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Contest Dates : 07-Nov-98, 08-Nov-98, 09-Nov-98
Callsign Used : WQ5W Operator : WQ5W Category : Single Op, QRP
Section: North Texas Equipment: Alinco DX-77T (5W), MFJ-1786 Loop Antenna Default Exch. : (Serial Number) Q WQ5W 85 NTX Operating Time: 19.5 Hours Name : Alan Benoit
Team/Club : NORTH TEXAS
CONTEST CLUB
BAND Qsos Points Mults __________________________________________________ 20CW 254 508 29 15CW 77 154 21 10CW 38 76 20
__________________________________________________ Totals 369 738 70
Final Score = 51660 points.
After a few years of living in apartments with no hamming because of TVI fears, earlier this year I took the
plunge and bought a new HF rig and an MFJ-1786 loop antenna. So far the TVI complaints have been minimal and I have entered several contests (WPX CW, IARU, WAE etc.) and have had a blast. I decided that operating SS with an indoor loop antenna
from a first floor apartment wasn't going to be challenging (torture) enough, so I decided to increase the challenge (torture) by going QRP (actually I am going to crank up the power to 50W for CQWW CW so I wanted to eliminate any TVI
complaints this past weekend).
All contacts were made by search and pounce as I didn't even THINK about CQ'ing with my setup. Since my antenna limited me to 10, 15 and 20m, I figured I wouldn't get a sweep since the low bands always
produce the short-skip mults such as OK, MS, KS, LA, NM, WTX and STX. I didn't know what to expect, so I set my goal at a modest 25K.
Signals on 10m were loud at the beginning of the contest, so I started there. After the first hour, I
had 34 Q's all on 10. The second hour was spent on 15m and turned out to be my best hour of the contest-41 Q's. Looking back, I probably should have started on 15m, but I did pick up the PAC multiplier on 10M with KH6ND at 21:11. The next
hour was also spent on 15m; only 27 Q's but I did pick up the MT and VI mults. A little after 23:00Z I switched to 20m and stayed there the rest of the night except for a brief foray back to 15m around 00:00Z. Signals on 20m were wall to
wall and I could work everyone with 1 call and usually no fills. Over the next few hours, QSO rates fell to 26, 17, 12, 6 and 7. I did manage to work the PR, ND and SD mults. At 2:49Z I worked KL7Y (watery, aurora-filled sig) for AK and
at 3:03Z , I worked VY1A for the elusive NWT mult. Both KL7Y and VY1A required several calls and a few fills-thanks guys for your patience!! 20m died at about 4:30Z here, so I went to bed with 171 Qso's and 55 mults (about 19K) in the
log.
I woke up at 1200Z, but I should have stayed in bed longer. 20m didn't open up until 13:05Z when I worked NP3G. Shortly thereafter I worked N5NJ and K5OT on backscatter (or groundwave!) for the NTX mult. I stayed on 20M until
17:00Z. QSO rates were way down, staying in the high teens and early 20's per hour, but I did pick up the SNJ, WV, IN, WPA and GA mults. At 16:02 I even managed to work W5WMU for LA on backscatter-now that was difficult-20 calls and several
fills before it was in the log. If a lesser op than N6TR had been there, I probably wouldn't have worked it at all. Most of the day was spent on 20M. Because of the geomagnetic storm, 10M never opened at all and 15M just couldn't keep up with
20M. I changed bands many times during the afternoon, but just couldn't ever find as many guys to work on 15M as I could on 20M, so 90% of my QSO's on the second day were on 20M.
OK, it's 22:30Z on Sunday and I'm sitting at 310 Q's and
65 mults-about 40K , far better than I thought I could ever do with my setup, but too tantalizingly close to 50K to be satisfied. I'm on 20M and at 22:57 I work VE2AWR for the QC mult and I'm up to 43K-hmmm, getting closer. At 23:45Z K0RF
manages to pull my weak sig out of the backscatter for CO and I'm up to 45K. At 00:30Z, still on 20M, just when I think I've worked everyone on the band I hear a loud signal, with no backscatter giving what I think is MS as their section. I
listen some more and sure enough it's K5MDX. One call and I put it in the log!(thanks op. WQ5L). A few minutes later I tuned across K5MDX again and their signal had dropped almost below the noise and was full of backscatter-right place, right
time!
Now it's 00:30Z and I'm up to 47K. However, 20m was fading fast and most of the mults I hadn't worked were too close for 20m skip (OK, AR, KS, MO etc.). I thought my chances for another mult. were pretty slim, so I hoped to squeeze
out enough Q's to push me over 50K. Then at 1:01Z I hear K7UP giving NM as his section. Again, one call and I got him-YES!! That pushed me to 49.8K and when I worked K3BU 15 minutes later I had broken 50K! K5ED from WTX (also QRP) at 1:20Z
was just gravy at that point.
20M died here at 1:45Z and I finished the contest with 369 QSO's and 70 sections (missed AR, KS, MAR, ME, MO, NE, NL, OK and STX) for 51.6K.
I realize that 50K isn't a huge score. Many of you probably had
50K before you went to bed Saturday night (or earlier), and lots of QRP class stations had many more points. Having been a hired gun at big stations for the last several years in SS, I know what it's like from that side, but despite
the poor conditions I can honestly say this was the most fun I've ever had in this contest. When I operated at a big station, I EXPECTED to win. When I didn't win my class/section or didn't make top ten or didn't get a sweep from the big
station I was disappointed. This year I didn't EXPECT anything; I was just getting on to have fun and help my club out. Seeing the finish line, twice as good as I had hoped for, with 3 1/2 hours left and then actually making it past with
room to spare made this year's SS big fun (please note that this is the first time I have ever used the words "SS" and "big fun" in the same sentence).
Apologies for the long writeup-just think how long it will be when I get a REAL
station! Thanks to every one of you who pulled out my weak signals and I hope to see you QRP in the Phone SS!! Also look for me in CQWW CW with a full 50W; I will be the one beating many of you* in the pileups.
73, Alan, WQ5W From
The Town of The Cow; Ft. Worth, TX.
* that is to say, those of you using a dummy load as an antenna : ) |
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