K1SX SO Unlimited LP
167–48–14–22,940
Genesis G11 SDR, homebrew sspa, 100w to inv L 65’/65′ in tree with 16 radials
5 hrs
I know a lot of members were on and congrats W1XX and NC1CC for fb scores on 3830 so far. I heard KS1J, W1AN and wkd XX, AI1TT and K1DM. I have trouble associating the term “Unlimited” with my station, but such is the rule, even tho I didn’t use the bandmap but just glanced at spots occasionally.
With limited time I tended to drift into dx’ing instead of pursuing the numbers, and so I was happy with the country count but wish I had tried more running. When I did, briefly, I got loud zero beat pileups and was really stumbling over the keys. Few Europeans heard and fewer worked–6 in all, and 8 carib. mults. Best was EM2Q. Noise levels seemed normal, but propagation didn’t seem too special. I did get 4 west coast mults which is a lot for me. KH6”s were right at noise and will have to wait for another day. This is a fun, very straightforward contest. But it seems the mysteries of 160m antennas are still before me.–Dave K1SX
It was good to see all the CTRI activity this year in the ARRL 160 Contest. Nice scores! Band conditions were actually good with QRN almost non-existent. I was hearing well. Especially on the beverages. But at the start after dark I noticed strange antenna amp loading. No peaks or dips. I then quickly recalled the forgotten same during the CQWW CW test. I ran on this mismatch the first evening and in the daylight found a broken wire at the antenna feedpoint. This vertical T is made from 450 ohm “window line” and is only happy when both sides are fed. Why there is such a big difference in loading from one missing of two parallel wires I know not. Both are supposedly connected top and bottom to widen the bandwidth. Fixed for now.
Operation the second night was better. Not as busy over to EU but less activity with less QRM helped fill a few missing sections to the west. And EU was hearing me much better. Missed WTX PAC SCV SJV AK EWA BC NL NT SK.
73, John W1AN
Call: W1AN Section: CT Class: SO HP Unlimited (Assisted)
Operating Hours: 9
QSOs: 518 Sections: 73, Countries: 43
Score: 137,069
Why does N1MM not break out countries and section totals for the 160?
Call/Op/Station: W1XX
Class: Single-op HP unassisted
QTH: Ocean State
Operating Time (hrs): 18.8
Summary:
QSOs = 939 Sections = 74 Countries = 38 Total Score = 246,288
Club: CTRI Contest Group
Comments:
The 2nd night started at about 4:30 PM Saturday afternoon with my first CQ answered by a SV (Greece) station who was at least 589. Lookin’ good! Well, no so fast, Buddy. 2nd night for me was a complete slog to find more contacts: CQing, S & P, up the band, down the band.
The first night ended with nearly 800 Qs, many EUs calling in to my CQing. Optimism reigned. Stayed up thru the night with only a couple of short breaks. !000 QSOs were a sure thing. Just needed to pick up ,a few more countries, and some elusive West Coast mults. Like SJV. Who wudda thunk this would be a tuff one?
Result? I threw in the towel at 1:30 AM Sunday with one QSO more than last year. It was just beginning to resemble a root canal…not like the FB first FUN night.
So much for my tale of woe. Kudos to NC1CC who I heard a gazillion times as I turned the dial up and down the band. And John, W1AN with a nice country count. And to CTRI for a pretty good club showing.
I really like the CQ versions (CW & Phone) of 160 contesting in January/February. More DX! If anyone needs any help between now and then for antenna launching over trees, I’m available with bow ‘n arrow.
And BTW we are just now coming into the most favorable time of the year for possible JAs on 160 at daily sunrise. GL!
.
Re John’s (W1AN) comment on N1MM: Yes, why does not the score window break down sections from countries? Annoying. Only way to know your country count…which is nice to know as you work stations…is to subtract your missed sections count from 83 and subtract that from the mult total showing in the window. How do you advise the N1MM update team to this situation? Someone should do it. Out.
I am still using TR Log and that program lets you know the DX count separately from the Sections count, and I’m very used to operating that program and loath to change software. Tree emailed me a new file to fix Cabrillo for the VHF/UHF bands after the ARRL changed their designators in Cabrillo from letters to numbers, and more recently sent me the file to add the extra Canada sections to the ARRL sections list. Amazing how Tree is still supporting a program I bought from him almost 20 years ago – plus it keys CW into any rig and allows a paddle over-ride hookup too. The bad news is that I have to use a very old laptop that reboots in MS DOS, and remember DOS commands for file handling, as I need to get the file out on a 3.5 inch floppy – remember those? Then I put the floppy in a 5 year newer but still antique laptop and move the file over to a thumb drive after fixing anything in the log using Wordpad on that intermediate laptop. Both of those antique laptops cannot connect to the Internet so they are blind to the countless Windows updates and anti-virus updates over the past decades. At the end, the thumb drive with the ready to submit Cabrillo file goes into my MacBook for submission, as that is my current Internet capable machine. Contest logging on an antique DOS machine is also why I always operate unassisted – well that and the Internet doesn’t reach my shack out back from the house very well, plus I’m happier keeping it simple.
Wow guys!! Stellar participation in ARRL 160m ‘Test by CTRI crew — 11 of you in my log, TU! A quick check shows club currently at 650k+ points, *already* our best effort going back 10 years (perhaps ever!?). Well done! And DX conditions weren’t even that great (IMO).
Only a cat nap for me before Sat. sunrise, then slept in. Like others, pulled the plug early Sun morn (after 1:30am and two new DX mults). But back on near 6am for final stretch through sunrise.
Friday eve near 7pm I was able to hold down 1.836 MHz for an hour and 15m with my 100 watts (and recently moved/elevated Inv L radiator) making 94 straight QSOs, a really fun sustained rate of about 74 Q’s/hour — best 30+ min rate for me in the event, and not bad for all the noise 160m can bring. So I encourage you to “run” often (vice S&P), ’til the well runs dry ;^)
If time permits I hope many of you will try the 160m Stew Perry Distance Challenge Sat. eve Dec. 28th (1 night only)…good activity (and DX) but not a crazy-full Topband quite like this one. Enjoy – hope to CU then. My comments on 3830scores.com also included below. 73, Bill W1WBB
PS. Concur! N1MM+ Logger should breakout Sections & DX mults *separately*…it CAN be done, I’m sure.
Call: AI1TT
Operator(s): W1WBB
Station: W1WBB
Class: SO Unlimited LP
QTH: W1
Operating Time (hrs): ~20
Location: USA
Summary:
Total: QSOs 650 Sections 65 Countries 27 Total Score 127,604
Club: CT RI Contest Group
Comments: [email] 2019-12-11 22:30:12
Great to be part of the bedlam once again in early December at the bottom of The Topband for ARRL 160m!
Height of vertical radiator on Inv L recently increased to 70+ feet (approx. double its previous height)… improved results, certainly on TX — fewer repeats and more first call answers. Exceeded previous best (2010 as SOLP) by 10k points… DX mults were up, sections count down vs. 2010 numbers (which was pre-Ontario split [GTA ONE ONN ONS]). 650QSOs/65Sec+27DX=92mults this year vs 630Q/69+19=88 in 2010. Had 29 5-pt QSOs (27 DX mults) vs. previous best 23 5-pt/19 DX in 2010.
While band was quiet with no QRN and K-index of mostly 1, DX conditions were below average here to Eu (esp. 2nd night) compared to peak days during last 5-6 weeks. Few QSOs to West Coast (just EB LAX SDG and OR); a few others who were pretty strong from CA were alligators! LU8 (quite loud) and CX6 to far south were heard for first time ever. D4C was new DXCC on 160m for me, TNX. Overall propagation during the weekend seemed just so-so from here.
OUTSTANDING showing by our CTRI CG members – worked 11 of our guys!!
And Big TNX to W1MBF Mark w/ recent help relocating Inv L, and K3IU Ken for SWR analyzer loaner … much appreciated!
Icom IC-7300; 5/16 wv Inv L on TX/RX with approx 18 radials; secondary RX ants (manually activated): 225′ Bi-directional BOG -or- HF Hexbeam (!); N1MM+ Logger and WinKeyer USB CW interface + Vibroplex Deluxe paddle.