VE2XAA
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Re:CQWW CW 2008 - 2008/12/05 12:28
Hello, mes ami,
Yes this year winter tires help me a lot.
The wheather conditions was very bad from Montreal to Sept Iles and back home, but in a different ways.
I left home on November 25 at 4.20 AM whith havy snowfall. Average speed was 50 km/hr and I reach Tadussak ferry at 1.00PM. Than the road was clear and it is help me to drive faster. The way back was opposite: snowfall from Sept Iles up to Quebec city. Totally it takes me 18 hours drive to Sept Iles and 14 hrs back.
First night, even I was exausted, with shaking hands I opened my transiver and connect to the antenna. The big problem with antennas was expected because no one was use the station after our last year visit on November. There are only 2 antennas: Yaggi Tribander (3x3) and Alpha-Delta tribander (InvV for 160/80/40)
It was a big relief - the Yaggi`s VSWR was good for CW sub-bands! It is almost impossible for one person to do something with antenna if something wrong (burned coils, traps, balun etc). But VSWR was good, so I could at least take only 20m band for the contest.
But InvV was very bad for me: High VSWR for 40m; for 80m it was good for SSB sub-band; for 160 it was bad VSWR and it was tuned for SSB. But this problem I can solve myself, this is a question about time only.
20m and higher was dead, 40m was poor, but on 80 was some stations. I try SSB on 80... on 40... a few QSO no pile-ups. Thats it for first day.
Next days I did repair and retune the Alpha-Delta for 160/80/40 as well as inltalled separate InvV for 30m band. I did use Alpha-Delta for 17m Band with tranwsiver`s tuner. Mostly I was operate SSB, RTTY on regular bands and CW on 30m and 17m; tryed do not operate CW too much and heat-up people`s interest for the contest. Same time i did observation of the propagation but as usually the propagation during the contest was absolutely different compaire with the one on the week.
Alpha delta was working not bad for 40m and 80m but very bad for 160m. We did compaire with Victor VA2WDQ contact with some LY2 station; hi got answer right away and I did not at all. But VO1HP gave me 599+10, with comment that signal is very loud. No doubt - this antenna is very bad for DX-ing on 160. Next time it has to be mounted something better.
Three hours slipping before contest let me operate withut problem through the night, I did sleep only 2 hours and it was enough to continue. Not bad propagation to EU in the morning on 20, some openings on 15. Unfortunately signal was not very loud and with pile-ups I have to repeat many times the correspondent call before get QSL. And the worst is that big guns did not respect my frequency and covered from both side so close that I can not receive many calls. And usualy they even do not answer me when I ask them QSY_QRL. My big mistake that I lost almost propagation on 40. It was opened full day for EU, but I was working with US on 15 and miss a lot of EU points on 40. When first I start run on 40 - i can not receive any calls! because so many stations was calling me that it was only high level white noise and even 1-2 letters was impossible to catch! And even I did answer somebody - they can not hear me because others continue to call. The rate instead to grow immediately fell down from 220 to 80 QSO/hr. When I call for splitting - it was too late! The propagation for EU did start to decrease. The people stop to call me and I finish the test in S&P mode try to get mults as more as possible.
Anyways in general it was a good time and I got what I expect to have - satisfaction.
Again thanks a lot to all CGQ members for support, QSO and spotting. Every time after your spots the rate was increase for 20-50%. So, 20-50% of my result is yours! Thanks to the members of club station VE2RSI, the kept antennas in workable condition and their accomodation was very good.
Post edited by: ve2xaa, at: 2008/12/05 14:22
Post edited by: ve2xaa, at: 2008/12/05 14:44
Post edited by: ve2xaa, at: 2008/12/05 17:27
Post edited by: ve2xaa, at: 2008/12/06 16:59
73! Alexey VE2XAA |
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