Dec 2, 2015

CQWW CW SOABHP(A)

Call: XV2D
Operator(s): SM6LRR
Station: XV2D
Class: SOAB(A) HP
QTH: Mui Ne
Operating Time (hrs): 34
Location: Other Asia
Summary:   Compare Scores
BandQSOsZonesCountries
160:000
80:2312052
40:7493084
20:5013179
15:10203291
10:1422145
Total:2648134351Total Score2,621,425

This was really a nice experience! Contesting during family vacation has challenges for sure, so my first thanks goes to my wife Ekaterina and to my daughters Elena and Anna for having patience with me both before and during the contest. The timing of our vacation was of course partly aligned with CQWW CW, I must confess... My initial plan was to participate in a Single 40 effort, but the closer I got to the departure, the more wild my thoughs became. I had purchased a nice hexbeam for this type of operation and the initial idea was to bring that one. However, due to some considerations, I decided to get 4 Spiderbeam poles (12 meters) and started planning with different options. Main idea wad to have 3 element Vertical Dipole Arrays for the three higher bands and a vertical for 40 and something for 80. This location is not ideal at all for high antennas on low bands due to absence of high fixing points, so a dipole for 80 at 10 meters was my ultimate idea in order to at least work some JA and Asian multipliers. I had no other ambitions with such an antenna. After realizing that the wind from the Pacific Ocean is VERY strong at this time, I skipped the idea of VDAs for 15 and 20 meters. It is simply to challenging to fix the three elemnts in right position to be efficient when wing speed is above 20 meters per second. The equipment ended up to be like this: 10 meters - 3 element VDA at 5 meters average height 15 meters - my 1/4 wave for 40 meters with just 2 resonant radials for 40 20 meters - started in begging of contest with VDA, but ended up with vertical dipole 40 meters - 1/4 wave vertical with 2 resonant radials. Approximately 30 meters from the sea 80 meters - Inverted Vee on 12 meter Spiderbeam Pole Yes, you can see that I started with the VDA for 20 meters, but it did not perform well, and my next plan was to keep the driven element and move the spiderbeam closer to water. This is good for some aspects of course, but I did not have time to really seal evenything in a perfect way, so after some time, the antenna simply showed greater SWR than my Expert Amp Tuner could handle. I tried to find the reasons for this during 2-3 hours, taking down antenna in the storm alone, almost falling into a small pond when stepping back and holding the spiderbeam... Man, that must have been a sight - especially if all of me had fallen in instead of just one foot and leg. The reason for the problem with the vertical dipole was that salt water had found its way to the SO 239 connector and it took me some time to realize that the salt had shortcircuited the contact and when power was applied, it had for sure created some black colour and smell I did not pay attention to when trying to find the problems (looking on PL contacts on cables mainly). Anyway, after some 5-6 hours of total antenna repair activity (VDA for 10 meters broke twice due to ropes that were cut as result of wind movements), I finally got back in the chair. My aim fr the contest was to beam E21EIC's SOAB HP (A) record from 2009, but with challenges described above, I guess this record will still remain. My claimed score is higher but a miracle should save me from keeping the lead after log checking. We will see... Radio (TS 590S), amplifier (Expert 1.3 K-FA), winkeyer and computer (Win-Test) worked perfect, with one exception - internet connection. Yes, I was assisted but really this assistance was very seldom working, so maybe I should have chosen unassisted. But that Zone 26 record was even more difficult, so the choice was made for Assisted in this contest anyhow. 15 and 40 meters were the best. !0 was a true disappointment and was also very noice on 10 meters for some reason. Nver had any good runs there. 80 meters was the big surprise! Even with such simple antenna as Inv Vee at 10 meter in West-East direction, I was able to have good runs even to Europe and the US. Distances to both locations is close to 9000 km, so surprising what a small antenna like that can do. My respect for all you guys having patience to probably not listen to a very strong signal at time from here. All in all, great fun and thanks to everyone for calling in. Most pleasant contacts were double multipliers with ZD8W on first 40 meters, and then on 20! Also a late contact with FR/OH2YL gave a well needed mult on 40.

 73 de Mats XV2D (also SM6LRR & RM2D)

6 comments:

  1. Mats, Just want to thank you for your perseverance on 80m toward NA at
    our sunrise. The last few days you have been S0 but your signal
    would occasionally get to S1 at my North Texas QTH. Hopefully, condx will
    improve before the end of your stay in XV so that you can put more NA's in
    your log.

    73,

    Kris N5KM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris, hope it will work out next time when I will bring some beverage antennas. Those are badly needed here, for sure...

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  2. Матс, спасибо за QSO на 2 диапазонах!

    de Vic RW0BG

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    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot Victor for contacts! I am so happy for Expert 1.3 that you helped me getting. Super amp for expeditions!

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  3. Mats, signal in contest was no so strong but U ears are good! Tnx !!

    73 from RY6Y team

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Alex! Always a pleasure working you guys from RY6Y! See you in RAEM contest later this month as RM2D

    ReplyDelete