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K1UM'S FIRST TOWER |
NE1C (NAQP 2002) |
Kx1x himself shows us the correct way to serve Krispy Kremem Doughnuts (the perfect way to build your contesting shelf A.K.A. gut!) |
Solar Cycle 23 is hanging in there and gave us great conditions in the 2002 contest thanks to the double peak. Here's hoping conditions hold for 2003! |
I had my rate sheet from my 2000 record in front of me and Friday night started out poorly with 190/19 compared to 251/29 in 2000. Saturday morning started with a bang and I had my best SSB hour ever with a 217 hour at 1241Z! Then things quickly slowed down and I became sandwiched between two loud EU stations. I tried moving much higher in the band but that didn't help much. The bottom line is that I only had 3 hours above 100 compared to 7 hours in 2000! Saturday night was also poor and I was now 1471/114 versus 1818/116 in 2000 by the time I QRT. Sunday morning started slowly and Bernie W3UR at W3LPL stopped by and asked how I was doing before the band opened to EU. I was SHOCKED when he said they had about 1900 and I was still just under 1500! Sunday was slow even though I moved high in the band and I never had ONE hour above 100 compared to 2 in 2000. I ground out the rest of the day and maintained my 400 QSO deficit compared to W3LPL and about the same compared to my 2000 record (2577/127).
The only bright spot was all the truly exotic DX that called and I had 8 more mults than in 2000. If I could have made about 200 more Q's, I might have broken my record, but I honestly still do not understand what I would do differently. I finished down 12% in Q's compared to the average of W3LPL (2634), K9NS (2559) and KC1XX (2345) and I'm normally much closer. Anyway it was a fun way to spend a rainy weekend and thanks to everyone for the QSO's!
73, Bill
This contest was used as a tool to introduce several of our members to HF and contesting. We devoted time to teaching techniques and procedures, even to unlicensed youngsters who came by to see the activity. Our goal of geting members on in spite of jitters, and bringing them together in a fun activity was accomplished. The youngsters? Maybe a year or two from now they will have their own licenses.
We play the ARRL phone contest 2002 with a lot of fun. The first part of the contest was a complete success: propagation and station were playing a very good job! The Sunday has given us little problems and less contacts. But the result is very satisfying: 3100 QSOs and a total of 273 multipliers: for us is the maximum of multi never reached since 1976! It was our 27.th ARRL phone contest: every year since 1976, HB9AUS was on during the ARRL dx contest phone. Operators of this year effort were: Fabio (HB9AUS) , Fiorenzo (HB9BYT) , Luigi (HB9CXZ) , Damiano (HB9DPD) and Bruno (HE9EEX). The Sunday reserved us less operation work and we had the time to take some pictures of the beautiful nature around the station. The QTH is located in the southern Alps, at 1500 meter a. s./l. We reach Cardada, near Locarno (canton Ticino), with a new built cableway, designed by the famous architect Mario Botta.
photo by HB9BYT
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SIERRA VICTOR TEAM - ARRL DX SSB 2002 |
Thank you to everyone who made our logs!
I usually post my results and whatever story I may have written about the contest on 3830. I have been encouraged to also post them here. If you would like to check out my earlier stories, do a search on 3830 reflector for VE7FO. They document my return to contesting a couple of years or so ago after a hiatus of 30 years. A few chuckles guaranteed.
ARRL DX SSB
PREPARATION:
I decided that it was time to delve into all the commands you can put into a TRLog config file, try them out and decide which ones I want to use. Those of you who have used TR know that there are pages of commands available to customize TR to the way you want it if you want to use them. TR allows you to create a standard config file which will be loaded for every contest as well as specialized config files which can also be loaded to do whatever it is you want to do. Also, I have been operating contests out of a directory I called LOG and then, after the contest, moving all the files to a directory set up for that contest. Time to learn how to run TR out of the particular contest directory and have it find the config and DVP files appropriate to the contest. As well, I wanted to document how to set up sbdvp and record files. Also, my TRMaster data base is all messed up so wanted to decide how many of these I need i.e. no point in having a bunch of DX calls online in NAQP or a bunch of NA calls in ARRL DX so more than one database makes sense. Having decided this, the next thing was to decide which contest logs should be fed into which data base and then do it. Also wanted to do a bunch of station tidying and minor improvements. Oh, also print a bunch of propagation predictions.
I laid out a plan for all this and put some time estimates on the tasks. Hmm.... 20 hours and it's 0430Z Mar 1. Better get moving. What's first? Really want to get the TR stuff done properly so I understand it, have it documented, and don't have to mess around moving files all over the place for every contest. Allocated 3.6 hrs for this.
0940Z Still working on TR stuff but it's 0140 local time so went to bed
1900Z Back at it. Man, there's a lot you can do with TR. Just for fun, set it to give me a beep at every tenth Q.
2000Z Don't have TR stuff completed yet and getting nervous. It only takes me 2 minutes to do a minimal TR setup for any contest so better start dealing with DVP. How did I have everything hooked up last time I used it? Oh yes, mike into soundcard Mic In and Line Out into Patch input on MkV. Start up Goldwave to do sound recording and editing. (I really like Goldwave. You can snip blank spaces out of sound files with a couple of mouse clicks and one keystroke. You can also normalize a bunch of sound files so they all have the same loudness.) Why don't I get any indication of output from the Mike? Check Windows Volume Controls, nope, mike not muted, level all the way up, what's going on? After much reading of Goldwave documentation and can't find what's wrong I try running the Line Input level up to max. Hmm... now getting something out of the mike but level very low. How could this be? Must be some kind of leakage between Mic and Line inputs on soundcard. Hunt everywhere in the house for the little 30 dB amp I used to use so I can plug mike into Line In. Can't find it anywhere. Running out of time so make some recordings even though the level is way too low. Use Goldwave to normalize the files. Now the level is fine but they are very noisy. Apply the Goldwave noise filter to them. Now I sound like DSP DX and not even at RF yet.
2330Z Give up on DVP. Guess it's going to be an S&P effort for me. Set up a directory for the contest, move config files into it and set up TR. No TRMaster files done. Station still a mess
WHAT HAPPENED:
0000Z Listen around and settle on 10. Mostly Central and South America and a lot of JAs. To my surprise a TI said, "Hi Jim, how are you doing?" Mind you, it was TI5/VE7CC. It was pretty neat to, amongst all the JAs, find JT1CO at 0114 and, 12 minutes later, BD5RI.
0242Z 81 Qs 17 mults Switch to 15. Lots of JAs. Tried a little running but not much response. Worked JT1CO again, which was nice, also EX8AA and PW0T (finally).
0530Z 158 Qs 52 mults Switch to 20. Some Europeans, lots of Russians, JT1CO again, 9K2K and a very exciting YA0AM. I still remember a contest in 1958 or 59, when I was VE8FO, hearing this loud, gravelly voice calling me and signing 9K2AZ. Prefix wasn't even listed in the DX list I had and he was gone before I could ask him what country 9K2 was. Made quite an impression on a young contester.
0730Z 197 Qs 65 mults Switch to 40. I usually don't do well on 40. Grab some mults, Caribbean, KH6, JA and TI5/VE7CC. No JT1CO.
0820Z 204 Qs 70 Mults Try 20 again. Pretty slow
0845Z 209 Qs 70 mults Try 40 again. Pretty slow
0855Z 211 Qs 70 mults Try 80. I usually don't do well on 80 either, but do get some surprises. 8P5A, TI5/VE7CC again, KH7R, and a very nice TI9M. No JT1CO. What could be wrong?
1000Z 217 Qs 74 mults Back to 40. Work VK5GN. I liked that.
1020Z 220 Qs 75 mults 220 Qs in 10 hours. Not very good even if it is all S&P. Lack of DVP is really bugging me. Fool around trying to get recording working. Look some more for 30 dB amp. No luck.
1130Z 220 Qs 75 mults Give up and go to bed (0330 local time)
1854Z (1054 local) Back at it on 10. Mostly eu. Was happy to work SV7UN. I don't do well into the Mediterranean and despair of ever working ZC4DW except by e-mail. VP5 and HI3 both asked me to QSY to 15. Glad to. (They were both mults on 15)
2345Z 339 Qs 114 mults Same lousy rate, mult production dropping off. Switch to 15. Mostly eu and some Caribbean. Worked TI5/VE7CC again. A while later I realized that if I got him on 20 it would be a 5 band sweep (don't have anything useful on 160) so I called him and asked when he was going to 20. He said, "How about right now?" So he left his run frequency and we met on 20. Thanks Lee.
0120Z 372 Qs 130 mults Switch to 20. What a zoo. Did work another SV, which was pleasing. Mostly eu.
0245Z 413 Qs 143 mults Can't stand 20 anymore. Switch to 10. Try running JAs with some success but voice gets scratchy pretty quickly. Sure do miss the DVP.
0330Z 452 Qs 146 mults Switch to 15. Rate is better but mults aren't. Mostly Asians.
0504Z 480 Qs 153 mults Switch to 20. Mostly Asians but some Eu starting to show up.
0645Z 520 Qs 154 mults Should go to bed so as not to miss the dawn flood of Eu but try again to sort out DVP. Look some more for 30 dB audio amp. No luck. Consider moving stereo from front room to shack so I can plug mike into that and feed line out into sound card line in but it would be a big hassle and I'm tired. Pull the computer away from the wall and look closely at the sound card I/O jacks. Pull mike plug out of Line In and plug it into Mic In. Try recording with Goldwave. Hey, now everything's working. I record a bunch of DVP files and try a couple out on SM2KM. (Log says SME2KM, but that can't be right. It doesn't say it any more.) He responds as if everything is normal so I guess it's OK.
0830Z 521 Qs 154 mults I don't know whether to be mad or glad about the DVP. I elect to be mad now and glad tomorrow and go to bed. Lie there thinking that if I'm back by 1500Z I'll still have 10 hours. Now DVP is working I'll be able to run. 50 Qs/hr will put me over the elusive 1000. I fall asleep, happy.
1520Z Back at it. Try a little 10 and move to 15. Switch to run mode and confidently start auto cq with now functioning DVP. Having generated a rate of 1 Q in 10 minutes I go back, crestfallen, to S&P. What the heck was that beep sound I transmitted when logging Q 130? Same thing at 140 and 150. Oh yes, computer audio now connected to radio. Turn off TR Beep Every 10 Qs. Somehow I also managed to transmit a fanfare. As I desparately hit the VOX button to shut off transmission I heard someone say something like, "Gott in Himmel, vass is das?" Was nice to work E15ZS, VQ9MR, EW1WB, and ER3ZZ. Thanks guys.
1745Z 581 Qs 182 mults Switch to 10. Oh goody, a bunch of eu mults. Actually managed to get a 40 min run going yielding 45 Qs. Best rate so far. However, 6 of them were Ws so don't count. I used to try to explain to them but now I just work them and move on. Heck, maybe they need a VE7. Goodies here were TK5MH and IS0ECN. 2008Z 671 Qs and 186 mults. Worked a WA4 and escaped to 15. Hard to find a hole to call CQ. Found one, did the voice equivalent of QRL? 3 times and started CQing. Somebody immediately started bitching. I told him he had had his chance to complain and kept on, but gave up after a short time and back to S&P. Found another hole and listened for a few moments to see if it was QRL. That was a mistake. While I was listening, someone came on, asked if the freq was busy and started running. I think it was during this time that I found another hole and, without waiting to see if it was busy, asked if it was. VE1OP replied with, "Nah, I'm just sitting here talking to myself, go ahead." Broke me up, went searching for another hole. Bounced around between 10, 15 and 20. I don't think the S meter dropped below S9 anywhere on 20. I hate to think what it's going to be like in a few years. Managed an hour long run (walk?) on 10 yielding 29 Qs, 14 of which were Ws. Sigh.
2359Z 736 Qs and 200 mults. 427,800 pts. Worked DXCC. Got up out of the chair, stumbled over a pile of papers on the floor, sending them flying. Oh, there's the 30 dB amp I was looking for.
This is my 2nd ARRL DX SSB after having been away for 30 yrs or so. Had a look at the story I put on 3830 about the last one and am pleased to see progress. Last one was 505 Qs and 149 mults for 225,288 pts. Let's see now... 736/505 = 1.46 and 200/149 = 1.34. So, next year, if I can keep up the same rate of improvement (and propagation is OK), I should get 1073 Qs and 268 mults for a score of 862K. If I can achieve that, there'll be no living with me. I'll be stopping people on the street and telling them about it.
In the meantime, going to document the DVP setup, finish tidying up the TR setup, get the TRMaster.dta files the way I want them and do the station tidying and improvement.
The sound card experience has got me thinking of how to handle all the audio I/O stuff in the shack. Starting to look like I'll be installing a small audio patch bay and multi-channel mixer so I can get all the connections and levels to the point of connect, set, document and forget. 73 and thanks for the Qs
de Jim Smith
I´ve had fun with you, but it is very hard work. How should I explain
my tiredness to my boss? CU, 73
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Luckily we compensated that with great openings on 10m, summing up 1600 qsos just on that band :-)
We now know what to improve next year, we'll then start being really competitive.
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