238 36 8568 LP
WA2SRQ 219 38 8322 LP
W5NN (KB5YVT) 198 42 8316 LP
KC5NSS (N6ZZ) 193 43 8299 LP
WD8LLD 212 39 8268
KB8N 221 37 8140 LP
KE6UCF (N6TV) 205 39 7995 LP
K3SA 210 38 7980
K8JLF 194 40 7760 LP
KF4BTH 193 39 7527 LP
NF8R 189 38 7182
AA7BG 191 37 7067 LP
N6YK 178 0 ??
W6MVW 174 39 6786
WK6V 160 42 6720
KE4GY 158 38 6004 LP
N1EE 171 35 5985
AA4GA 166 36 5976
K7GM 160 35 5600 LP
WR3O 163 34 5542
N6TR (K2MM) 140 39 5460
K3TLX 149 36 5364
K7NPN 128 33 4224 LP
K1IU 128 0 ??
VE5SF 125 33 4125
WA7UVJ 121 33 3993 LP
KE2PF 121 31 3751 LP
K6LRN 115 30 3450 LP
W5KI 75 27 2025 LP/LA (Low antennas) /LS (low skills)
KE7X 66 27 1782
AC6NS 51 ?? ?? 14 years old, starting high school
KI7WX 5 3 15
WX9E 0 0 0 VLP
>From km9p@is.net (Bill Fisher) Wed Sep 13 00:16:52 1995
From: km9p@is.net (Bill Fisher) (Bill Fisher)
Subject: CW SPRINT - Teams - de N5RZ & N6TR
Message-ID: <199509122316.TAA04115@mail1.is.net>
>K3WW sez:
>
>>>>I missed this sprint, no one put the strong arm to me to join a team.
>
>Tree alluded to it also.
I think that rather than everyone forming the same old SCCC, NCCC, TDXS, ED,
teams, that we should disband and fork out.
Instead of N6TR, KR0Y, N5RZ, and myself being on a team, we should all be
doing our own teams. I feel bad now that I didn't try to organize a team
here in W4. I have the cluster access to all of the guys that are are
active. If KZ2S doesn't organize a FRC team... there isn't one! And there
wasn't. K5ZD should be obligated to orginize the YCCC as best he can. Same
for others like Randy, John and I who are in areas where the Sprint is not
considered much of a contest. It'll make the contest more fun than winning
the team competition, and you might just give the Sprint bug to someone who
needs it!
This February let's spreadout some and get some more people in the contest.
I used to love when the SMC used to organize 3 teams. It was SOOO much more
fun when you got to 80m and could work 40-50 LOUD guys in no time.
I know it's time to for a Sprint fund rally when I don't work K1AR. Man...
You used to be able to count on the guy. Oh ya... he's over the hill now.
Sorry.
73
Bill, KM9P
>From n2ic@drmail.dr.att.com (LondonSM) Tue Sep 12 19:06:37 1995
From: n2ic@drmail.dr.att.com (LondonSM) (LondonSM)
Subject: N7DD on talk show
Message-ID: <9509121206.ZM12641@dr.att.com>
I know we're not suppose to repost from usenet, but this was too good to pass
up.
-----------------------------------
From: lenwink@indirect.com (Len Winkler)
Subject: Contest guru, Larry Pace, N7DD on talk show
Lines: 20
Larry Pace, N7DD, will be the guest this Sunday, 9/17/95, on the Ham Radio &
More Show. Larry has all the tricks of how to win the "big ones" and he'll
share MOST of them with us this Sunday; so tune in!
73,
Len, KB7LPW
Len Winkler, KB7LPW lenwink@indirect.com
P.O. Box 9219 kb7lpw@n7mrp.az.usa.na
Phoenix, Az. 85068-9219
Ham Radio & More Show info at:
http://www.acs.oakland.edu/barc/ham-more.html
The show airs LIVE at 6:00pm ET, 2200utc, Sundays on the Talk
America Radio Network in over 55 cities.
The show also airs on WWCR shortwave, 7.435mhz, tape delayed,
Monday at midnight ET (0400utc), and again at 5:00am ET (0900utc), and
Saturdays at noon ET (1600utc) on 12.160.
|