Wow…great stuff Joe! Thanks for that info. On a "miles per watt” I think N3HEE qualifies as my best DX during the contest..by a long shot!
At 2,000mi/ 5 watts you were 400 miles per watt. EU ranges from 4,000-5,000, **assuming** 1 KW, that is only 4 or 5 miles per watt. My most distant DX was BD4WN at 6,000 miles so at 1 kw still only 6 miles per watt. Of course the big issue with EU and AS DX from VE6 is trans-polar AU absorption, but fortunately the ionosphere wasn't lit up too bad. de steve ve6wz > On Dec 9, 2019, at 11:18 AM, Joe Galicic <gali...@comcast.net> wrote: > > Steve, I'm sure glad you stayed in the chair long enough to hear and work me. > I was running 5 watts. I called you many times throughout the contest > before you heard me Saturday evening during prop enhancement. Thrilling to > work 2000 miles QRP on 160 meters. You did all the heavy lifting for me ! :) > TU es 73 -Joe N3HEE > > >> On December 9, 2019 at 11:35 AM VE6WZ_Steve <ve...@shaw.ca> wrote: >> >> >> This was the first time I made a serious attempt at the ARRL 160m contest. >> Usually I will just poke around and hand out mults. Since condx were >> looking pretty good, I decided to stay in the chair a bit longer. >> >> I must say I forgot how this contest is really more like SS with some DX >> thrown in rather than a real DX contest. I knew the band was in great shape >> to EU because of how loud the EU callers were, at least 4 of which were >> dupes. At around 4 AM, John SM5EDX called in to tell me I had a great signal >> at his local NOON! So I knew the band was in good shape over the pole at my >> morning. The band was wall-to-wall during prime-time, but I could usually >> find a CQ hole somewhere. If you left a run spot to go pee, it would be >> gone within about 1 or 2 minutes. >> >> 1319 QSOs (1381 total QSOs but 62 dupes!!! some guys just kept duping me, >> multiple times…I just kept logging them) >> 83 sec (I worked all sections before I went to bed Friday night) >> >> 52 DXCC: >> >> EU- 114 QSOs, 25 DXCC >> >> AS- 97 QSOs, 5 DXCC: 86 JA, 7 UA9, 2 HL, 1 BY, 1 JT >> >> OC- 8 QSOs, 2 DXCC: 7 KH6, 1 5W >> >> SA- 3 QSOs, 3 DXCC: 1 CE, 1 YV, 1 PJ2 >> >> AF-1 QSO, 1 DXCC: 1 D4 >> >> I was operating my remote station using the Flex 6600, ACOM 2000a, 2 el TX, >> and multiple RX. >> My preferred radio is the K3s because it has superior weak signal RX, but it >> has no waterfall via the remote. >> >> My remote station is a challenge to operate a contest like this. Here is >> some info on how things are set-up. >> >> I am not "a boy and his radio", I am "a boy and his PC". I use the Flex >> 6600 PC software on one monitor, and the remote station PC is on the other >> monitor where I log with N1MM and control the station. There is no physical >> radio or switching at the operating table. Just the PC, a mouse and a >> keyboard. >> I always use diversity RX with my 9 circle array in one ear, and the >> Beverages in the other. Each has 8 compass directions and each are >> controlled with a clickable rotor compass dial on the PC. SO...to change >> directions I need to click the 9 circle, then click the Beverage selector, >> and then click the TX array direction, then get the cursor back to N1MM to >> log. Often I would be RX in multiple directions in each ear which was handy, >> but boy....Im pretty sure I'm developing carpel tunnel syndrome from using >> that mouse! During the morning run was really crazy...JA, OC, NA, N polar >> and EU all possible signal arrivals! >> If I was RX for JA, and some polar EU would call if I had one ear on EU I >> might hear them, but then if they are weak, I need time to switch the other >> RX to have good copy. If the callers are only dumping their call once…I >> might not get it. Same with NA calling from the back of the RX. The >> Beverage broadside phased pairs are very sharp, and the difference can be >> copy-no copy just between N to NE. I may consider adding my RBN skimmer 30m >> loop into the RX mix so I can have “omni” rx, but it does not hear as well. >> So if I missed any callers, or seemed really slow responding, it was >> probably because I was busy switching my RX and struggling to get the mouse >> back into N1MM to type in a call. This is one disadvantage of the remote >> compared to having a physical direction switch so I could keep the focus on >> N1MM. >> There were some very exceptional EU signals, some of which when they called >> I was sure they were NA. >> On Friday night at 0730z JE1BMJ and JE1CKA got my attention even though I >> was RX for EU. This was just at JA sunset. I switched to JA and had a nice >> run on 41 JA till I went to bed at 0830z. >> Congrats to Joel VE6WQ at VE6JY and Eric VE6BBP who were both rocking the >> band during the contest. >> >> Thanks to those how called me and could hear me. >> Lets hope these great conditions persist throughout the season. >> >> 73, de steve ve6wz >> _________________ >> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
