[NLRS] Brief contest report EN37ed K0AWU

[Bill K0AWU]

Hi Guys

  I'll write more later, but just wanted to file a quick report. The poorest 
Sept contest here since 2003. Last year was poor too, with only eight more 
contacts than this year.

50Mhz -- 44 Qs  22 grids
144      -- 61 Qs 24 grids
222      -- 18 Qs 12 grids
432      -- 28 Qs 15 grids
902      --   1 Q     1 grid
1296    --   5 Qs    3 grids
10Ghz  --   4 Qs    4 grids

              161 Qs ... 81 Grids .... total points 18,711

  Several of you were aware that I bought one of Terry W0VB's SDR1000s. When 
I picked it up two weeks ago, I had no intention of trying to do anything 
with it before the Sept contest. But I have been "puttering" around with it 
the last two weeks and on Wed decided that if I really "hit it" I might be 
able to get it running on 2m for the contest.

  WHY??  My 746Pro again has developed major issues on 2m SSB and at times 
the audio is so distorted as to be un-readable. This left me with the 
Icom820H for the contest and the 400w amp.... "Hey" the SDR1000 system would 
drive that amp! .... so Wed I started in earnest getting the SDR system 
ready.

  This SDR1000 has the internal xverter which is NOT INTENDED to be used on 
2m, but is only a 2m unity gain IF. I built a MAR6A 20db preamp at 28mhz to 
provide needed IF gain and added a GASfet amp ahead of the Xverter to 
provide 144mhz noise figure and gain. The combination with proper switching 
provides good system performance at 2m. In the TX chain a "driver" amp was 
added following the 10mw xverter and provides 5-8watts drive, more than 
enough for the amp.

  All was "ready" 45min before the contest ... this was the to be the 2m 
CONTEST rig ... the 820H could be reactivated in about 30min or less if 
needed. All was brought up for an initial test .... 10min later the computer 
crashed and wiped out the parallel/USB driver DLL and messed up a Access 
file used by the SDR ... if this is what was going to happen in the contest 
.. "oh joy"!!

  End result .... the SDR gear was on for the entire contest and no crashes 
.. the SDR1000 performed well. I learned that I need to run less software 
with the system in order to provided desirable keying delay on CW ... the 
built in software keyer does not like lots of apps running. The delay 
increases and then keying becomes difficult listening to the briefly delayed 
sidetone.

  This will be interesting as more bands are added with the SDR IF ... The 
Softrock 144mhz SDR IF will continue to be ran, as it was all weekend. Not 
everything will be on one SDR.

  CUL after I get some sleep ... 73 and good DX ..... Bill  K0AWU