NAQCC January 2008 Special 160M Sprint

Call   QSOs Mbrs Pts  Mul  Sco Bon Final Awd 160 Antenna
KG4W    22   20   42   12  504  x2  1008     Carolina windom @130'<--WOW!!
KA8MPT  12   12   24   10  240  x2   480     HF6V Vert with 160m coil
W2SH    14   12   26    9  234  x2   468     80m horiz bisquare @75'
KD2MX    7    7   14    5   70  x2   140     ~600' loop @??'
W9CC     6    4   10    6   60  x2   120     Inv vee @35'
KA2KGP   5    5   10    5   50  x2   100     160m. coil/wire combo.
W2JEK    6    5   11    4   44  x2    88     135' marconi @35'
KC2EGL   5    5   10    4   40  x2    80     folded dipole @35'
N4FI     4    4    8    3   24  x2    48     115' random wire @20'
N3AQC    3    3    6    3   18  x2    36     ~110' attic random wire
AF4LQ    3    3    6    3   18  x2    36     40m EFHW @30'
VA3RKM   3    3    6    3   18  x2    36     1/4-wave wire @12'
WB7AVF   4    4    8    2   16  x2    32     80m ocf dpl
NU7T     3    2    5    3   15  x2    30     gnd mtd 160M helical
WY3H     3    3    6    2   12  x2    24     ~90' random wire @25'
WY7N     3    2    5    2   10  x2    20     ?? @ ??'
AB8FJ    2    2    4    2    8  x2    16     80' rnd wire @15'
WA8QFE   2    2    4    2    8  x2    16     130'EFW @40'
W0CZ     2    2    4    2    8         8     56' vertical
KE7LKW   1    1    2    1    2  x2     4     130' Inverted Vee @??'

1st place winner: KG4W
2nd place winner: KA8MPT

NOTE: Since this is a special sprint not in our regular series,
there was no cross-checking of logs nor any Top Non-Winner nor
Special Award. Just a certificate to the first and second place finishers.

SOAPBOX:
WY3H - Lots of noise, but had fun for a short time.

N3AQC - Copying QRP signals through S9+10 QRN on 160M quickly makes one want to QRT, so I did after several minutes and just 3 QSO's.

KD2MX - I sure hope condx improve in the next 24 hrs. Tonight has been a tough struggle. QRN is S9+ and is quite debilitating. Only KG4W has a good signal here. Heard N9NE, N2WN, N4BP but they had no idea that I was there. Think I worked KC2EGL but he was just about ESP level here. I'd like to blame my antenna which is lying much lower than it should be (hope to get that fixed tomorrow) but it is the same sad configuration that I worked with through Stew Perry. Sounds like others are struggling too. It is 0255 and my brain has had enough QRN for one night. 72 to all.

WY7N - Would you believe this is my first time on 160? I admit; I'm surprised. I think I'll get back on tomorrow night and try out the CQ contest. I still have to master the challenge for the month. Perhaps it will be easy.

AF4LQ - A high noise level and a very poor antenna for 160 just didn't cut it so I hung it up after 3 QSO's, but I do appreciate those Q's and the club's sponsoring the event. Hope to see everyone in next month's regular sprint. Always lot's of fun. 73!

W0CZ - This special sprint on 160 QRP was lots of fun. I could not find a place to submit my log so hope this works. (yep, the autologger as described in the General Sprint Rules is the way to go for all our sprints - K3WWP) 73 Ken

KC2EGL - I got a late start due to a date with my YL. Things started out very well. I thought I would make at least 15-20 QSO's with the way my night started. Then all of a sudden I could not get any responses to my CQ. I tried to answer Mike AF4LQ who was coming in at 559, but he did not hear my response. This was a lot of fun. I think we may need to do this more than once a year. Say every 3 months? Hope to see everyone on the radio. 73 Mike KC2EGL NAQCC 1236

WB7AVF - Nice, loud hum on '10. I could hear a few more stations than I worked but they were buried in the hum and heterodyne made it difficult. SCAF filter did well for the rest. This inspires me to ask the apartment super next door if I could just please run a nice 200' wire over to the other building so I'd have a 300' end-fed random.

VA3RKM - Lots of noise but it quietened down a little after 0300Z. W2SH had a strong signal here in Ottawa. Heard a few others (N9NE, K8JD) but no luck working them. This sprint is a good warm-up for the big one tomorrow. A great idea, John and Tom!

AB8FJ - Managed to work a couple of stations S&P with 5 watts from my Argonaut II and an 80' random wire up 15'. Band seemed to be in very good condition here in Ohio. Used my Bencher RJ-2 key for this Sprint.

KA2KGP - My first 160m. sprint! QRN from my Mom's TV, had to bribe her to shut it off! Rig: Kenwood TS-140S at 5w. into AT-150 tuner feeding a vertical coil of 70' wound wire on PVC pipe, then 70' horiz. wire, seemed to work OK.

W9CC - I had an S9 noise level the whole time. I heard WA8QF but couldn't pull him out. Of course it was fun! I love Top Band.

W2JEK - not much activity. had two almost qso with wa3fir and n4fi but lost them in the qsb that occurs on 160. 72 and 73 don younger w2jek #1135

WA8QFE - I certainly heard more stations than I could get! The stations in the second call area all had multi-path echo on their signals here.

KA8MPT - Lots of noise on the band s8 at my qth. Not much going on after 0230.

W2SH - Conditions seemed OK at the outset, but they definitely improved after the first 90 minutes. My QSO with VA3RKM was a bust at 2249, but solid just 20 minutes later. Although I worked N9NE at 0142, his signal steadily improved and was loud at sprint end. Participation seemed a bit light. I did not seek out QSOs with non-members for additional multipliers, but I worked two stations who called CQ inside the QRP briar patch, and they resulted in two multipliers. N4BP was calling CQ, but with my horizontal antenna he never heard me.

See General Sprint Rules for rules common to every NAQCC sprint.

For this special sprint, any rules below supercede comparable rules in the General Sprint Rules.

INTRO and PREMISE for this special sprint:

We are offering a second edition of our special 160M sprint which is now going to be an annual event a day or two before the January CQWW 160M Contest. We were pleased with the response (22 logs showing 51 different participants) to our initial offering last year and feel it is something our members really like. It is also an opportunity to do some final 160M testing before the CQ Contest. Some members don't believe QRP and simple wire antennas work well on 160M. This also provides a chance for them to prove themselves wrong. QRP does work well on 160M just as on any other band, even with simple small wire antennas.

RULES specific to this sprint:

Date and time:
Friday, January 25, 2008 from 0130-0330Z which is Thursday evening here in the USA

Bands Used This Sprint:
160 meters only (1810 kHz +/- 3kHz)

Special Awards:
None

Entry Deadline:
All entries must be postmarked or email dated before 2400Z on Jan 31, 2008.