Comments for AE5X - Dipole DXing http://www.ae5x.com/blog A CW-centric blog...and a bit of photography Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:08:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on 2012 ARRL DX Contest (CW) by John AE5X http://www.ae5x.com/blog/2012/02/20/2012-arrl-dx-contest-cw/comment-page-1/#comment-3684 John AE5X Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:08:34 +0000 http://www.ae5x.com/blog/?p=8471#comment-3684 80m was even stranger: W1, W2 and W3 stations 2500km to my north-east had a polar-flutter sounding effect. I've never heard that before on local sigs. Unfortunately it didn't amount to improved conditions for the DX I was after. 80m was even stranger: W1, W2 and W3 stations 2500km to my north-east had a polar-flutter sounding effect. I’ve never heard that before on local sigs. Unfortunately it didn’t amount to improved conditions for the DX I was after.

]]> Comment on 2012 ARRL DX Contest (CW) by ON5ZO http://www.ae5x.com/blog/2012/02/20/2012-arrl-dx-contest-cw/comment-page-1/#comment-3683 ON5ZO Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:59:16 +0000 http://www.ae5x.com/blog/?p=8471#comment-3683 John, thanks for the QSO's and the recording. Your signal was pretty good here at all times you called in. 'Pretty good' means I could pick you up right away and I have no 'note to self' about you being weak. I'm by no means a big gun: short boom 11 element tribander (3/3/5) at 21m high, rotary dipole for 40m at 23m high, wire GP with a handful elevated radials for 80/160, running legal limit power. It's enough for some good times but it doesn't collect DX plaques! About the 40m QSB: wow, strange effect there. The low bands were horrible with 40m the least affected. John, thanks for the QSO’s and the recording.
Your signal was pretty good here at all times you called in. ‘Pretty good’ means I could pick you up right away and I have no ‘note to self’ about you being weak.
I’m by no means a big gun: short boom 11 element tribander (3/3/5) at 21m high, rotary dipole for 40m at 23m high, wire GP with a handful elevated radials for 80/160, running legal limit power.
It’s enough for some good times but it doesn’t collect DX plaques!

About the 40m QSB: wow, strange effect there. The low bands were horrible with 40m the least affected.

]]> Comment on 2012 ARRL DX Contest (CW) by ON5ZO http://www.ae5x.com/blog/2012/02/20/2012-arrl-dx-contest-cw/comment-page-1/#comment-3682 ON5ZO Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:46:52 +0000 http://www.ae5x.com/blog/?p=8471#comment-3682 It all comes down to practice-practice-practice on the air and a lot of experience. That builds confidence. Once you reached a certain level, you can do a few months without training and just pick up where you left. It's just that I can't do months without any real CW contesting HI. After that, morse training is only good if you want to go beyond 40WPM and maintain QRQ skills. I never tried that since I'm not into QRQ and 40WPM is more than enough for CW contesting. I usually run at 32 WPM and 34 WPM when there is a modest pile up on me. It all comes down to practice-practice-practice on the air and a lot of experience. That builds confidence.
Once you reached a certain level, you can do a few months without training and just pick up where you left. It’s just that I can’t do months without any real CW contesting HI.
After that, morse training is only good if you want to go beyond 40WPM and maintain QRQ skills. I never tried that since I’m not into QRQ and 40WPM is more than enough for CW contesting. I usually run at 32 WPM and 34 WPM when there is a modest pile up on me.

]]> Comment on DX vs. WX by ON5ZO http://www.ae5x.com/blog/2012/02/17/dx-vs-wx/comment-page-1/#comment-3681 ON5ZO Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:39:51 +0000 http://www.ae5x.com/blog/?p=8464#comment-3681 I've been plagued by bad WX a lot, having a fieldday-like setup. In 2008 it was high winds so I could not put everything up as it should, for a few contest weekends spread over the year. As if the WX-gods were picking on me each and every contest weekend. In between, WX was just fine. In 2010 I had to QRT in a few contests just when I was 'on a roll': severe T-storms right over my head. I just had to unplug everything when the dark clouds were looking at me, as Clint would say: "Do you feel lucky, punk?". Exit contest. Knock on wood, but WX hasn't stopped me for a while now... I’ve been plagued by bad WX a lot, having a fieldday-like setup. In 2008 it was high winds so I could not put everything up as it should, for a few contest weekends spread over the year. As if the WX-gods were picking on me each and every contest weekend. In between, WX was just fine.

In 2010 I had to QRT in a few contests just when I was ‘on a roll’: severe T-storms right over my head. I just had to unplug everything when the dark clouds were looking at me, as Clint would say: “Do you feel lucky, punk?”. Exit contest.

Knock on wood, but WX hasn’t stopped me for a while now…

]]> Comment on 2012 ARRL DX Contest (CW) by John AE5X http://www.ae5x.com/blog/2012/02/20/2012-arrl-dx-contest-cw/comment-page-1/#comment-3680 John AE5X Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:39:17 +0000 http://www.ae5x.com/blog/?p=8471#comment-3680 Same here, Bas - with my dipole I think I'm working the big guns and that many stations are invisible to me that I would otherwise hear if I had a Yagi. I operated 90% S&P in this contest, unlike CQWW where I did "run" for a while in the final hours. Same here, Bas – with my dipole I think I’m working the big guns and that many stations are invisible to me that I would otherwise hear if I had a Yagi. I operated 90% S&P in this contest, unlike CQWW where I did “run” for a while in the final hours.

]]> Comment on 2012 ARRL DX Contest (CW) by John AE5X http://www.ae5x.com/blog/2012/02/20/2012-arrl-dx-contest-cw/comment-page-1/#comment-3679 John AE5X Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:38:02 +0000 http://www.ae5x.com/blog/?p=8471#comment-3679 Good morning Pierre, What makes it all the more impressive is that the CW bands really aren't that active unless there are major DXpeditions, etc - so how do they stay acclimated to contest conditions? I think a lot of these guys must practice with MorseRunner or RufzXP on a regular basis. Good morning Pierre,

What makes it all the more impressive is that the CW bands really aren’t that active unless there are major DXpeditions, etc – so how do they stay acclimated to contest conditions? I think a lot of these guys must practice with MorseRunner or RufzXP on a regular basis.

]]> Comment on 2012 ARRL DX Contest (CW) by Bas PE4BAS http://www.ae5x.com/blog/2012/02/20/2012-arrl-dx-contest-cw/comment-page-1/#comment-3678 Bas PE4BAS Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:51:10 +0000 http://www.ae5x.com/blog/?p=8471#comment-3678 Great John, nice observations. It does kind of reflect your thoughts when contesting. I didn't work you with my moderate stations. I think overall I only worked the big contesters with big signals. 73, Bas Great John, nice observations. It does kind of reflect your thoughts when contesting. I didn’t work you with my moderate stations. I think overall I only worked the big contesters with big signals. 73, Bas

]]> Comment on 2012 ARRL DX Contest (CW) by Pierre http://www.ae5x.com/blog/2012/02/20/2012-arrl-dx-contest-cw/comment-page-1/#comment-3677 Pierre Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:24:08 +0000 http://www.ae5x.com/blog/?p=8471#comment-3677 My 2c worth…. Hi John, good post once again. I wrote about this very topic in my blog a while back. I agree with the sentiments of all the previous posters. I too have huge respect for the skills of most of the “running” stations. I found once again during this ARRL CW contest that in most cases I got an immediate reply after dropping my call only once. Being asked to repeat my call was only required on the odd occasion. How do they do it? The skill required is not only CW proficiency i.e. in being able to copy the call, but in most cases filtering out the “desired” call from a multitude of callers whilst contending with QRM and QRN and then still dealing with the distraction of having to type in the call. The delay from me dropping my call to them replying seems like a few milliseconds. I certainly have a long way to go……. 73, Pierre ZS6A My 2c worth….

Hi John, good post once again. I wrote about this very topic in my blog a while back.

I agree with the sentiments of all the previous posters.

I too have huge respect for the skills of most of the “running” stations. I found once again during this ARRL CW contest that in most cases I got an immediate reply after dropping my call only once. Being asked to repeat my call was only required on the odd occasion. How do they do it?

The skill required is not only CW proficiency i.e. in being able to copy the call, but in most cases filtering out the “desired” call from a multitude of callers whilst contending with QRM and QRN and then still dealing with the distraction of having to type in the call. The delay from me dropping my call to them replying seems like a few milliseconds.

I certainly have a long way to go…….

73, Pierre ZS6A

]]> Comment on 2012 ARRL DX Contest (CW) by John AE5X http://www.ae5x.com/blog/2012/02/20/2012-arrl-dx-contest-cw/comment-page-1/#comment-3676 John AE5X Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:59:16 +0000 http://www.ae5x.com/blog/?p=8471#comment-3676 Morse-handshaking - exactly! Justin with our prefixes, we'll have more of an opportunity than at any other time to be on the receiving end of numerous calls during CQ-WPX in May. It'll probably be an eye-opener if I can get out of my S&P mode and actually put myself out there and call CQ. Morse-handshaking – exactly! Justin with our prefixes, we’ll have more of an opportunity than at any other time to be on the receiving end of numerous calls during CQ-WPX in May. It’ll probably be an eye-opener if I can get out of my S&P mode and actually put myself out there and call CQ.

]]> Comment on 2012 ARRL DX Contest (CW) by Justin (AJ4MJ) http://www.ae5x.com/blog/2012/02/20/2012-arrl-dx-contest-cw/comment-page-1/#comment-3675 Justin (AJ4MJ) Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:14:34 +0000 http://www.ae5x.com/blog/?p=8471#comment-3675 Hey John, FB on the contest. I heard you a few times. As someone whose callsign is copied wrong more than it is right, I was impressed at how many of these contesters got it the first time. These guys have great ears - much better than mine! On the rare occasions where they did get it wrong, I just kept re-sending it until they got it right and then sent the exchange as my confirmation. Anything else seems inefficient and/or error-prone. We design computer networking protocols the same way. 72 de AJ4MJ Hey John,

FB on the contest. I heard you a few times.

As someone whose callsign is copied wrong more than it is right, I was impressed at how many of these contesters got it the first time. These guys have great ears – much better than mine!

On the rare occasions where they did get it wrong, I just kept re-sending it until they got it right and then sent the exchange as my confirmation. Anything else seems inefficient and/or error-prone. We design computer networking protocols the same way.

72 de AJ4MJ

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