N3RR 29-Oct-1996 0606Z N3RR CQWW SSB SOA Musings
Well, had many problems over the weekeend, but had a blast running
packet
putouts. Still looking at the log, but the rate meters (both) at one
point on Sunday were over 100 and I was just running the spots in the
Packet window of CT set on QSOs needed all bands. That was great, to
get a 100 hour just on Packet spots! I have never seen so many spots
putout before!
And, the spots that were putout were very accurate. Only late on Sunday
were there Busted calls, but far fewer than ever before, in my
recollection.
Additionally, there were a derth of CW spots. Only two that I recall!
Not
that they shouldn't have been putout, but I guess most (or nearly all of
the PVDXSN/FRC cluster users) operated SSB over the weekend!
A couple of years ago, I operated one of the DX contests (can't remember
which one) and didn't call CQ all weekend and racked up 1 Million points
just calling packet spotted stations. This past weekend, I did call CQ
some, but for only a couple hundred QSOs. I estimate that working the
packet spots now might produce 1.5 - 2 million points! Quite an
achievement,
I'd say!...In technology and our ability to adapt that technology to our
hobby!
As far as the bands went: 160 and 80 stunk here. High noise and a
propagation loss across the Atlantic prohibited any EU stations from my
antennas on 160. (IG9 and KH6 were the only E/W DX worked on 160).
40 was fair. Got no runs going at all, even with comments that I was
LOUD into EU.
20 was too crowded for me. I did manage only 52 running.
15 was better for me running, but still only 141.
(I'll expand on this in a subsequent message to this reflector).
The EU opening on 10 Sunday morning was unexpected but short.
I lost a preamp Saturday and couldn't use it on my EWEs on 160/80.
Friday my daughter, who was sleeping ove to a friend's house, got sick
and
I had to pick her up, taking up 1.5 hours.
Also Friday, one of my new neighbors, whose new house is closer to my
big tower than I am, called me to tell me that he couldn't make any
phone calls without hearing what he thinks is me! (Like Donald Duck, he
said). I confirmed that and offered a loaner Bullet-proof phone to him
if he would come over and get it. He declined coming over then, but said
he'd come over in the morning. Ok
Saturday am at 10:30 local, he called. I told him it was Ok, and he
arrived shortly...With two other neighbors whom I had never met! They
were all from a new development a couple hundred yards away from my back
yard. And they all had a combination of TVI/VCRI/PHONEI, the first
they had seen of that since moving in. I took it to understand that
they thought because they hadn't had problems all Summer (they moved in
after March, hihi) they wouldn't have any...hihi
I explained the contest season (October - March) that I operate and that
any problems they are having was due to their electronics equipment,
including theur phones! I then handed each of them the two FCC
Bulletins covering TVI and PHONEI.
I also loaned the first neighbor my last RFI proof (bullet-proof) phone
and gave (loaned) one of the others (the one who had 10 phone lines into
his house)
a plug-in K-COM filter for his modem! And I told all three of them that
I would help them troubleshoot their problems, but that whatever it took
to solve them was at their expense, saying that, after all, whatever
their problems were, it was the fault of their (inadequately filtered)
equipment. Those FCC documents are great!
They saw my contest certificates hanging on the wall and asked me
several questions about the hobby. I explained that they were holding
me up from competing in this
contest right now! So, I told them I'd work with them this week to
solve
their problems, but that I wouldn't do it then (during the contest)!!
They then left, wasting about 1/2 hour of my time.
Later Saturday night, the noise on 80 and 160 was so high, I built a
RF choke of 100 ferrite beads to add to one of my EWEs to see if that
would
help. (My NE phased EWEs had lower noise than the single EWEs to the
S,W,& E).
But, the added choke didn't help the noise. Guess the lower noise on the
phased pair was due to its being a phased pair!
Anyway, that lost another hour or so.
All in all, quite a contest. Looking forward to CW, where I'll be able
to hold a run freq and perhaps improve my score.
See U in the pileups!
73!
Bill
|