160m contest

[Kd8lzl]

Just curious if anyone here got into the arrl 160m contest going on this weekend? I loaded up my 80m off center fed dipole with a tuner Just to see what would happen. I made 11 contacts search and pounce in a half hour. I was surprised that my signal made it out of the state being my antenna is only up 35 feet or so. Farthest contact was into Wisconsin!

 

[R0am3r]

I got on Friday night and this morning. Good quiet conditions for me, so I worked over a dozen stations with 80 watts. I use a full-size (half-wave) fan dipole that has legs for 160 and 80 meters. The center of the dipole is supported by my tower and is fed with a 1:1 balun from Balun Designs. The SWR is less than 2:1 from 1.800 to 1.950. The 75/80 meter part of the fan dipole is a bit trickier because the band is so much bigger.

 

[Kd8lzl]

I got on Friday night and this morning. Good quiet conditions for me, so I worked over a dozen stations with 80 watts. I use a full-size (half-wave) fan dipole that has legs for 160 and 80 meters. The center of the dipole is supported by my tower and is fed with a 1:1 balun from Balun Designs. The SWR is less than 2:1 from 1.800 to 1.950. The 75/80 meter part of the fan dipole is a bit trickier because the band is so much bigger.

I got back on later in the night last night and got 16 more. Farthest one was in Iowa. Pretty good haul for me in ohio. Hope you had a good time. AA8NN

 

[Lauri-CoyoteFrostbite]

I gave it try--- but it was a CW contest-----------I don't like Morse Code.

But what did my grandparents say ?
"Give it the 'ole college try ?"
(---as in "A vigorous, committed attempt or effort, often in the context of a nearly hopeless situation where failure is expected."--Merriam)

Well, that was me.
With a key straight and the mistaken assumption the 30 WPM hot- dog'ers would slow down to 12-15, I jumped in.
15 minutes later and two contacts that each lasted no more than 20 seconds, I said "bugger this."

The two stations were on the east coast though; not bad for 160 from Colorado.

Wake me up when the next 160 rodeo is on 'phone .

 

[Boombox]

With a key straight and the mistaken assumption the 30 WPM hot- dog'ers would slow down to 12-15, I jumped in.
15 minutes later and two contacts that each lasted no more than 20 seconds, I said "bugger this."

As a monitor of the CW sections, I've noticed this tendency for faster CW people to never slow down when in QSO with a slower keyer / reader .

They're probably the same sort of people who wore "Shut Up And Learn The Code" T-shirts in the 1990s.

That sort of thing is a real turn off to anyone who might think of joining the hobby.

 

[Lauri-CoyoteFrostbite]

.

Laughs !

Every blue moon I think I'll try some Morse Code--- and you'd think after years of butting my head against a communications medium that leaves me exasperated that I would know better.
But no-- I have to relearn that lesson over and over..... à la Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

At 30 WPM's I can usually pull out a callsign and a "59N" report; but I liken that to about as much fun as merging into traffic on an interstate expressway at rush hour. And anyone that is flying along at 30+ is usually not the usual patient laid-back mensch .

Is it just me.....? but so many of the responses are 'canned"--- the operator just enters my callsign in a computer and its spits out a Morse report. All the excitement of an FT8 'QSO.'

_____________________________________________________

I have a No-Code Extra Class friend who keeps telling me it would be 'so cool' to chat in code.

Me ?...."Honey, why not take a sharp stick and poke it up your nose.... the enjoyment will be the same"

_____________________________________________________

I am sure I have offended quite a few Morse lovers- sorry Guys
(-and this is coming from someone who pass'd her code test in front of an FCC examiner. )

But ...when is the next Blue Moon ??

Lauri



Merry Christmas !

.

 

[popnokick]

Well, this may be news to some reading this.... but many of the CW "operators" you hear during contests are running computer software for receiving and replying from keyboard-generated CW (or recorded replies from a script). That's why you're not hearing them slow down. And that's why there is little tolerance for a slow op with a real key.... rather than computer software and a keyboard. Sorry to burst your bubble, and my apologies to those who are authentic "by hand" CW ops. But those folks can spot computer-generated CW immediately.

 

[Boombox]

Well, this may be news to some reading this.... but many of the CW "operators" you hear during contests are running computer software for receiving and replying from keyboard-generated CW (or recorded replies from a script). That's why you're not hearing them slow down. And that's why there is little tolerance for a slow op with a real key.... rather than computer software and a keyboard. Sorry to burst your bubble, and my apologies to those who are authentic "by hand" CW ops. But those folks can spot computer-generated CW immediately.

I'm not talking about during contests. I'm talking about regular, non-contest time QSOs. Usually during contests I don't monitor the CW sections much -- it's a wall of ultra fast signals, and my reading capability maxes out at around 7 wpm on a good day.

I monitor during the times it's just regular CW ops sending CQs and getting replies.

And way too often the faster ops don't slow down for the slower ops.

That said, you may be onto something with the computer reading.

 

[alcahuete]

For the big DX contesters, it is better for them to skip your 5 wpm QSO and get 4 or 5 other contacts in that same amount of time. Doesn't make it right, but that's how many of them think. To a lesser extent, you hear the same thing from some of the big boys when dealing with new (or slow) folks during SSB contests. They will just move on to other folks if you're taking too much time, don't know your exchange, etc. They're almost always more accommodating when there isn't a big pile-up at the time.

Personally, I use my computer or radio auto-keyer to key during contests. If I used an actual key, my hands would probably fall off at the end of the test. People always give me a hard for doing that at Field Day even, and then they ***** for the next week about their wrists and fingers hurting. LOL! I leave it at 25 wpm, but if someone slower calls me, it's quite literally just turning a knob or pressing a button to match the speed of the other person. I will almost always do that.

 

[Kd8lzl]

Yeah I'm not a big contester or anything. I like the 1 hour sprints. I just figured I would jump in on the second day and skip the long lines. Ha ha. I can only send good at about 22 wpm and I didn't have any op skip over me for being too slow. I just figured with a easy exchange like that one I could keep up without messing up. I had fun with it. I don't have much trouble copying at around 28-30 wpm of the code is sent well. I just need more practice sending.

 

[Golay]

As a monitor of the CW sections, I've noticed this tendency for faster CW people to never slow down when in QSO with a slower keyer / reader .

They're probably the same sort of people who wore "Shut Up And Learn The Code" T-shirts in the 1990s ...

I think the reason they won't slow down is because it is a contest. A slow QSO is going to take as long as 3 or more fast QSO's.
That's 3 less contacts.

 

[prcguy]

Yea, I don't do CW either, and that includes country western and Morse.

I gave it try--- but it was a CW contest-----------I don't like Morse Code.

But what did my grandparents say ?
"Give it the 'ole college try ?"
(---as in "A vigorous, committed attempt or effort, often in the context of a nearly hopeless situation where failure is expected."--Merriam)

Well, that was me.
With a key straight and the mistaken assumption the 30 WPM hot- dog'ers would slow down to 12-15, I jumped in.
15 minutes later and two contacts that each lasted no more than 20 seconds, I said "bugger this."

The two stations were on the east coast though; not bad for 160 from Colorado.

Wake me up when the next 160 rodeo is on 'phone .

 

[majoco]

Our secretary had a sign over her desk that said "I live like I type, fast, but with a lot of mistakes". I'm thinking about making one for myself - substituting "send CW" for "type".

 

[Boombox]

I think the reason they won't slow down is because it is a contest. A slow QSO is going to take as long as 3 or more fast QSO's.
That's 3 less contacts.

That would be understandable, but when I've heard it, though, it wasn't during a contest.