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October 11, 2005 80M/40M Straight Key/Bug Sprint

Final Official Results:
Call   QSOs Mbrs Pts  Mul  Sco  Bonus  Final Awd Antenna
N9NE    35   26   61   19  1159   x2    2318  1  176' dblt @ 65' + 
                                                 66' gnd mtd vert w/ 32
                                                 radials + C4SXL 4 bnd
                                                 beam @ 68' (WOW!)
W2LJ    20   17   37   12   444   x2     888  2  G5rv @ 30'
W2SH    16   14   30   12   360   x2     720     80M bisquare @ 65'
@KB3MQT 16   14   30   10   300   x2     600     110' attic random wire
K4BAI   15   14   29   10   290   x2     580     zepp @ 40' - inv vee @ 45'
K4UK    24   18   42   13   546          546     ?? @ ?'
K3WWP   13   12   25    9   225   x2     450     110' attic random wire
K9JWI   18   13   31   14   434          434  #  80m inv vee @ 35'
NU7T    10    3   13    9   117   x2     234     40m vert loop @ 40'
W9CC     8    7   15    6    90   x2     180     40m inv vee @ ?'
VA3RKM   7    5   12    7    84   x2     168     40/80m dipole @ 15'
K4CZ     9    8   17    7   119          119     130' dblt @ 30'
KU4TN    6    5   11    4    44   x2      88     40m attic loop/inv L @ 55'
N4ROA    6    6   12    3    36   x2      72     480' horiz loop @ 60'
AF4LQ    6    5   11    6    66           66     40m ef zepp @ 28'
VA3SIE   4    4    8    4    32   x2      64     66' inv vee @ 18'
AE5X     5    4    9    4    36   x1.5    54     ?? @ ?'
KA2KGP   4    3    7    4    28           28     80m dipole @ 30'
W1TF     2    2    4    2     8            8     indoor wire loop

@ - Op K3WWP (Note: Some listed a QSO with MQT as 2 points, others as 1
point. I made all scoring uniform by changing the 2 point QSO's to 1
point - K3WWP)

Check Log:
WWP/MQT 19   17   36   13   468   x2     936     110' attic random wire
  (just combined my two logs less dupes for fun - K3WWP)

# - Top score from a previous non-winner
	
Special Award (Homebrew from scratch rig):
No entrants
SOAPBOX:

K3WWP/KB3MQT - I decided to operate an hour each with my call and the new club call. Looks like I beat myself with the club call. HI Anyway I think conditions were a bit better than last month, at least on 80M. 40M didn't show much at all here. All who worked me as KB3MQT have successfully mastered our October challenge, if you just mention that along with your log submission. Of course if you want the special club call QSL certificate, you'll have to mail us the $2.00 fee. It was fun and not all that confusing using the club call tonight. Out of an hour's worth of CQ's I never slipped up and sent K3WWP, although I started to do so a few times. NOTE: To make it uniform for everyone, I made all QSO's with KB3MQT a 1 point QSO for this October sprint. After the sprint we assigned # 1100 to KB3MQT so next month they definitely will be 2 point QSO's

W2LJ - Activity was sparse on 40 Meters; but 80 Meters was humming, which was nice to see! A big thank you to John for volunteering to split his time between operating as K3WWP and KB3MQT. I'm looking forward to next month and even more activity on 80 Meters as we approach winter.

KA2KGP - Much better conditions this month, especially 80m. 40m. participation was sparce. I spent the first hour pounding my milliwatt homebrew rig on 7.039, but no contacts, so I switched to the trusty old Argosy to make a few 80 m. QSO's before the sprint ended. Had a contact with John (K3WWP) as KB3MQT using the new club call. Good luck to all in next month's sprint.

AE5X - This was my first Sprint in a while. I used a "homebrewed from scratch" rig built by Hans Summers G0UPL and loaned to me a couple weeks ago when we met in Connecticut. Details of the rig can be found on my website and the follow-on link to Han's website. This is a great little rig, still unhoused & sitting in its bare breadboard nakedness on my desktop as I operated, all parts exposed for all the world to see. My big ole Vibroplex bug fed it dits & dahs enough for 5 QSOs. The problem is that the rig is crystal controlled with a 3560 kHz rock - but the associated tank circuitry pulls resonance down to between 3557.4 - 3558.6, depending on where I set the two tuning caps (one for rx, one for tx). Hans suggested that if I short out a 120mH inductor on the tank circuit that maybe resonance would come up closer to the QRP calling freq. I did this halfway thru the contest and found that I did indeed come up to 3560.2 but I lost the ability to tune around at all and, more importantly, my receive freq was right on zero beat of my transmit freq - in other words, whoever answered my CQ did so at my receiver's zero beat and I couldn't have heard them without the ability to tune off slightly. Hans is going to start working on a VFO soon to replace the crystal.
Good to work Larry W2LJ as always (believe I accidently called CQ on your freq at one point - sorry!) and a nice pre-contest chat with Jim W1PID.

K4UK - 40 Meters was very poor, but 80 was pretty good. Surprised that N4ROA and K9ESE had such a poor copy on my signal. Ran K2 at 5 Watts, so didn't qualify as "Homebrew"

VA3RKM - QSB, QRM does it stop a QCer? No! Conditions were a little worse in Ottawa than last month. Martin (VA3SIE) said that there was a major solar flare just before the sprint, which could account for northern weakness. Managed to get a 40/80 dipole up by sprint time, but it required surgery (successful) halfway through the contest. It's good to have incentive to work on the station.

NU7T - There was no action here on 80m. I used an Altronic cootie to key my FT847 at 5 watts. The final half hour actually sounded like a sprint. My mind remained in ragchew mode. This was the first sprint to include contacts with other members. Thank you fellow radiators.

AF4LQ - Worked about an hour of the sprint this time. Fun as always. No 80m antenna here so did the best I could on that band with the 40m endfed Zepp. Rig was an OHR500 at 5W's.

W9CC - 40 was dead as a doornail, so moved up to 80, the fun band now that the QRN has diminished. Has 40 really been removed from the ionosphere or was that a rumor? (Seems true to me - at least with my indoor antenna - 1 40m QSO, but those with the big antennas did well on 40m - Todd N9NE had 18 40M QSO's! - K3WWP)

K9JWI - My first NAQCC sprint. Rig K2. Very few signals heard here on 40 meters, and they were weak. I was surprised to find 80 meters quiet with many good signals. See you next month. 73, Clyde

W1TF - K1, 4W New wire loop an improvement but have a poor match to it. There is always something to improve. Operation from NH.

VA3SIE - Full details, including antenna analysis & band conditions is available here: http://www.sunim.plus.com/contests/naqcc_oct_2005/index.html I only operated on 40m. There were long period when I simply could not hear any contest stations! The single letter morse beacons on 7038 & 7039 also added to the challenge. I got quite cold by the end of the contest so I was ready for the cycle home! There were a couple of minor solar flares just before the contest began: http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ftpdir/plots/xray/20051011_xray.gif They may have been responsible for some D-layer absorbption. Anyway it was a blast as always!

K4CZ - This was my third NAQCC sprint. In prior months, I operated under my old callsign, KI4GUP. This month I started on 40m and worked N9NE and W9NX early in the sprint. However, I spent the next hour doing much searching but no pouncing due to the poor conditions. I was going to call it a night but decided to check 80m and was surprised to find many strong signals. Managed to work 7 stations in the last 30 minutes...wish I had moved to 80m earlier! I used GenLog for the first time...easy to set up and the file with the NAQCC membership list simplified the logging process...will continue to use it in future sprints.

W2SH - Antenna was a 80-meter bisquare at 65 feet,with the feedpoint now badly tangled in tree branches and not working properly. When the leaves are down, I shall try to pull it free. Rig was a Ten-Tec Scout at 5 watts. Straight key a Junker. At the start I managed just 2 QSOs on 40. The band was very empty. I threw in the towel and never went back there. 80 was lots of fun, and it was like the early sprints which were single band affairs on just 80 meters.

KU4TN - Although I have made a few contacts during previous NAQCC Sprints, this is my first log entry. I started out using an FT-817 running 5W into a 40m horizontal attic loop. As most everyone else has noted, 40m was dead here also. I did manage one contact with N9NE on 40m before switching to 80m which was much better. Late in the second hour I heard KB3MQT and called several times with no response, so I switched to a newly installed experimental inverted-L and reduced power to 2.5W due to low battery. I then made contact with no problem. Thanks to John for activating KB3MQT during the sprint.

N4ROA - I was only able to jump in for the last 20 min. but it sure made my day. Boy! What fun. Used a straight key for first time in years and I guess it showed. Thanks much to those that were able to copy me. (Welcome to the NAQCC Sprints from your ham buddy. Now all the rest of us are going to be knocked down one position in the scores with your big high antenna and contesting knowhow - K3WWP)

K4BAI - Tennis team practices on Tuesday nights. Got a late start & didn't set up for SO2R.


RULES:
Date and time:
UTC (Z): Wednesday, October 12, 0030Z to 0230Z
Eastern Daylight Time: Tuesday, October 11, 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM

Special Category:
We'll award a certificate to the top score turned in by someone using a homebrew rig built from scratch. That is, NO kits. Something you designed and built yourself gathering all the parts together yourself.

Entry Deadline:
All entries must be postmarked or email dated before 2400Z on Oct 18, 2005.

Other Rules:
For rules that are common to all of our sprints, check General Sprint Rules