I think this was one of the best TOPband DXconditions I have ever experienced during this contest. My the very best CQ WW DX 160m result ever from all points of view.
Really outstanding conditions! The first US called me during the first hour of the contest and then a lot of others. Second night looked like ARRL on 80m, hi. Almost 10 % of QSOs from NA! Also other DXs was mostly the thing of few calls. High number of new multipliers answered to my CQ. I run with 2 VFOs, stereo listening almost during the whole contest. Confusion at the begining, but it’s only the thing of practice.
Mr. Murphy was moving around. Weeks before the contest I found something wrong with my TX antenna. Its SWR and Z wasn’t stable especialy during 1,5 kW transmitting, it looked like water in coax line. I spent few days with replacing coaxes, but floating parametres was not fully eliminated. But PA matched it, so I had from 1,0 to 1,4 kW out. Then my both FT-1000 antenna ports started to have random cca 20 dB attenuations of period of seconds without any reason. Fortunately RX ANT input with K9AY worked fine, so I useed it as the only one RX ANT. It was the problem, some directions are better on vertical. I wanted to see on it after the contest, but then it started to work correctly again… Also a lot of groundless protection switch offs of my ACOM PA. If you have two legs, OK. If only one, OK, run on those one 🙂
Thanks to all participants to make this year edition so exciting!
Final score: 778 146 Category: SO HP Rank: WW #29 EU #10 OM #1
Call: OM7RU
Operator(s): OM7RU
Station: OM7RU
Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Dolna Micina
Operating Time (hrs): 30:00
Location : Northern Europe
Summary:
QSOs State/Prov Countries Total Score ------------------------------------------------- 1316 30 77 794,047 -------------------------------------------------
Used equipments:
Yaesu FT-1000MP MarkV Field
ACOM 2000A (1,0-1,5 kW OUT)
microHAM MK2R+
microHAM StationMaster
OM Power OM6BPF
DXLog.net
Antennas:
160m: Vertical (35m tower + 2 elevated radials)
K9AY RX loops
73!
Riki, OM7RU
www.tucek.sk/om7ru