Another year another SSB Sweepstakes.  I hadn’t realised that I’ve been doing it for over 10 years.  Starting on the beach south of Seaside OR for the first year.  Then moving to UT for the rest.  Changes in the equipment have been few.  The FT817 eventually died and was replaced with an FT817ND.  This year I had the IF filters replaced.  What a difference tuning on crowded 40m and 80m bands.  The MFJ901 atu has been replaced with an auto ATU.  I use a boom mic/headset with hand operated ptt.  The antennas have changed from a 15ft vertical mobile, a 40m dipole and finally the 500ft inverted V.

The best piece of equipment is a Tandy WWV controlled digital clock.  So my paper log timings are very accurate.  I use a paper log, as I am not fast on a PC Keyboard. In an rf quiet location the interference from a 19.2V inverter is too great.  The antenna was my trusty 500ft inverted V at 45ft fed with 300 ohm ladder line.  Put up with my home made $15 slingshot special I made up from parts from Wallmart.

 So what was it like this year.  Well as none of us are getting any younger.  I decided to allow another day for travel and set up.  I have finally completed my VE7CA 2 element triband wire yagi.  But again I wasn’t able to set it up in time.  However the inverted V again gave good results. The tree hasn’t been chopped down yet!!

 I was hoping for 200 contacts and an experience similar to the one I had in 2012 where I nearly obtained a clean sweep.  I did not call CQ as much as I should.  Especially on the Sunday.  Which I believe lost me many multipliers.  After 1-2 mins of CQ’s a small pile up of calls would come back. Especially on 15m.  I was glad to work two of the ARRL Centennial stations.  My operating times on Sunday were not the best.  There seem to be a lull from 0800-1000 Mtn.  I need to rethink my start time and have a break between 0800 and 1000 Mtn.  Although the automobile had two batteries.  I found I had to run the engine for long periods to maintain input voltage to the FT817.  Stopping it reducing TX power to 2.5 W.  Something I notice on my own automobile.

 I was expecting propagation to be similar to 2013/12 hence the requirement for the wire yagi especially for the NE of New England and Canada.  Moving around for VI and PR on 20/15m on early Sunday morning.  I did notice that there was much funnelling of signals to small areas on 40m.  Where for about 5 mins you could work a number of stations in the same area of their Section.  Eg CT,VT,PA,KY.

 In 2015 I believe that the advantage of 15m/10m for me as a QRP station will have diminished.  But I would still like to get the VE7CA wire yagi set up.  A half size bobtail for 40m might be fun to play with.  But with tree felling there may not be the support.  The 500ft inverted V is still a good antenna for this contest from Utah.  That will always be the antenna put up first.  Two projects to complete are a voice keyer.  To save my voice.  A small auduino/raspberry pie antenna analyser to set up the yagi/bobtail.  A vehicle 12V booster.

 As always a fun and friendly Contest.  Where people spend time and effort to work all the stations.  Especially when you are the multiplier.  So all have a good Year and I look forward to working you in the 2015 ARRL SSB HF Sweepstakes.

73’s 

GW0NVN   N1XIH