CQ 160 meter

 
Started out with high hopes for a good time, but immediately found the transmit array had a 2.8:1 standing wave in the EU direction!  I found the bi-directional, NW/SE antenna position could hear EU better than the EU
position!   And, the EU Beverage was 'marginal'.  When a local buddy, running
only 100 watts, beat me in two pileups, I said 'Screw it'! and quit.
I was intending to give it up entirely, but got back on the second evening, but was still faced with mediocre antenna performance.
Still managed to work 45 10 pointers.
 

Super conditions Saturday evening. Was fun just listening to Ken, K4ZW, run EU
Saturday evening (local.)
Thanks for all the Q's

The 2 el 90 foot Tee transmit antenna was working well as were the NE, NW AND SE
beverages and the 8 circle rx antenna. Friday night the band wasn't working so
well. Eur was simply not hearing US stations well. Eur stations that are
normally loud and hear well were loud but not hearing well. Everyone to the west
as far as KH6 had decent signals and were hearing well. Lar felt bad in turning
it over to Ken around 06Z things were so bad.

The CW CQ160 contest was as always a lot of fun. Lack of atmospheric noise and partial resolution to power line noise problems to the west made it even more enjoyable.

Steve NR4M, Larry K7SV and Ken, K4ZW, split operating time. Steve ran from 22Z until around 03Z and then 10Z until after sunrise both days. Larry ran from 03Z until about 10Z both. Ken came by Saturday evening and operated some of Steve's shift. Noise on the band was very minimal with the transmit antenna being very effective on receive. Conditions were very good within the US both days and west coast signals were
loud.

Found condx first night to leave a lot to be desired. Stations were not
as strong as I've seen them past contests, and just didn't seem to be as
many at any given time. Just didn't have the seemingly endless pile-up
as in the past.

Conditions down from last year. Thanks for the contacts. 73 de Steve, NR4M