[TVARC] K4QR's "Whispered Brag" About Results of 2019 ARRL RTTY Roundup Contest (ContestID: "ARRL-RTTY")

Mon Jan 7 05:47:43 EST 2019

Tony - sorry you’re facing Murphy.  But that’s 14 Qs more than I was able to muster.  Still have family visiting, so no chance to get on the air.

Just remember the famous words of Lewis Carroll:

Twas brillig, and the slithey toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe…

73, Pete, K2PS

From: tvarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:tvarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Anthony Hackenberg
Sent: Monday, January 7, 2019 2:21 AM
To: TVARC MailList at QSL.net
Subject: [TVARC] K4QR's "Whispered Brag" About Results of 2019 ARRL RTTY Roundup Contest (ContestID: "ARRL-RTTY")

Hi Members of TVARC's MailList (especially those of you interested in contesting),

My experience in this year's ARRL RTTY Roundup Contest is aptly captured by these famous lines penned by poet Robert Burns (long before "Murphy's Law"):

“The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men

Gang aft agley, 
An'lea'e us noughtj but grief an' pain, 
For promis'd joy! ”

[Ref: "To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest With the Plough, November, 1785" is a poem written by Robert Burns in 1785]

My preparations were superb!  I had thoroughly researched how to use the software (WSJT-X v2 in FT8 mode) for this contest.  In fact, I had it configured and ready to go.  A day or two before the contest, I even dusted off my rusty RTTY skills using another software product (Ham Radio Deluxe's "Digital Master").  I WAS READY to compete!

Unfortunately, those preparations did not plan for the unexpected events that plagued me.  First, my flagpole antenna system failed completely.  This failure's symptoms included  skyrocketing high SWR readings (near Infinity to 1) that also wildly oscillated.  It also tripped three (3) circuit breakers that supposedly are the "ham resistant" ones).  In addition, lots of RF feedback is coming back into the ham shack (causing my computer monitor to randomly flicker off briefly).  As yet, I have not isolated the cause.

Okay, I thought to myself.  Don't panic ... remember you've got a back-up plan to use hamstick-dipoles mounted in the attic.  So, I switched to them.  I managed to work a few stations on the 20 meter dipole.  Ok...things are looking up.  After this band went dead, I switched to the 40 meter dipole. The poet's words stuck again.   Although I had tuned this dipole while it sat outside in front of my garage, I had never actually tried it in it's position in the attic.  So, of course, when I went to use it during this contest the SWR was well over 3:1!  Some experimentation showed it resonant at 7.003 MHz.  Since these hamstick-dipoles have very narrow bandwidths at 40 and 80 meters, by the time I tuned up to where the FT8 action was, the SWR was 3:1, or more.  So, my power radiated was tremendously reduced.

So, hopefully, others had a better experience than I did for the 2019 ARRL RTTY Roundup Contest.  My whispered results are shown below.  In summary, my claimed score is a paltry 140 points.  This score is based on making only 14 QSOs (contacts) with 10 multipliers (9 States & 1 DXCC country) in an operating time of about 3.0 hours.  I submitted my results to the ARRL contest robot.  I also submitted them to 3830scores.com.  When submitted, I did so as an individual and as a member of TVARC's contesting group.

73,

Tony/K4QR

TVARC Member

= Start of K4QR's "Whispered Brag" for ARRL-RTTY Contest =

                    ARRL RTTY Roundup

Call: K4QR
Operator(s): K4QR
Station: K4QR

Class: SO Unlimited LP   ["Single Operator Unlimited, Low Power"]
QTH: The Villages, FL
Operating Time (hrs): 3

Summary:
 Band  RTTY Qs  Dig Qs
-----------------------
   80:    0        0
   40:    0        0
   20:    0       14
   15:    0        0
   10:    0        0
-----------------------
Total:    0       14  State/Prov = 9  Countries = 1  Total Score = 140

Club: The Villages Amateur Radio Club

Comments:

CLAIMED SCORE: 140
MY SCORE CALCULATION:
  SCORE =      #QSO Points      X  #Multipliers
  SCORE = [(14 qsos X 1 pt/qso) X (9 States + 1 CountryDXCC)
  SCORE =  (14 QSO Pts          X 10 Multipliers
  SCORE = 140
===========================================================
Category:    Single Operator Unlimited, Low Power

HQ-CAT: SOULP 

Station Grid: EL98au
Club:    THE VILLAGES AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
QSOs in Log:    14
Log received at: 2019-01-07 05:09:10 UTC
========================================
Your submitted log follows:
START-OF-LOG: 3.0
CONTEST: ARRL-RTTY
LOCATION: NFL
CALLSIGN: K4QR
CATEGORY-OPERATOR: SINGLE-OP
CATEGORY-ASSISTED: ASSISTED
CATEGORY-POWER: LOW
CATEGORY-BAND: 20M
EMAIL: [deleted by K4QR for privacy reasons]
CREATED-BY: N3FJP'S ARRL RTTY ROUNDUP CONTEST LOG 3.5
CATEGORY-STATION: FIXED
CATEGORY-TRANSMITTER: ONE
CATEGORY-MODE: DIGITAL
CLAIMED-SCORE: 140
NAME: [deleted for privacy reasons]
ADDRESS-CITY: THE VILLAGES
ADDRESS-STATE-PROVINCE: FL
ADDRESS-POSTALCODE: [deleted for privacy reasons] 
ADDRESS-COUNTRY: USA
CLUB: THE VILLAGES AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
ADDRESS: [deleted for privacy reasons]
ADDRESS: [deleted for privacy reasons]
OPERATORS: K4QR
SOAPBOX: Flagpole antenna failed; Switched to attic dipole antenna;
X-ARRL-SECTION: NFL
X-CATEGORY-OPERATOR: SINGLE-OP
X-CATEGORY-POWER: LOW
X-CATEGORY-ASSISTED: ASSISTED
X-CATEGORY-BAND: 20M
X-EMAIL: [deleted for privacy reasons]
X-CLUB: THE VILLAGES AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
[14 QSOs were listed here but deleted by K4QR]
END-OF-LOG:
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/

= End of K4QR's "Whispered Brag" for ARRL-RTTY Contest = 

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