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Pacific NW contesting
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by N4SL on March 18, 2002
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I'd like to talk to HF contesters in the Pacific NW about their experiences... specifically, do they make very many contacts on 80m? I have a pretty good antenna for 80m and rarely work more than 15 QSOs in Sweepstakes. I work plenty on 40-10.
73, Steve N4SL Machias, WA CN88xa
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RE: Pacific NW contesting
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by kt7G on March 19, 2002
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Most of the 80 m contacts are california and other western states in SS. I have worked some on the east coast, but sometimes it is really difficult with the noise levels. Time is of course the other factor, I go there to pick up the missing cal and other western sections, anything else is a bonus. Sometimes it is only after the other bands die.
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RE: Pacific NW contesting
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by W7VJ on March 24, 2002
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It is possible to do fairly well from the PNW on 80 (although relative to east coast westill fall well below what an eastern contester may experience). One might hit about 120+ Qs or so for the entire contest (most JAs toward the cycle bottom) with fairly good antennas. Increased competition from yagis has raised the stakes though, and the push for mults and early moves to higher fq when propagation is good, limits 80m time. 80 becomes more of a mult necessity than any kind of run band with the exception of very short windows.
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RE: Pacific NW contesting
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by WG7X on April 1, 2002
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With my crummy antenna, I almost never work real DX on 80 meters, but there have been a few DX stations in the log on that band, mostly into the Pacific.
During SS this year, the South Hill Contest club (N7PP) worked the high bands during the day Saturday using high mono-banders. After getting most of the sections, we went to 80 at about 10 pm local.
The intent was to get some of the close in sections, which we did in the first five minutes. We then debated where to go. Some of the fellows wanted to go to 20, but I held out for remaining on 80. The antenna for 80 is a delta loop at about 70 feet. W7BUN, the station owner, fed the delta in the middle of the bottom leg of the triangle, and he did this to get high angle radiation for the various nets that he participates in.
This being so, he did not think that the loop would perform well at the middle and long distances. Well, the 80 meter band sounded just like 20 as we worked stations all over the country that night. We finally threw in the towel at about 1 am local, simply because we were sleepy!
Needless to say, we did get the clean sweep. I'm going to put up a loop of my own this summer, and I'll be trying to hear EU on that hummer... During the WPX contest, I worked SA/CA and heard EU on 40, so I'm sure that it can be done!
73, Gary WG7X
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RE: Pacific NW contesting
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by N4SL on April 18, 2002
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Thanks for the replies. W7VJ, sir, your antennas are outstanding, I've got aluminum-envy. I have tall trees and wire arrays but no tower so I have no stacked arrays. Good signal for some contests, not competitive for the DX contests.
Now, my rates drop very low in the middle/late afternoon of the 2nd day of SS, I've worked everyone and now I'm just picking up the casual guys who cruise the bands once or twice and stop....
... what do you do about that? I've tried band-hopping and search and pounce but my rates aren't very good.
I did SO2R for the first time in the Dec 10m contest and that was fruitful, I could call CQ while search & pouncing. I'm gonna do this for the 1st time in SS this season. Maybe that'll be the tonic.
73, Steve N4SL Machias, WA CN88xa
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