IARU Was a Hoot

http://3830scores.com/showrumor.php?arg=0Pabzugfgfvc2

No IARU This Year

We are sad to report IARU is a no-go this year from KL2R.  Despite being one of our favorite contests, another wildfire has forced us to pack up most of the radio equipment in preparation for another possible evacuation. The fire, known as Stuart Creek 2, grew to about 85,000 acres in short order, and we had to evacuate on Sunday afternoon.  Earlier this week a good soaking rain helped the situation, but the northwestern fire front is still only about five miles from KL2R.  Hotter, windier weather is descending now, and we can't be complacent.  You can read more about the fire online:

http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/3468

IARU-ora 2012

Old Sol burped late last week.  At 0400 local time on Saturday the 14th, I strapped myself in for a bumpy ride in the IARU HF contest while I waited for the coronal mass ejection to hit, which was estimated to strike in the late morning.   

Best rate was about 1.5-2 hours into the contest with 130-150 Q's per hour.  The rest was mostly S&P once the CME hit.  Painful, indeed, but very interesting.  Even though Kp > 5 and aurora > 7, it was still possible to work stations.  

I have this theory:  When the aurora is active, we northerners all know we can usually only work those inside the aurora oval.  When the aurora level is so high, the oval pushes outward to lower latitudes.  (Hence, our friends in the south saw some nice lights last night.)  The larger the oval, the more stations enveloped.  The "box", so to speak, has more folks inside to work, at least on the higher bands.

The real-time geomagnetic field activity, which is reflected in the Kp, was fluctuating pretty wildly.  Higher = more absorption between here and there.  While it fluctuated, the door would open and then shut every few minutes. You maximize your chances of finding a station in rapid S&P.  It will pop up and then be gone in a few minutes. You can keep a 45-60 Q/hour going even under the worst conditions by keeping one hand on the dial and the other on the keyboard.  Those stuck in RUN will suffer mightily.

Our friends in the Lower 48 apparently enjoyed some fine Northern Lights.  Of course, it is still too light in the sky to see stars or aurora in Fairbanks.  In another few weeks, that will be different.  

2010 IARU HF Championship

Last year, the KL2R crew were drafted into service for W1AW/KL7.  For this year's IARU event, however, we opted for a multi-single effort with W6HF, KL1WE, KL1JP, NL7WO, and N1TX operating.  It was a nice mix of interests and experience, and as a 24-hour contest, the pace was relatively leisurely for any one operator.

Band conditions were promising at the start with countless loud signals from Europe on 20 meters.  The 15m band never developed as hoped, but 40m blew the doors open with many loud stations from North America and the Pacific on the dipole at 100 feet.  For a while, we had a pipeline to Brazil.  ZL6HQ on 80 was a nice surprise, too.  QSO breakdown was a pretty even split between Europe and North America at about 40% each.  Africa was all but completely absent from our headphones.  Best DX goes to VQ9 and A71.  This DX Monitor map shows the distribution of all contacts:

We had a special incentive to look for one particular Russian station.  Alaskan contester  and friend Corliss was invited to Moscow and operated R3/AL1G.  We worked her on both CW and SSB on 20 meters.  It turned out to be easier work her there than when she is at home, but it was still a big challenge!  Corliss seems to draw a big crowd whenever she's on the air.

More on W1AW/KL7 for IARU

See page 20 of http://aptos.arrl.org/contests/IARU09-v2.pdf

KL0FZ ON THE 40 METER TOWER @ ABOUT 1:30 AM

The Big Lake crew make repairs under summer midnight light.

More on W1AW/KL7

Near the end. WT screenshot by Kris AL2F.

W1AW/KL7 for IARU

All I can say is, WOW!

The king of multi-multi contesters in Alaska, Rich Strand KL7RA, proposed last year to operate as W1AW/KL7 in the IARU HF contest. Several stations signed up to activate the headquarters station, and the idea began to germinate.

Stream of consciousness...

Rich pulled a million strings, even up to the last minute, to make the knot that held this thing together. WOW! He is far too modest, but I think we all know without this extraordinary effort, W1AW/KL7 would have been a pipe dream.

The HC8N CW team stacked the decks from Rich's new Kenai station. The 3830 reflector is full of comments regarding how strong the signals were. Some good 10m contacts were in the offing, too. Those guys really know how to light up the ionosphere.

Wigi AL7IF gets a blue ribbon for his technical support getting the VPN and WinTest networking going well in advance so we could have a chance to wring things out. Without it, I have a feeling things could have gone very badly.

Corliss AL1G gets my gold star for sheer staying power and making the Voice of Willow a force to be reckoned with, especially towards the end when new stations were not that easy to find. She did a tremendous job keeping alive the memory of Frank KL7FH SK.

Frank WL7O and Debbie KL7OU at Big Lake kept things running and running and running from there on 40 SSB. Whatever it took. And many thanks to them for pictures/words for my documentation effort.

AL7F Kris' 80m SSB signal from Anchor Point was absolutely amazing. That antenna work has paid off.

The odds and ends I contended with at KL2R to get ready were numerous but all relatively minor. Repairs from Field Day, re-cabling, labeling, running 240 VAC for the amp, etc. I dotted the last i and crossed the final t with just under 3 hours left until the start.

Dan KL1JP started the generator at 1150Z and toughed it out for half the contest until work demands drew him away. Thankfully,Gary NL7Y came to the rescue. Both these guys deserve a round of applause for dogged perseverance in less-than-ideal conditions. But we're used to that sort of tenacity, which is what it takes in Fairbanks to compete when the Kp and aurora go high. Lesser ops would have gone to bed or gone fishing.

The technology -- WinTest in particular -- was rock-solid. IARU gave us a chance to exercise some of the multi-multi tools in the software suite. After this, M2 operation at KL2R will be a piece of cake. Partnering was fun to do. Gab kept us awake and entertained, not to mention proved an invaluable coordnation tool. (I didn't receive one phone call.)

I had a huge sense of relief when I powered off the generator at 1201Z Sunday. I had slept barely 3 hours in the previous 48, and as Gary said, I was slowly bleeding. But I went to Snoozeville feeling a great sense of accomplishment, tremendous pride in everyone's teamwork, and above all, real honor in having been invited to participate in such a special event.