CQ WW SSB Contest Results

[N1API]

What a weekend! Contesting with a broken SteppIR is challenging, interesting and yes fun. I learned a few things which explains some things I was seeing in the RTTY contest last month. First the results:

START-OF-LOG: 3.0
LOCATION: CT
CALLSIGN: N1API
CLUB: Meriden ARC
CONTEST: CQ-WW-SSB
CATEGORY-OPERATOR: SINGLE-OP
CATEGORY-ASSISTED: ASSISTED
CATEGORY-BAND: ALL
CATEGORY-MODE: SSB
CATEGORY-POWER: LOW
CATEGORY-STATION: FIXED
CATEGORY-TRANSMITTER: ONE
CLAIMED-SCORE: 672290
OPERATORS: N1API
NAME: AL
ADDRESS:
ADDRESS-CITY: Meriden
ADDRESS-STATE-PROVINCE: CT
ADDRESS-POSTALCODE:
ADDRESS-COUNTRY: USA

Band ------ QSOs ------ ZN ------ Cty
14 --------- 254 ------ 28 ------ 103
21 --------- 190 ------ 23 ------- 98
28 --------- 206 ------ 24 ------- 94
Totals ----- 650 ------ 75 ------ 295
Score 672,290

To say that the bands were crowded is an understatement. Unless you intention was to call CQ on 10 meters you probably would not be able to find a spot on 15 and 20 meters. They were packed from one end of the phone spectrum to the other. 15 and 20 were open world wide 10 was too but Asia was light here. I heard countries that I have not heard on in years. Multiple VUs and I managed to work them on both 15 and 20 being able to bust the pile ups.

I learned a lesson about working with the broken SteppIR beam. I worked the first few hours on 20 meters and put some nice multipliers into the log before quitting Friday night about two hours into the contest. Saturday when I started I opened up on 15 meters. 15 seemed like it was going to open and the signals were coming in but it seemed like the band was not doing what I though it should. I worked it for about an hour and a half and switched back to 20 meters which was wide open. I spent the rest of the day going between 20, 10, (Hot to EU and SA), and 15. In the late afternoon I went back to 15 to see if I could work JAs. 15 still seemed "not quite right." I could hear JAs but they were weak. The South Americans were strong though and it got me to thinking about the busted antenna. I was able to work Europe and South American but was not having much luck with Asia and the Pacific. When I turned my beam toward South America the JAs came booming in and they had respectable signals. To make a long story short(er), I discovered on 15 meters the beam works better with the antenna faced in OPPOSITE direction to where I am trying to work. It seems that the director being all the way out at 20 meters seems to work as a reflector and turning the antenna opposite on 15 meters gets good, (not perfect) forward gain and I'm able to somewhat compete. On 10 meters it does not seem to effect the direction too much though on pacific signals and weak DX I do notice an advantage to facing the antenna in the opposite direction to the DX. I'm wondering if I can modify the reflector length to the the director length and improve the antenna performance on 15 meters? It may get me though the winter. More to follow on this!

So that's my story this time. Hope everyone got some seat time in and some fun!

-73-
Al - N1API