A new KL7 QRP Record

ARRL DX CW 2016

Steve KL7SB and Wes WL7F joined me (N1TX) to form a pretty potent multi-single team at KL2R. Band conditions were really good, especially considering how iffy things were in the weeks and days prior.  In fact, it's safe to say propagation was so good at times the team's capacity to log was nearly saturated.  A big surprise was the solid-rate openings on 40m. The phased verticals worked stupendously.  The final claimed score bested a 2014 SO effort (N1TX) by about 350 QSOs and 100k points.

One of several highlights was working Phil AK7DD (ex-KL8DX), who now resides in Oregon. Check out his QRP activity (with an indoor antenna) here. He works us at around 5:30 into the video.

Score Summary

 Band     QSOs     Pts  Sec

   3.5      25      75   16

     7     489    1461   55

    14     636    1908   52

    21     781    2343   57

    28     104     312   22

 Total    2035    6099  202

Score: 1,231,998

Subtract and Add

The DMU display just shrank to 7".  I got the monitor as a test buy from Newegg. It shipped direct to my office from China for less than $40.  The product description said VGA, but actually, it takes a composite video input. Both 4:3 and 16:9 aspects are available.  I had to buy a converter at Radio Shack, which cost nearly double the monitor. Runs off of 12 VDC and is ostensibly for backup cameras and DVD players in vehicles.  Video quality is so-so, but it beats taking up a lot of real estate for a bandscope.

Marshall Emm N1FN at Morse Express notified us recently of GHD's latest bug, model GN206S.  It wasn't very long before one appeared in the shack!  She's a beauty.  Now if only the operator(s) can master it!

ARRL Sweepstakes CW 2013

KL2R was on the air in a good form for Sweeps CW as SOHP UNLIMITED for about 17 hours during the weekend.

 BAND   QSO DUP SECT  POINTS 

-----------------------------

  160     0   0    0       0 

   80     6   0    0      12 

   40    89   0    3     178 

   20   128   1   12     256 

   15   201   2   10     402 

   10   281   1   58     562 

-----------------------------

TOTAL   705   4   83    1410 

=============================

    TOTAL SCORE : 117 030

Operators       : N1TX

I resolved to work no more than 12 hours, but the conditions were just too good to pass up. 10m was phenomenal at the start, and you can see it was a real money band. I had worked 70-odd sections early on, many of them usually difficult, and I decided to go for a CLEAN SWEEP. Achieved with hours to go thanks to N7IV in ND. I thought I would NEVER get a QC, but I camped on VE2AWR for over an hour before conditions permitted. The 80m dipole project didn't make it up the tower, but it will be ready for phone SS.

I nearly forgot to mention one guy -- a willy billy five? -- who called me in the heat of 110+ per hour and then sent me 5NN signal report. WTF?!? I then asked him for his details, and he sent me his name was Tom and his QTH was East BF (or whatever). One of the guys patiently waiting in the pileup sent HI HI. Ugh!!! NOT IN LOG YOU RAT BASTARD QRZ?

WPX CW with Dumplings

It's not every day one gets invited to contest with some world champions.  We keep KL2R afloat in the score listings.  But not by a far stretch are we competitive in upper echelons of any league, never mind the world of superstations and individual record holders. Bavarian Contest Club members, K6AW, AL7IF, and N1TX joined forces at KL7RA for a great time in the 2012 WPX CW over Memorial Day weekend. The final score of just under 25 million was a bit disappointing, because there was no significant opening on 10m.  It wasn't for lack of trying.

Luise DL2MLU and Wigi AL7IF teamed up to produce a fantastic celebration dinner of pork chops and dumplings.  Sommelier Steve K6AW and Rich KL7RA kept the spirits high with fine adult beverages.

Code-a-rific CQWW

Between October and March, my XYL Connie KL1BE will often ask, "Is there a contest this weekend?"  My answer is usually yes, and she responds, "Of course."  The query is merely perfunctory, and after all these years of gaining momentum, KL2R occupies my off-time a lot.  Having recently moved from engineer to paper-pusher at the office, I find ham radio more rewarding these days.  I can still get my brain engaged and hands dirty solving technical and method problems.

The weeks in and around November, of course, are filled with Sweepstakes, CQWW, and a number of other on-air sporting events proving to be quite popular.  I had mixed feelings about entering solo in CQWW CW this year.  I am always excited to do a CW contest like this, but how would I fare over the 48 hours?  I had been up since 2 AM Friday.  Never mind, though.  I got a late start after helping KL1JP configure some new equipment and software for the KL7FWX special event.  Twenty was alive with JAs and UA0s, then it tanked quickly.  15m was slightly promising to Asia for a while. I tried 40 with only a little success.  I was soon exhausted and had to sleep, but not before I set an end-goal of 1000 Qs and/or 500k points. 

I apparently missed a good 40m opening, but I started Saturday right with some good runs on 15 and 20, plus a few contacts on 10m.  I trudged on most of the day and night looking for good multipliers with the grayline.  The Middle East opened nicely on 20m late in the evening, and I worked Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar.  Europe was steady later on.  Around midnight into early Sunday morning, 40m was just a blast.  I have never seen so many strong signals in 13 years working from Alaska.  I could snag many East Coast stations with one call, a rarity.  I worked into Japan, the US, and Europe simultaneously.  I had one anomalous contact on 15m with an S5 in the middle of the night on 15.  Weird.

At 0330 Sunday, I had to sleep again.  I had planned a three-hour nap, but I failed to set the alarm clock correctly.  I didn't get started again for nearly six hours.  I missed catching the early run of US on 20 and some more action 15.  I pressed on with S&P after only a handful of weak runs.  I found I could keep a rate between 45 and 60 per hour this way.  I had a 240/hour run the day before. along with several periods of 180.  In the end, I made only 3/4 toward my goal.  But with 761 contacts in the log and several new countries, I'm pleased with the results.  I worked ZL8X on five bands, a real highlight.  Africa, the UK, and Spain could have been better represented, but I think this time the path to that general direction seemed lacking.  Check out the Google Earth plots at the akradio.net website.  It was Worldwide fun, though!

Solo in ARRL DX CW

Rich KL7RA invited me down to participate in this year's ARRL DX CW, but work demands and outrageous air fares between Fairbanks and Kenai kept me grounded.  This was a pity, because I always enjoy operating CW with Rich and Wigi AL7IF.  As a consolation, I decided to press KL2R into service, going it alone.  At the start, I hadn't yet decided to go for single- or all-band entry, but the hopping bands soon convinced me the latter was the way to go.  I'm glad I did.

Band    QSOs Mults
-------------------
160:      1     1
80:      19     8
40:     119    40
20:     755    58
15:     612    55
10:      12     6
-------------------
Total: 1518   168
Total Score = 764,568

This was the first time ever KL2R had points on all bands. Conditions were unexpectedly good.

I was never able to hear a significant number of "workable" stations on Top Band. Propagation to the northwestern US seemed to peter out early in the evening. The brief, late morning/early afternoon openings on 10m gave some real encouragement to seek out multipliers, although I had to do it quickly, or overall rate would suffer. On Sunday, 10m seemed to be ducting to the Caribbean and South America with very few US and no Canadian stations heard at my QTH during my band checks.

Alaska was well-represented, especially KL7RA, AL1G, KL8DX, and AL9A loud and clear on most bands.

KL7RA and I had a funny, inadvertent duel of sorts on Friday afternoon. I was running about 130 per hour on 20m when KL7RA rolled in about 100 Hz up from me, apparently unaware of the action I had going.  Suddenly, I realized stations weren't calling me, but KL7RA instead. One CQ from the power house of Kenai, and they took my frequency AND my pileup as well! As I told them by email, I was glad I could "chum the waters" for them.

All in good fun, and I had a really good laugh.

CQWW CW - Quick Impressions

Conditions seemed, overall, quite decent for KL7 stations.  KL1JP reported incredible propagation using QRP on 80 and 40 meters Friday night.  No 10 meters was obvious in Fairbanks, but 15m proved strong from US/VE and JA.  N1TX took KL2R through the paces solo-band on 20m in low-power unassisted.  The EU C3 tribander proved its worth there. 

Alaska was well represented as a double multiplier for many.  NL7Z, AL9A, AL7R, AL1G, KL8DX, KL1JP, KL2R, and others were on.

Contest         : CQ World Wide DX Contest
Callsign        : KL2R
Mode            : CW
Category        : Single Operator (SO)
Overlay         : ---
Band(s)         : Single band (SB) 20 m
Class           : Low Power (LP) UNASSISTED
Zone/State/...  : 01
Locator         : BP64KU
Operating time  : 15h20

 BAND   QSO  CQ DXC DUP  POINTS   AVG
--------------------------------------
  160     0   0   0   0       0  0.00
   80     0   0   0   0       0  0.00
   40     0   0   0   0       0  0.00
   20   969  27  52  27    2250  2.32
   15     0   0   0   0       0  0.00
   10     0   0   0   0       0  0.00
--------------------------------------
TOTAL   969  27  52  27    2250  2.32
======================================
        TOTAL SCORE : 177 750

ARRL CW Sweeps @ KL2R in a Word: UGH!

BAND QSO DUP SECT POINTS
-----------------------------
160   0   0   0   0
80    6   0   0   12
40    48  0   6   96
20    207 1   23  414
15    90  0   32  180
10    0   0   0   0
-----------------------------
TOTAL 351 1   61  702
=============================


TOTAL SCORE : 42,822
Operators :   N1TX, KL1JP

The contest was off to a promising start with a strong opening on 15m, but eventually we moved to 20m and found it was hard to gain traction. Best 40m QSO count ever using the new dipole at 100 feet. Sunday proved rough as the aurora picked up (see purple curve in the chart below), and those east coast multipliers could not hear us.