2008 ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)
11/18/2008 |
VE2EZD
This year was my second attempt at the ARRL November Sweepstakes CW.
As I improved my QTH situation from an appartment to a rented duplex contesting became something a bit easier to do. The goal this year was to improve my CW skills and to get to the PINS level of more than 100 QSOs.
As a renter the most difficult part is to get the transmission line into the house without having to drill any hole. The solution came in the form of an existing RG-6 cable getting into the house from an unused sat dish. After a small reversible modification I had a line going from the patio to the rig inside the house. The 75 Ohm line was a big tradeoff but considering my situation it was the best compromise. The antenna was a two band dipole hung just about 3 meters over the patio. I was able to switch it from 40m to 20m using a simple alligator clip jumper wire on each leg.
The rig was a brand new Yaesu FT-950 selected for its renowned receiver and its advanced CW features. Logging and radio control came in the form of an old PC running N1MM Logger. To send CW I used a Winkeyer USB from K1EL. A TT1 Touchtapper used as an Iambic paddle came in for the rare not expected and not pre-programmed replies.
During the contest my strong bands were as expected 40m and 20m. Even if the Z11-pro could easily tune the antenna on 80m, my setup was not very efficient on this band. The few QSOs I made on 80m were very difficult as my signal was very weak on the other side.
The FT-950 was a pleasure to operate in CW. I first tuned the rig to a station I wanted to work by ear. Then I used the visual indicator on the display to fine tune the radio. In CW being zero-beat is always a clear advantage and even more when you're low power and your antenna is marginal.
I was still not confident enough to go with a run so all my operation was in S&P. I was particularly glad to work KH6LC (PAC) some 8000 km away on 40m. CW is a very rewarding mode!
In the end I achieved 148 QSOs in 63 sections. I had a lot of fun and I'm looking forward for next year SS. I hope my story will encourage some of you not yet involved to give this great contest a try.
73s de Louis, VE2EZD (Contest Group du Quec) -- VE2EZD
As I improved my QTH situation from an appartment to a rented duplex contesting became something a bit easier to do. The goal this year was to improve my CW skills and to get to the PINS level of more than 100 QSOs.
As a renter the most difficult part is to get the transmission line into the house without having to drill any hole. The solution came in the form of an existing RG-6 cable getting into the house from an unused sat dish. After a small reversible modification I had a line going from the patio to the rig inside the house. The 75 Ohm line was a big tradeoff but considering my situation it was the best compromise. The antenna was a two band dipole hung just about 3 meters over the patio. I was able to switch it from 40m to 20m using a simple alligator clip jumper wire on each leg.
The rig was a brand new Yaesu FT-950 selected for its renowned receiver and its advanced CW features. Logging and radio control came in the form of an old PC running N1MM Logger. To send CW I used a Winkeyer USB from K1EL. A TT1 Touchtapper used as an Iambic paddle came in for the rare not expected and not pre-programmed replies.
During the contest my strong bands were as expected 40m and 20m. Even if the Z11-pro could easily tune the antenna on 80m, my setup was not very efficient on this band. The few QSOs I made on 80m were very difficult as my signal was very weak on the other side.
The FT-950 was a pleasure to operate in CW. I first tuned the rig to a station I wanted to work by ear. Then I used the visual indicator on the display to fine tune the radio. In CW being zero-beat is always a clear advantage and even more when you're low power and your antenna is marginal.
I was still not confident enough to go with a run so all my operation was in S&P. I was particularly glad to work KH6LC (PAC) some 8000 km away on 40m. CW is a very rewarding mode!
In the end I achieved 148 QSOs in 63 sections. I had a lot of fun and I'm looking forward for next year SS. I hope my story will encourage some of you not yet involved to give this great contest a try.
73s de Louis, VE2EZD (Contest Group du Quec) -- VE2EZD
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