11/15/2007 | W6K Being at/near the bottom of the sunspot cycle sure created a challenge this year. The band of note was 40-M this year. I was disappointed to see such poor turnout on 15M and 80m.
Consistent with the last few years, I set up an Expedition station station in SB section using a 1x1 callsign (W6K) in the garage of a $1.7M house (yes Calif. real estate prices are still exorbitant - see the house at http://my-oakcrest.com) in the Ojai Valley. I love the location for urban campouts, but it is hardly the best radio location; especially with N6VR up the hill with monster antennas pointed in my direction. At least, it give y'all another shot at SB section.

This Year, W6K ran a portable station consisting of a loaded TS-50, running off the electrical system of my 99 Cougar as the rack-mount A.C. power supply I bought specially for the event couldn't produce enough current to even power the radio for receive.

The antenna this year I put the pair of Alpha Delta DX-CC antennas into a sloped broadside array, which made up for the barely 100 watts put out by the radio.

The big scare for me this year came an hour before the contest. This is the first SS I can recall wherein we began the contest in PDT and ended in PST. I am so used to the contest beginning at 13:00 local time that when I fired up ready to go (at 13:05 local time), I heard no SS QSOs. I thought maybe the CW weekend had been changed because of the change in Daylight Savings reversion, meaning I would have made the drive from Pacific Grove (Monterey area) to Ojai in vain. Luckily, a Montana Section OP squared me away, and my "shock" subsided.

Where were the "exotic" Canadians and NNY section this year?
Argggghhhhhhh!!!!!

Look for a Multi-Single on SSB from the same location in this year's 2007 SS Phone. "Geraldine" (my alter-ego) will be on the air as well as a few visiting OPs.

CUL

Ron

WQ6X - Op for W6K -- WQ6X