[KCDXC] Fw: SS CW KB0VVT School Club HP

Fri Nov 25 01:20:03 EST 2005

                     ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, CW

 Call: KB0VVT
 Operator(s): KB0VVT, KC0UNB
 Station: KB0VVT

 Class: School Club HP
 QTH: MO
 Operating Time (hrs): 24

 Summary:
  Band  QSOs
 ------------
   160:
    80:  206
    40:  476
    20:  423
    15:   40
    10:    2
 ------------
 Total: 1147  Sections = 80  Total Score = 183,520

 Club: Raytown South High School ARC

 Comments:

 SS CW 2005

 Much has happen since last year's Sweepstakes when the KBØVVT SS CW 2004
 Multi-op team placed 5th in the Nation.

 My family and I traveled to Hawaii to vacation in late December 2004.  I
had
 planned to operate Kid's Day in January, 2005 from KH7X but my sponsor had
to
 cancel.  I still hope to operate at KH7X during an actual contest someday.

 During the 2005 Dayton Hamvention, I helped at the ARRL EXPO Youth table
and
 operated the N8D special event station at the ICOM booth.  Dayton is always
a
 lot of fun and it is great to spend time with all of my amateur radio
friends
 from all over the world.  I especially love participating in the KCDX Club
CW
 Pile-Up competition.

 Over this past summer, Stan, K5GO and Kevin N5DX, invited me to his station
to
 operate the IARU HF World Championship contest using the call W1AW/5.  The
 station is located about 2000 feet above sea level on top of Gaither
mountain
 that overlooks Harrison, Arkansas.  It was great to operate with the others
from
 such an awesome station.

 In case you had not heard, during the summer, I was honored as the
recipient of
 the annual ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award.  I received the award for
 among other things, my accomplishments in academics, participation or
leadership
 in organizational affairs, amateur radio operating activities, public
relations
 activities, and for community service and involvement.  I would like to
thank
 the ARRL and the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award selection committee for
 selecting me for this prestigious award.  See the following link for the
 complete story:

 http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/07/20/3/?nc=1

 I am now a senior in High School so it is time for me to decide on which
college
 I want to attend next fall.  I am interests are in studying Mathematics and
 Engineering.  In early August, my family and I traveled from coast to coast
 visiting the University of Missouri-Rolla, Caltech, MIT, and along with a
road
 trip to ARRL Headquarters in Newington, Connecticut.  I am guaranteed a
spot at
 UMR but I am still entertaining the thought of attending MIT.  After the
campus
 tour, I was able to locate the MIT Amateur Radio Club antennas along with
the
 building that houses the station.  The building was being remodeled but I
still
 entered and climbed the many flights of stairs but all I was only able to
see
 the frosted glass door with the radio club logo.  I am not sure where I am
going
 to attend college next fall, but whichever college it is, I plan to put
their
 Amateur Radio Club back on the contesting map!!

 Early this school year, I convinced Dr. Overfelt, the Principal of Raytown
South
 High School, to sponsor the newly formed Raytown South High School Amateur
Radio
 Club (RSHS ARC).  I decided to mix things up a little bit for Sweepstakes
since
 it is my last year of high school.  A fellow RSHS ARC member, Joe Watts
KCØUNB,
 and I ran Sweepstakes under the SCHOOL Category!!!!

 The RSHS ARC does not yet have a club callsign or club station.  The
Sweepstakes
 rules state that, "A club may operate from a member's station only if no
 on-campus station exists."  This being the case, we operated from my
station
 using the KBØVVT callsign.  The station is located on a 100' by 100' city
lot
 with my parent's house located in the center.  There is a KLM KT34A
tri-band
 Yagi and a Alpha-Delta DX-A sloper on a 50' Universal self-supporting tower
in
 the backyard.  We used a beat-up R7, that I have used since I was 8 years
old,
 and a Cushcraft A3S that is up about 25 feet.  We also tried to use the new
 Cushcraft MA8040V, that I put together, that worked fine on 40 meters but
it
 kept faulting the amplifier when used on 80 meters.  The reflected power
would
 start creeping up until it would flash over and fault the amplifier.  I do
not
 know for sure, but maybe the top 80-meter coil cannot really handle full
legal
 power.  I wasted several minutes of the contest fooling around with this
 antenna.  It is a good thing I had the Alpha-Delta Sloper or we would have
been
 in real trouble.  I sure wish I had 2 or 3 elements on a 40-meter beam
along
 with some listening antennas for the low bands.

 I ran for 24 hours, and Joe came over to my station a few times during the
 weekend to help out.  For the first time ever, I had to operate the radio
the
 whole day without the help of a multi-op team.  I stayed up until 2:00AM
Central
 Standard time and got back up to catch the morning rush at 6:00AM Central
 Standard time.  I spent Sunday afternoon working the contest and studying
for my
 Advanced Placement Biology test that I would take the next day over the Lac
 Operon and Hox genes (I got 100%).  I also decided to adopt the Multiplier
Bell
 System (the system where you ring a bell every time you get a new
multiplier) at
 my station.

 Joe does not really know CW, but with the help of the Writelog CW Decoder,
he
 was able to squeeze-in 20 contacts, on the 100 Watt ICOM IC756 PROII, which
 included a few new sections that we needed.  The remaining QSOs were made
by me
 running full legal power.

 A few photographs will show-up soon at the ARRL soapbox located at the
following
 link:

 http://www.arrl.org/contests/soapbox/?con_id=96

 For more information about me, please see the following link:

 http://www.qrz.com/kb0vvt

 Well, that is a Sweep!!!

 Well, it was nice to hear you all on Sweepstakes CW. I hope to see you at
 Dayton.  Until next year .

 I Am Proud To Be a Know Code Ham,
 73,

 Rebecca Rich, KBØVVT

 Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at:
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