2020 ARRL 160 Meter Contest Results
Radio – FT-817@ 5 watts
Antenna – Alpha-Delta LB
Band QSOs Pts Sec
1.8 60 120 22
Total 60 120 22
Score: 2,640
Single-Op QRP NON-Assisted
Bob W1IG
CLUB: CTRI Contest Group
2 comments on “2020 ARRL 160 Meter Contest”
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ARRL 160-Meter Contest – 2020
Call: W1AN
Operator(s): W1AN
Station: W1AN
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: CT
Operating Time (hrs): 7
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 513, Sections = 64, Countries = 14, Total Score = 80,484
Club: CT RI Contest Group
Comments:
Spent Thursday and Friday in the briars, climbing over, cutting the fallen
branches and repairing much of the damage to the beverages. Two were brought
back to life, but temporarily. This year was the worst ever for tree damage. All
the effort only to lose the 160 Wire T vertical sometime during snow, rain and
wind on Saturday early evening in the dark. Only a few Qs on Saturday. Did not
hear much from EU through the low noise on Friday evening. Only a few west coast
stations were put in the log.
Was a good year to try QRP (once again) on Topband as DX condx weren’t too good. Interesting to note: in the updated-for-2020 160m Contest rules that the DX Window (1.830-1.835 MHz) has been abolished by ARRL.
So, band condx + COVID-19 keeping folks home made this even more so a domestic event with mucho US/VE activity. Three of my first six QSOs (logged in first 11 mins!) were with RI thanks to AB1BX Andy, W1XX John and K1MD…Wow, TNX! Got three more RI on Sat with NC1CC, KS1J and NJ1Q for six total.
Most worked Sections: VA 34, EPA 28 , MDC 21, OH 20 , WNY 14, IL 12. N1MM+ shows I was in ‘Run’ mode for 23% of my QSOs. Also worked CTRI’er K1SX … and heard W1AN in S&P mode. Sorry to hear your fine 160m T-Vertical was taken out at W1AN by the Sat storm, John — hope you can resurrect it in time for other Topband events this season. Keep us posted.
Hope many of you can join the denizens of 160m for the annual Stew Perry TB Distance Challenge, the Sat eve just after Xmas. Operate UNassisted only, hand out your Grid Square and have fun … great activity, few cluster pileups and less crowded band compared to ARRL 160! And many great listening stations too. Info at: http://www.kkn.net/stew
73, Bill W1WBB
Call: W1WBB
Operator(s): W1WBB
Station: W1WBB
Class: Single Op QRP
QTH: W1
Operating Time (hrs): 13.5
Location: USA
Summary:
Total: QSOs 297 Sections 44 Countries 2 Total Score 27,600
Club: CT RI Contest Group
Comments:
*UNassisted QRP operation* Many many thanks to all who pulled me out, stuck with me for the Q! An adventure on Topband once again…
Third time I’ve gone QRP in ARRL 160m Contest, but first time since extending the Inv L radiator wire height in late 2019 to ~75′. Increased by about 3500 pts (15%) on my 2014 Non-assisted effort of 248 Q’s/49 Sec/0 DXCC.
As before, I just run into a wall at the Mississippi River with QRP – just 7 Q’s made west of that line: AZ, VE6 (2), STX, AR, IA (2). East of there I *missed* only AL, PR, SFL, WCF AND VO1 (never heard VO1HP ;^(). My compromise radial system and absorption from the large tree the antenna runs thru the likely culprits?? Resulted in totals of 44 Sec + 2 DXCC (C6A, ZF) = 46 Mults. But hard to compete from here vs QRP folks to the west of me gathering additional close-in domestic mults…Hmmmmm, them’s the breaks! [Perhaps if I had a 4-Square array!]
A blast to have a 44 QSO 1st hour, almost all S and P. I did not chase any DX across the big pond (very little EU even heard on Night 1). Conditions were improved on Saturday night, with better sigs, though surprisingly rapid deep QSB remained throughout the weekend even on stronger signals. From EU the GW3 was strongest heard here. The ‘Bomb Cyclone’ Nor’Easter that hit nearby Sat day and evening provided torrential rain and very strong winds here but very little radio impact for me fortunately.
I just concentrated on spinning the dial and making domestic contacts while avoiding pile-ups. Day 1 (thru S/R): 168 QSOs/44 Mults, Day 2: 129
Q’s/2 Mults (MAR and NNY). Quit at 0400Z Sat night after running out of stations to work who could hear me…but caught 75 mins before/during Sun S/R. My hat’s off to the very top QRP scorers – impressive numbers … and EFFECTIVE antennas!!
Icom IC-7300 at 5 watts; 5/16 wave Inv L (vertical portion approx 75′ tall) for primary TX/RX with compromise radial system of about 18 short radials; occasional secondary RX ant (manually activated): 88′ doublet up at 40′; N1MM+ Logger and WinKeyer USB CW interface + Vibroplex Deluxe paddle. Small suburban lot, 100’x200′ at 115′ A.S.L.