[PVRCNC] CQ 160 W2DZO- " A Bug in the system"

[Henry Heidtmann]

   CQ 160 METER CONTEST -- 2003


      Call:      W2DZO
      Category:  Single Operator
      Power:     100 watts
      Band:      160
      Mode:     CW
      State:     NC

               QSO   QSO PTS  STATES COUNTRIES


     Totals     39      90      22       0    =   1,980 pts.

1 hour total operating time

Got in the shack a couple times to see how the shunt feed plays with
snow/ice covering the matchbox, shunt wire and snow covered radial (1).
Then I realized that my keyer and contest card were at the W4WS station
(KG4NEP). Rats- no key. A quick search for a temporary replacement led
to Grandpa's old 1930's Vibroplex bug.
Geez. I have gained a huge respect for guys who run straight keys/bugs.
I struggled through a few q's and gave up (the 850 tuned the problematic
shunt feed, but barely). A couple more trips to the shack between family
duties (including daylight hours where I worked 4 or guys locally and up
the coast) yielded some more q's, as I searched out some PVRCer's to
give some points. Next time I'll try it from the W4WS qth with rcv loop
and a real antenna. Sorry for all the fills- the bug has a mind of its
own, especially with a lousy bug operator.

I'll be on as one of the bonus stations for the NC QSO Party in February
(info- see www.w4nc.com.) I'll be mobile and fixed at different times
throughout the day. Thanks to N9OH we have a true Writelog module for
the QSO party. If you use Writelog, take the time to download the module
and give it a try. And, as always, let me know what county you'll
operate from so I can fill in the map on our website to give mobile ops
an idea of what counties to trek through. We had 98 of 100 counties in
logs last year- Shooting for 100% this year.

73,
Henry, W2DZO
Winston-Salem, NC