[Elecraft] CQCWW

[Heimo J. Lyden]

I am not a contester, butI  never had anything against week end contests.
Usually I just hang out and listen around with my K2. But since Sverre 
asked if it is
necessary to submit logs, not to "screw up" the logs of the "real" 
contesters, I decided
to go ahead. I thought that maybe my "zone 8" would be interesting to some. 
I do not
think so, because there were a lot of zone 8s out there. And I also wanted 
to try out
my minimal setup, a K2 at 5W and a 6 meter fiber glass rod (fishing pole) 
with a quarter wave vertical for 20m with two radials. The feed point was 
up about 2.5 meters. I have a tin roof on my house and recall seeing a 
thread about maybe using the roof as a counterpoise.
I will try that one day, but I was surpised with what I achieved with this 
setup. Of course the
Caribbean sea 300 meters from my house did the trick. I also have a small 
river outside my
house, but I guess it is not the main reason  that the antenna works i.e .  
Far field etc.
Tuning in on 10m I hear N4BP and I could not resist getting him. He 
actually asked for a repeat
of my callsign and I realised that that I had my dot weight on my K2 set to 
1.30. It sounds good
for me, but maybe not that very good at the other end. I recall Bob 
mentioning that on the list.
I turned it down to 0.90 afterwards and actually I did not have many 
requests for repeats. He has a  reason. While running qrp you have to be 
very "distinct" in your transmitting. Well,I am on
Bob's backyard, so to say, and I guess we were actually working the ground 
wave. One of the reasons, except from that he is an outstanding DXer, to 
work Bob was that he was the first callsign I heard after
having repaired my K2 (mouse attack). That was with a 3 feet wire, I did 
not attempt to work him that
time. I had about 12 QSOs during three hours. As a swede it was nice to get 
7S2E (special station).
If I had not used my trysty YPLog I would not have been able to recognise 
this as a swedish station. There was a moment of silence before they 
confirmed the qso. Maybe it was one of my old ham friends that has not 
heard from me for the past 12 years. I had contact with a few other US 
stations. But my highlight was a QSO with OH6NJ. I was borned in the 
norhtern part of "aluminum land" as my brasilian friends  use to call them.
I got PJ2T, actually the only QSO on 20m. When I started at about 12z, i 
tried to make some contacts
on 40m. The stations were strong, but not a chance. I guess a 20m vertical 
is not up to that challenge.
And of course, I was not "hungry" like the real contesters. They say that 
if you can hear them you can work them. I do not think so. My K2 hears too 
well. I have to
put up another antenna. That will be a two element sloping dipole. I really 
do not have the space and trees
large enough to support a real dipole, but after this test I am quite happy 
with my no frills vertical.
Well, after three hours of my first contest it felt good. 73
Heimo FG/SM6LOD PYZOD
Lost in time and space on the wonderful island of Guadeloupe Carribbean.

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