01/09/2006 | K7XC Good Afternoon Folks,

To support the NCCC's efforts at retaking the gavel this year, I downloaded and installed MMTTY... Saturday morning of the contest. What better way to learn a program for the first time than to make all those "wonderful" mistakes while actually trying to make Qs in the contest. Nothing like baptisim under fire, LOL!

Thanks to the NCCC promoters who found the websites, wrote the emails, and encouraged it's members to get setup for the contest. I never knew MMTTY existed before those messages. Major league Kudos go to JE3HHT, Makoto (Mako) Mori for his awesome work at creating "one hell of a RTTY contest program". As a veteran of RTTY from the old "Green Key" days with an old Model 19 and Flescher TU, I was blown away at how well integrated RTTY contesting software has become. It is almost effortless now, just point, click, and BAMM! another Q in the log! Its amazing how fast RTTY contesting has become!!

With an ailing IC-746 at 60W out into a collection of low Inv Vees I managed to work 130 Qs spanning 4 bands during the few hours I devoted to the event. 40 and 80 Meters were in fine form providing contacts from Northern Nevada all the way to the Atlantic seaboard states, with relative ease.

Saturday My 80M Inv Vee's SWR was plenty high and not working to well so I loaded up the 160M Inv L and proceeded to make some Qs with it but soon it was apperant that it too was having issues after the recent 3 day deluge of rain. Inspecting each revealed the reasons why they were poor performers...

The 80M Inv Vee was still tuned to SSB for the SS contest and lengthening the wires to their ends solved that dilema.

Inspecting the feed of 160M Inv L showed something that I wont likely forget anytime soon... the sight of the matching network in its protective waterproof box, with its cover missing, and the whole tuning assembly submerged in about 8" of water! I was actually working people on 80M thru that circuit while it and the feedline were underwater... it blows my mind even now just thinking about it.

I removed the unit, drained, cleaned, and dried it and the battery box it was in. I abandoned the 160 L for the night and pulled the wet pl-259 into the house so it could dry overnight. After inspecting it the next day and finding no signs of water remaining I tested the coaxial cable into a dummy load and saw a perfect 1-1 match. After cleaning the air variable tuning capacitors with "Power Wash" electrical contact cleaner I reassembled the unit and reinstalled it and the coax back at the 160M L feed. It tuned up just like before, actually a bit better since all that water improved the ground on the 12' ground rod driven into the sand at the feed point.

Careful tuning of the band after sunset last night showed it back to its old self, even better, as I heard a few Europeans with it.

Best of 73s and Happy New Year de Tim - K7XC - DM09ol... sk
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"One who fears limits his activities. Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again." -Henry Ford -- K7XC