IARU 2012 was my first-ever DX contest.  Wayne, N6NB, and I came to Rarotonga in the South Cook Islands in early March so Wayne could get on during the ARRL DX Phone contest.  We enjoyed the Cook Islands so much that we decided to return in July for IARU!  In preparation for the trip, we shipped a 15' mast, a rotator and a TH-2 tribander ahead of time.  (Thank you to Victor, E51CG, for storing them for us!)  We brought an IC-7000 and a small amplifier in our luggage.  The tribander and a 40 meter dipole went on a second floor balcony at our motel--not very high but with a clear shot out to sea.

The station seemed to work very well--after an initial scare.  Shortly after we
put up and tested the antennas, we had 12 hours of heavy rains and high winds.  The SWR at resonance on 15 and 20 went from 1.2 to 1 during initial testing to an intolerable 4 to 1.  We lowered and dismantled the TH-2.  The traps were soaked even though the drain holes were all mounted downward.  Although the antenna was brand new, one trap end cap slipped off the trap unit and others became loose enough to allow water inside.  I took apart all eight traps and dried them with a borrowed hair dryer.  Then I taped the end caps to try to keep them in place and waterproof them. When the TH-2 went back up the afternoon before the contest, the SWR again looked good, but then another downpour began.  Fortunately, the taped end caps did their job and the traps stayed dry enough that the SWR was okay throughout a weekend of heavy rain and high winds.  Operating with thunder and lightning all around was frightening.

Since Wayne operated last time, this was my turn!  I operated IARU as a
single-op unassisted on SSB only.  The contest was fun and I had a chance to manage some serious pile-ups.  I spent almost all of my 15 hours on the air "running," not searching and pouncing.  The main disappointment was the scarcity of European contacts (I heard very few signals from Europe).  It was nice to hear friends from back home and hundreds of new calls from many countries.  Altogether, I made more than 1,400 contacts during IARU plus another 650 during a practice run the evening before the contest. Thanks to everyone who stood by patiently to work me (sometimes for upwards of 30 minutes!).  It was definitely a memorable experience for me!

If you'd like a QSL, please send one via N6NB. 

Internet access is limited here.  I'm sending this from an internet cafe in
Avarua.

73,
Carrie, E51TAI (W6TAI at home)
Rarotonga, South Cook Islands