AA8IA Amateur Radio

Saturday morning I awoke and finished preparing for the PaQP. 10m has been great lately, so at about an hour before the PaQP was to start, I went to 10m to see what I’d hear. Lo and behold the Scandinavian countries [and other EU] were very strong on the band. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I had a little time to play, so I fired up N1MM and I answered some CQs. It was really great to work some SSB so easily across the pond, and I was glad to hand out some Qs. In the end I managed 34 contacts in about an hour of casual operating. Heck, that’s a better rate than I usually get in a contest where I’m actually working hard at making Qs.

Even better, a lot of those stations seem to be on Logbook of the World, and so I’ve got many 10m confirmations from those Qs. Thanks to the SAC sponsors and stations for putting on a great test. Now that I think about it, I sure wish the PaQP would have started a few hours later. I really wanted to make some more SAC contacts on 10m through 20m.

Scandinavian Activity Contest, SSB
1200Z, Oct 8 to 1200Z, Oct 9

Call: AA8IA
Operator(s): AA8IA
Station: AA8IA

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: Toronto OH EN90ql
Operating Time (hrs): 1:07

Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
——————-
80:
40:
20:
15: 8 7
10: 26 17
——————-
Total: 34 24 Total Score = 816

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Not much to say here. I got on the air for a short while Friday night and made a few contacts. I really wasn’t feeling up to this one since I had plans for putting in a lot of time in the PaQP and since there were some other contests I was thinking about dabbling in.

Makrothen RTTY Contest
0000Z-0759Z, Oct 8
1600Z-2359Z, Oct 8
0800Z-1559Z, Oct 9

Call: AA8IA
Operator(s): AA8IA
Station: AA8IA

Class: SO/Single Xcvr LP
QTH: Toronto OH EN90ql
Operating Time (hrs): 0:53

Summary:
Band QSOs
————
80:
40:
20: 18
15: 3
10:
————
Total: 21 Total Score = 71,460

Club: Mad River Radio Club

10m activity has been bustling as of late. Ole sol is finally being kind to us all. The past few mornings I’ve turned on the radio and have discovered plenty of CW/SSB action across the 10m spectrum. I easily worked many Europeans during CQ WW RTTY less than two weeks ago. Since then I’ve found countless DX. I haven’t worked them all, nor have I tried. I mostly just tune up and down the band listening to the activity. It takes me back to 1991, when I got my General ticket and was KB8MAZ. I worked all over the world on 10m using a low G5RV and a Kenwood TS-120.

Some of the recent DXpeditions were extremely easy to work when I ran across them on 10m. This includes T32C and OJ0X. I just snagged OJ0X on SSB this morning. I believe it was the reknowned Martti OH2BH at the helm, and he was working by numbers. It was so very efficient. I started listening when he was on the 9′s, and when he finally got back to the 8′s I worked him on my third call. He was humming along working stations like a well-oiled machine. T32C and OJ0X are both doing a superb job. Yesterday I heard John, ON4UN [another reknowned DXer, contester, and the author of ON4UN's Low Band DXing]. He was S9+ and I’m sure I could have easily worked him, but I sat back and enjoyed listening to the ensuing pileup.

I’m beginning to wonder if I shouldn’t just get a Cushcraft A3S or a Moslely TA-33-M (WARC) and shove it up on a piece of pipe. I’d already have a Hexbeam up if it weren’t for the hideous appearance of that beast.

Anyway, I’m off to work a few more on 10m. If this keeps up, I may end up with a higher DXCC total on 10m than I have on 15m or 20m right now.

10-20m was a blast. 10/15 were open both days just great between OH and CA.
I probably spent too much time on those bands, but I couldn’t help myself. I
did better on 80m last year. Can’t tell if it was a noise problem or that
nobody was hanging out on 80m. I just know I barely heard a station, and the
few that I did hear had trouble copying me on 80m.

I did a lot more SSB this time around, which forced me to make some extra
contacts just to beat out my score from last year. When bands are good and
the radio is working right, it’s too easy to go to Phone and neglect CW. I
gotta remember that there is usually a point bonus for CW Qs.

I was down about 30 Qs from last year on 20m and but made up for them on 10m
this year.

I missed YOLO, SHAS, DELN and MERC. Last year I only missed two, and they
were SISK and GLEN.

K6AQL was sounding great from all the counties I worked him on 40-10m.

Thanks to the sponsors and all of the CA crowd for putting on an extremely fun
contest.

California QSO Party
1600Z, Oct 1 to 2200Z, Oct 2

Call: AA8IA
Operator(s): AA8IA
Station: AA8IA

Class: SOFixed LP
QTH: Toronto OH EN90ql
Operating Time (hrs): 11:42

Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs
——————–
160:
80: 4
40: 57 27
20: 83 40
15: 65 47
10: 76 47
6:
2:
——————–
Total: 285 161 Mults = 54 Total Score = 63,558

Club: Mad River Radio Club

I was too focused on the CQP, plus my setup just isn’t conducive to working much
SSB [or CW] into Oceania for that matter. Thanks for the Qs!

Oceania DX Contest, Phone
0800Z, Oct 1 to 0800Z, Oct 2

Call: AA8IA
Operator(s): AA8IA
Station: AA8IA

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: Toronto OH EN90ql
Operating Time (hrs): 00:18

Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
——————-
160:
80:
40:
20: 5 5
15: 1 1
10: 1 1
——————-
Total: 7 7 Total Score = 70

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Wish I would have put more time into this one. Had a lot of fun though.

CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY
0000Z, Sep 24 to 2400Z, Sep 25

Call: AA8IA
Operator(s): AA8IA
Station: AA8IA

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: Toronto OH EN90ql
Operating Time (hrs): 18

Summary:
Band QSOs Pts State/Prov DX Zones
——————————————
80: 34 44 23 5 6
40: 146 272 35 36 14
20: 142 255 33 35 18
15: 111 248 14 41 15
10: 138 306 7 33 14
——————————————
Total: 571 1125 112 150 67 Total Score = 370,125

Club: Mad River Radio Club

I initially planned to work a significant portion of the TxQP and then not do
anything else radio-related this weekend. But, after I started looking for
Texas stations at 1930z and found very few, I played a bit in CQWW RTTY.

Anyway, sorry i didn’t set aside more time to work the stations from Texas.
Hope you all had a great time.

Texas QSO Party
1400Z, Sep 24 to 0200Z, Sep 25
1400Z-2000Z, Sep 25

Call: AA8IA
Operator(s): AA8IA
Station: AA8IA

Class: SO CW LP
QTH: Toronto OH EN90ql
Operating Time (hrs): 0:16

Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs Dig Qs
—————————-
160:
80:
40:
20: 8
15:
10:
6:
2:
UHF:
—————————-
Total: 8 0 0 Mults = 7 Total Score = 168

Club: Mad River Radio Club

The last thing I wanted to do was operate in an SSB sprint. But, I heard
someone making it plain and clear that he was looking for anyone, anywhere…
sounding kind of desperate. So I threw out my call.

After that I sat and listened a while to see if I could get the idea of what to
do. I tried to answer a CQ and then send a CQ, and for the most part I did
that. I forget all of the terms you sprint guys use for this stuff. At any
rate, it was fun. But then I got gunshy because I remembered reading that i
ought to give my call at the beginning [or end] depending upon whether I was
giving my exchange as part of my answer to a CQ vs giving my exchange after
someone answered my CQ. Oh well. It was fun, but only because the bands
weren’t packed like I thought they would be.

NA Sprint SSB Contest – September

Call: AA8IA
Operator(s): AA8IA
Station: AA8IA

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: Toronto OH EN90ql
Operating Time (hrs): 3:07

Summary:
Band QSOs Op Time
———————
80:
40: 8 4
20: 20 7
———————
Total: 28 Mults = 11 Total Score = 308

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Score includes 500 bonus for working W7DX. Thanks for the Qs. I tried to
work too many events this weekend.

Washington State Salmon Run
1600Z, Sep 17 to 0700Z, Sep 18
1600Z-2400Z, Sep 18

Call: AA8IA
Operator(s): AA8IA
Station: AA8IA

Class: SOMixed LP
QTH:
Operating Time (hrs):

Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs Dig Qs
—————————-
160:
80:
40: 1 1
20: 35 10
15: 1
10:
6:
—————————-
Total: 37 11 0 Mults = 17 Total Score = 3,390

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Scandinavian Activity Contest, CW

Call: AA8IA
Operator(s): AA8IA
Station: AA8IA

Class: SOAB LP
QTH: Ohio, USA
Operating Time (hrs):

Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
——————-
80:
40:
20: 2 2
15: 22 18
10:
——————-
Total: 24 20 Total Score = 480

Club: Mad River Radio Club