[TVARC] CQWWDX Contest writeup for VP2MDM

[k2dm at comcast.net]

Clubmates,
Here is the writeup I submitted for VP2MDM in the DX contest this past weekend.
We had a BLAST!
73,
George K2DM / VP2MDM


Call: VP2MDM
Operator(s): K2DM N0SMX ND8L
Station: VP2MDM

Class: M/S HP
QTH: VP2M
Operating Time (hrs): 48

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:   21     5        7
   80:  102     8       18
   40:  330    22       70
   20: 1325    30       92
   15: 1172    31       88
   10: 2822    31       98
------------------------------
Total: 5772   127      373  Total Score = 6,780,500

Club: The Villages Amateur Radio Club

Comments:

This was my last trip to Montserrat.  It has been one hell of a ride that began
in 2004 with brother Peter, K3ZM.  I will try to document the journey in a few
days on my QRZ.com page.
I could not have asked for better teammates for this trip than my friends Dennis
(N0SMX) and Ray (ND8L).  This was Dennis' third trip to Montserrat and Ray's
first, and we had an amazing time.  These guys are a hoot, and they are as solid
as rocks.  We had to overnight in Antigua on the trip down because the flight
from Miami to Antigua does not arrive in time to catch the last plane to
Montserrat.  So, we arrived on Montserrat around noon and immediately set about
erecting antennas and assembling the RUN and MULT stations.  The last group to
operate from our location had problems with the TH6 and CL-33 antennas.  The TH6
worked fine for us, and we were able to effect repairs on the CL-33.  For years
now I have installed a clone of the Cushcraft 40-2CD on the same boom as the TH6
(GASP!).  We had a great signal on 10M through 40M.  We hung dipoles for 160M
and 80M on the 55-foot tower to round out the main antennas.  The Mosley CL-33
was mounted on an auxiliary mast and was intended to be the MULT station's
primary antenna.  We carried down a K3, a K3S and an Expert 1.3k-fa amplifier
for the stations, planning to use an Expert 1.0k-fa amp on the MULT station.
This was to be a semi-serious operation, but we were not planning to man the
MULT station full time.  The overall setup on Montserrat is great for running,
but busting pileups for multipliers is tough.
The multiplier problem was solved when we discovered that we had blown up the
K3S that was on the MULT station.  We ended up being a one-transmiter
multi-single effort.
Normally from Montserrat I would begin a contest on 40M.  Not this year.  20M
was hopping, and we stayed there through our first round of 2-hour shifts.  It
wasn't until I came back on at 2AM that we QSYd to 40M.  I was prepared to
rotate among 40M, 80M and 160M, but I couldn't copy much of anything on 160M,
and 80M wasn't much better.  Dennis relieved mt at 6AM, and we were off to the
races on the high bands.  WOW!  We were smoking!  Remember, we live in a
deed-restricted community, so we do not often get to enjoy such high rates.
When all was said and done, we had amassed the totals shown above.  By noon on
Monday everything was taken down and packed away.
I would like to give a shout out to our hosts on Montserrat.  David and Clover
operate the Gingerbread Hill Guest House.  Early on they determined that being
ham friendly would lead to additional bookings, so they encouraged me to store
equipment on site, and they supported my shipping down a 55-foot motorized
crankup tower.  MANY contest operators and casual operators have been to
Montserrat in the last 18 years, and they have given out hundreds of thousands
of QSOs.  Google Gingerbread Hill Montserrat to check it out.
So, VP2MDM is QRT, but VP2M should be heard quite a bit going forward.
73,
George K2DM / VP2MDM



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