[SJDXA] FW: CQ160 CW W2GD Multi-Op HP

[Bob Schenck N2OO]

>From W2GD fyi.

 

Bob

 

From: John Crovelli [mailto:w2gd at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 2:09 AM
To: Marty Grozinski; w2no at optonline.net; w1gd at aol.com; k2tw at yahoo.com;
w2rq at embarqmail.com; dave.n3rd at verizon.net; N2OO; k2sg at comcast.net; Craig
Thompson; N2HM
Subject: FW: CQ160 CW W2GD Multi-Op HP

 


 
> Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2011 22:50:23 -0800
> To: 3830 at contesting.com; w2gd at hotmail.com
> Subject: CQ160 CW W2GD Multi-Op HP
> From: webform at b41h.net
> 
> CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW
> 
> Call: W2GD
> Operator(s): W1GD, K2SG, K2TW, N2HM, N2OO, W2CG, W2GD, W2NO, W2OB, W2RQ,
N3RD, K9CT
> Station: W2GD
> 
> Class: Multi-Op HP
> QTH: NJ
> Operating Time (hrs): 39
> 
> Summary:
> Total: QSOs = 1815 State/Prov = 59 Countries = 84 Total Score = 1,131,845
> 
> Club: Frankford Radio Club
> 
> Comments:
> 
> Location: On Barnagat Bay near West Creek, NJ, 20 miles north of Atlantic
City.
> Run Position: K3 for TX, a second K3 RX only, Alpha 91B, 1.5 KW
> Mult. Position: K3, Alpha 76CA 1.2 KW 
> Homebrew Rig Interlock. All K3s are subreceiver equipped.
> Contest Software: Win-Test.
> K3WW cluster node and RBN Internet Connections
> 
> TX Antennas: 2 element Vertical Wire Beams NE and West; Inverted L (New)
> 
> RX Antennas: Beverages NE 900'(2el phased array - realigned), South/North
> 465'(unterm), SW 560', West 560', and NW 560' (new); Remote 20' Vertical
> located 2500' from TX array for SDR and diversity reception
> 
> LIVING A DREAM
> While driving home from the station after the contest, I remembered how
over 40
> years earlier I'd dreamed about how terrific it would be to use an AM
broadcast
> station for 160M contesting. Somewhere I'd read that a contester (WA9UJU?)
had
> actually been lucky enough to be doing just that from a small daytime only
AM
> station in WI. OK....fast forward 30 years to 2001. I'd just joined a
small
> startup company that had plans to use HF packet to deliver commercial
email
> services to the global shipping industry. One of my early assignments was
to
> perform due diligence audits of coastal marine stations in NJ, AL and WA.
Soon
> thereafter we bought the properties. My boyhood dream was about to become
> reality. The NJ station, WSC, had a 300' tower completely surrounded by
salt
> marsh. So for the past decade, I've been living that boyhood dream,
operating
> from a former coastal marine station with primo 160M antennas. It doesn't
get
> much better than that!
> 
> 
> PREPARATIONS - Line Noise, Back-up TX Antenna, Beverages
> Our STEW experience identified a few items still needing remediation
before THE
> BIG ONE. 
> 
> The most pressing problem was a new case of line noise that had begun
buzzing
> nearby. We did some investigation of our own, identified several areas of
> interest, and turned the information over to the local power company. We
were
> pleasantly surprised when they actually responded and found the source of
the
> most serious problem (bad lightning arrestors) and then made repairs. The
band
> was dead quiet contest weekend.
> 
> An offshoot of the line noise problem, we decided to relocate our NW
beverage
> further from the power lines (some insurance in the event the noise
problem
> wasn't solved in time). W1GD and I slogged through over a foot of snow one
> cold Thursday afternoon installing the new 560' element. That same
afternoon
> we took GPS waypoint readings to map the location of our other beverages. 
> 
> Another work party a week later was devoted to building and installing a
new
> backup TX antenna. The vertical dipole we've been using the past 3 years
has
> been significantly underperforming the Inverted L it replaced. We decided
to
> install a new "L" further from the station building to hopefully limit RF
> intrusion issues. This antenna performed exceptionally well.....a keeper. 
> 
> The GPS work identified serious issues with the NE beverage installation
(a
> pair of 900' elements 280' apart located in very thick woodlands). We
> discovered the crude methods used 8 years earlier to erect the array were
far
> from accurate. One of the elements was staggered over 100' forward, and
the
> dirction skewed so the far ends were only 190 feet apart. On the morning
of the
> contest we pulled the entire 900' element out of the woods and stared over
using
> GPS waypoint locations every 100 feet. Now we know the geometry is exactly
spot
> on. 
> 
> THE TEAM
> This year we were better staffed than the last several. Dave, N3RD a
fellow
> FRCer from nearby EPA joined us for the first time and hopefully not the
last.
> And Craig, K9CT, made the long journey from Peoria, IL to find out what EU
> sounds like on the east coast. He didn't leave disappointed. And the
regulars
> were there too. W2CG and W2NO worked their station and network setup
magic,
> W1GD, K2TW and I did most of the outdoor prep work, with support from
SJDXA
> members K2SG, W2ARP, N2OO, N2HM, and W2OB. W2RQ gave us some operating
relief
> the second night. Our 160 contests are as much a social events as they are
> serious competitions. Interaction of the participants is a big part of the
> fun.
> 
> CONTEST RECAP
> Can't remember a 160 contest when it was so difficult to find and hold a
> frequency. This aspect of the event was not particularly enjoyable, and in
the
> end frequency selection was probably the winner's edge. The lower 50 Khz
were
> completely occupied every 200 cycles. It was impossible from NA to find a
> frequency that didn't have one or more EU stations CQing. Total madness at
> times.
> 
> Despite the crowding, we averaged 100/hour rate the first five hours. The
band
> was quiet which helped keep things rolling easily. We were posting on
GetScores
> from the beginning (wish all the competive multi's would do the same -
watching
> the scores live is great fun). 
> 
> After falling significantly behind the first few hours we agressively
worked
> our 2nd station and pulled virtually even with the K1LZ team at 0500Z. But
then
> the boys in MA pulled away decisively, opening up a 100K lead over the
next few
> hours, by virtue of working more EU ten pointers (congratulations to the
K1LZ
> team). In a nutshell, this was the turning point of the contest. We knew
> aferward we were likely playing for 2nd place the rest of the way. If we
had
> it to do over, we might decide to go higher in the band for better EU
> "visibility". W2OB came in at 1230Z to do the morning daylight shift,
allowing
> the rest of us to head out for our traditional team breakfast after
sunrise each
> morning.
> 
> There was plenty of DX to work both nights, although we felt conditions
were
> somewhat better during the first night of the contest. We ended up with
497
> ten pointers and 101 five pointers, about the same as 2010 (thanks to N6TV
with
> help with the stats). CW skimmer has really made the task of multiplier
hunting
> much less difficult. We found the RBN network exceptionally effective at
> identifying multiplier opportunities, some being visible for just minutes.
And
> it was always a wonderful surprise to be called by new ones.....notably
ZS, EA9,
> CX, HK, HR, LU, UA9, and very unexpectedly VP8ORK. We apparently didn't
catch
> the active VO2 but did work ND and SD, both missed last year. Did you know
> Jorge, CX6VM/CW5W left his seashore family vacation the first night and
drove
> 750 Km just to make the CX multiplier available for the rest of us? That's
> what I call dedication! We sincerly thank all the operators worldwide who
> made their own extraordinary effort to get on the air for the benefit of
all
> participants. BRAVO!
> 
> Last year's rule change limiting M/M operation to 40 hours continues to be
a
> great source of relief for our team. No more having to send CQ for hours
and
> hours on a dead band during daylight. Thanks again for listening Andy! 
> 
> We seemed to have turned the corner on station performance in this
contest,
> after struggling with various nagging TX and RX antenna performance
problems
> the past few years. Everything worked as expected, we had no failures, and
felt
> competitive with our New England friends. The trend toward virtual
hardware
> parity continues. The numbers seem to confirm it. We still see
opportunities
> for further station improvements but they will wait until next fall.
> 
> As always, we want to thank the owners of WYRS-FM for hosting our 160M 
> activities year after year. And a big THANK YOU to everyone of you who
took the
> time to work us and others this past weekend.
> 
> CU again next season.
> 
> 73,
> 
> John W2GD for THE TEAM
> 
> 
> Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at:
http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/