After working YV5AMH on 20 meters.
My workhorse: the MA5B; three years in my QTH and works nicely on these past contests.
This is the first time I've ever submitted a log for any contest. Do you have a rookie category? I usually work contests to get new entities for various awards. I had to switch on the linear to be heard by a couple of European multipliers, so that moved me into the high-power category. It was an enjoyable contest ; however, it was almost as much fun to write the software to create a cabrillo file from my logbook program.
Got a late start and, as usual, not much time to really operate the way I'd have liked. Didn't do anywhere near as well as last year, but enjoyed the contest a great deal.
Worked a lot more HQ stations than in past attempts, but fewer sections overall. Conditions were fine during my time on, but missed a bunch of zones that I should have worked.
I guess what might have made the operation a bit less rewarding than last year was that my certificate for high score, low power, cw only in SNJ came in the Tuesday following the contest!
See everyone next year
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After working YV5AMH on 20 meters. |
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My workhorse: the MA5B; three years in my QTH and works nicely on these past contests. |
I almost dedicated myself to this one, as for 20 meters it again reigned and 40 meters followed. This time I could work my first AC with XE1KK plus worked Leandro-YV5AMH. Also got to work Hawaii 3 times including NU1AW/KH6. Plus as of lately lots of stations with the suffix HQ and those who were official club stations.
And I do not know why, but in this contest I can work Europe on 40 meters more than any other contest; in fact, could work a few that couldn't or did not heard on 20 meters. and my dipole is low, a NVIS type for local contacts, but propagation was pretty nice.
Thanks to those contacted and hope to hear you next year, with hopefully better "prop" conditions.
Hasta la otra, siete-tres de Angel Santana
This year we decided to combine our annual "Ham Jam" (family campout of ham friends from college days) with the IARU weekend.
We are appreciative of the Champaign County Forest Preserve District that allowed us to use the Activity Center facilities overnight, while we operated the radios from a screened tent nearby.
N9OQT and N9OQU operated separate, single operator stations (from the same location). Due to the group activities of the Ham Jam gathering, and several hours of torrential rain and winds, we did not get on the air as much as we wanted during the contest, but it was still a nice event to participate in. We were able to demonstrate HF to a few of the hams that are Technicians. Unfortunately, our contest operations ended about 1:30 a.m. when I had a bad fall and had to go to the emergency room (nothing broken, thank goodness!). Didn't get out of the hospital until 5 a.m., and that ruined our chance to get back on the air in the early morning. Oh well, there's always next year!
It was a real "upper" to receive a Certificate for Operating Achievement today in the mail from the IARU. We placed first in the multioperator category, Illinois Section for 2008. It was only our second time operating an IARU contest. The award was a complete surpise and made our day.
Enjoy the pictures, and we hope to make contact with all of you next year.
Mary (W9MAP) and Patrick Twigg (N9OQT)
Sitting (front row): N9LVX Darren Beck Kneeling (second row): KC9JRB Jessica Beck, N9OQT Patrick Twigg, N9SME Matt Stewart Standing (back row): N9SUO Colin Weaver, N9OQU Bob McGarry (not pictured - W9MAP) |
Operations tent and Middle Fork Activity Center, Middle Fork Forest Preserve, Penfield, Illinois. |
The Beck children listen and watch as N9OQU (Bob McGarry)contacts Hawaii. The kids were all excited that we were talking to people in far away places. |
N9OQT (Pat) and N9LVX (Darren)check out the equipment after three hours of torrential rain. |
I entered SO Phone QRP; always a brave decision. My contest station was quite modest, a K2 with an 80m dipole up about 40'. I awoke on the morning of to discover my dopole had blown down in the night. I scrambled and got it back up a few feet higher than before (am I the only one who uses a shore-casting rod with a 4oz sinker to hang dipoles?) and got on the air literally 1 minute before the start.
Band conditions were mostly awful. Most signals were extremely weak the whole time. I started on 20 and it was fair. I made some good contacts on 15m while it was open. In the evening 20m became fairly good. When it shut down I switched to 40m which was ok but dropped off to poor by the end. I only made one contact on 80m; it never opened for me; very high QRN. I made one QSO on 10m and I heard a few other stations in there but it never really opened. At 4 hours left in the contest my rate dropped to 4 and I started falling asleep at the dial; that's when I pulled the plug and went to bed. The funny thing was that I could still hear a few strong stations; I suspect perhaps the bands were open but I wasn't the only one who threw in the towel early. Overall 20 was my workhorse band with 15 and 40 both taking some share.
I also lost about 5 hours due to thunderstorms.
I think I did pretty well, all things considered. 135 QSOs and 53 mults for a claimed score of 16,059; Not bad for 5 watts into a dipole. Persistence and skill really do play a powerful role in contest performance. Somebody with big-gun antennas could probably clean up in this category, because there are so few serious entries.
During the 2009 IARU HF Championship I was able to work only around 4 hours due to many family activities.Worked 50% SSB and 50 % CW. The most active band was 15 meters, after that 40 meters,20 meters and 10 meters with only two contacts.
Made 32 multipliers and a claimed score of 4256 points.The propagation was not as good as in previous years.Hope that next year we have better propagation and maybe more spare time to participate on this activity.
Good luck to all the stations that worked the IARU HF Championship this year.
Julio Medina M.D.
Well, Yet another great IARU HF Championship Contest. It started slow and most of during the day band conditions on 20 meters were up and down and the other bands too, then in the afternoon, boom then Europe, Asia and all other contries started to come in.
I am glad to gotten great reports from several ham's that I talked with. I also talked to many countries that I did not make it last year.
so, This year was better than last.
73
Hear you next year 2010 IARU HF Championship ...
Miguel
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