08/04/2008 | N0TTW The contest went very well with rovers beating the grids and the fixed contest stations making contacts. As usual, I planned on operating as SOLP, but work 24hrs straight for the first time.

Armed with 222 (100W), 432 (100w) and 1.2 GHz (10w) for the first time, I started the contest with my first contact with K2DRH and completed the trifecta of bands. Usually I hear Bob on a "piece of wire", but for some reason I couldn't here him very well on 1.2 via voice. So we completed the contact via CW. We had tested my 1.2 earlier this week via voice and all was well then, so I blamed the conditions.

As I swung around calling CQ, Mike KM0T responded and that was were the 1.2 problem reappeared, I couldn't hear him via voice or CW. As we tried to work, I pressed the the Preamp button as I didn't realize it was already on. Bam!... there was Mike's signal and the problem was the preamp. With no spare preamp, I continued without it.

Then the second problem appeared 3 hours into the contest, my rotator controller died! "NO!!!" I said as I scrambled to find the cause. Stuck in the north direction, I started to hear stations in WI, but I couldn't turn the antennas. Then I started to hear rovers in the grids north and tried to work them with some success. I cracked open the case of the rotator and started doing voltage checks. No output from the secondary on transformer, looking at the schematic it looks like I need to make a run to Radio Shack before they close for a replacement transformer. Then boom, the power was back on the controller.

Scratching my head and wondering why, I found the problem. The schematic didn't show an internal thermal fuse for the primary of the transformer. With no vents for the case it over-heated, so I left it off and continued the contest. I'll remedy that problem later.

I was hearing a majority of stations more to the east and south-east as I swung my antenna around. Tropo was the biggest factor for many contacts as I contacted KA9UVY in EM58 on all 3 bands via voice, a personal best for my station.

Then a T-Storm moved in early morning around 3am local and I had to disconnect the cables to my station. As I waited for the storm to pass, I fell asleep for 4 hours in my operator's chair. Argh... I lost 4 hours as I awoke. Quickly I reconnected the cables and continued working.

Conditions fell to the point that stations I could easily talk to, were just barely above the noise. This was not good as I knew W9FZ/R was in some grids I needed. Conditions weren't the greatest when he was in EN40, Got him in EN30 barely and EN31 was a bust.

I continued to make a couple more trifecta contacts, but that was it. Overall, the contest was great, the conditions worked for the majority of the contest and I had broke my personal score goal for this contest.

I wanted to thank the rovers N9TTX/R, KC0P/R, N0HZO/R, N0DQS/R and all the others. Without them, we would have had some dead bands and grids out there.

I like to personally thank W9FZ/R for providing me the majority of trifecta contacts... Thanks Bruce.

I plan to make improvements to the station for next year's UHF contest, including another band (probably 902/3). Overall, I had the greatest time. -- N0TTW