ARRL 160m Contest

In case you hadn't noticed...this weekend is the ARRL 160m contest.

 

I made a similar number of contacts, although I did so to test remote operation of my new Flex -- sitting in the living room, one floor below the shack.

 

Operating remote as 9A/KM4SII I worked 12 stateside stations this evening (10 sections). That may not sound like much, but I was running less than 100w to a multi-band vertical. My noise level was about s7. The strongest signal was, not surprisingly, VY2ZM. Best DX was NA8V in MI. I did just barely copy N8OO in LA, but no QSO. Everyone except VY2ZM I had to dig out of the QRN and QSB.

 

Yes! A lot of fun! I'll just be turning in a check log.

 

Nice and quiet here for a change. Used the receive antennas maybe 3 times in 5 hours, the rest on the inverted ell. 35 states, 9 countries.
Is the activity spread out more than you remember, or is that just me?
Mike N3PM

 

If it’s not too crowded later tonight I’ll fire up my vintage MOPA rig, BC-191 211/211 MOPA 75 w, dynamotor powered, worked quite a few stations with it last night. So if your heard a somewhat unusual signal from me, that’s what 160’sounded like back 100 years ago! The 191 is kind of a younger “kid brother” to the 1BCG transmitter that made it across the Atlantic 100 years ago this month. Mine also uses a motor generator (technically a dynamotor since the 12V motor winding and the 1KV high voltage generator winding share a common rotor.)

Chris AJ1G Stonington CT

 

If it’s not too crowded later tonight I’ll fire up my vintage MOPA rig, BC-191 211/211 MOPA 75 w, dynamotor powered, worked quite a few stations with it last night. So if you heard a somewhat unusual signal from me, that’s what 160 sounded like back 100 years ago! The 191 is kind of a younger “kid brother” to the 1BCG transmitter that made it across the Atlantic 100 years ago this month. Mine also uses a motor generator (technically a dynamotor since the 12V motor winding and the 1KV high voltage generator winding share a common rotor.)

73 Chris AJ1G Stonington CT

 

I have never worked a 160 contest in my 63+ years as an amateur radio operator. My antenna is very marginal--just an upper sloping (not very high) wire. I do not have an amp for 160. My CW skills are not great. Last night I decided to see if I could work anyone at all on 160 CW and I had very limited time--less than an hour--due to other commitments. WOW! I was amazed. 100 watts into a crummy antenna and I worked the east coast, Canada, Mexico and some west coast and mid west stations.
For those who regularly work top band this is no big deal. For me this was an eye opener and a gratifying experience. I may have to improve my antenna and devote some time to 160 CW this winter.

 

160 is a fun band, especially with a decent antenna. I am a masochist so I operated the contest for about 8 hours with my 150 ft. loop in the attic fed with a SGC 230 tuner. The limit on the tuner is 80 watts so I keep the power at 70 watts. I made about 80 contacts in about 40 sections (log is on another computer upstairs). I never worked any further west than Colorado. I could hear a lot better than I could transmit. between the loop and a ANC-4 noise reducer. It lowers the noise about 15 DB. on 160, which really helps with the antenna in the attic. I tried Assisted for the first time and I'm not sure if it was a blessing or a curse, because it can become pretty frustrating.

 

Operated casually and wound up with about 188 contacts, missed out on only 6 states (including AK and HI), got 6 Canadian provinces and 5 DX, the best of which was France and Slovak Republic. I was amazed at the activity. Here in WI, I was working plenty of stations all over the country 2 hours before sunset and 2 hours after sunrise. I have a 2 meter diameter RX loop and a shortened inverted V for transmit.

My 24,400 points will probably bury me on the 20th page of results, but as usual it was fun.

I was just on the ARRL website looking at past results and found out I had a certificate in there for placing #3 in my section in the 160 contest a couple of years ago. I didn't even know that!

 

I like to work the 160 tests and try to work all 50. This time it was 40. Have found a country or two I needed as well. My big missing link here is Hawaii on 160. I've worked it from other qths (Jack KH6CC, a thousand years ago) but not here. Oh well someday......
Mike N3PM

 

I try to do the same thing. This year I got 44. Never got all 50 in one contest.

In 2016 I worked AK and HI in the same year; after DECADES of trying. That completed my WAS on 160, I was so excited I had to send for the award.

Still the only ARRL award certificate I have ever ordered, though I am eligible for several others. There's something about Topband

 

Submitted my log late last night. Raw Score: 273 Qpts x 53 Mults = 14,469. Best DX was TM6M in France (at 2 am Sunday, my last Q). 132 contacts in 36 states and 5 provinces. Also Cayman, Belize, and France.

For Top Band, I run the Bandit at 500 w, into the cage umbrella vertical mode of my 80 meter turnstile (the 4 feed wires tied together, fed against the powerline neutral and several dozen radials).

https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?th...-manditory-and-meaningless-rst-report.791244/
73,
Jim

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