CQ 160-Meter, CW Contest, CW (Jan 26-27, 2008)
I plan Multi OP (EY8MM+Cluster) operation. Depends on work (QRL) I will try to be available few days before contest for skeds.

ARRL International DX Contest, CW (Feb 16-17, 2008)
I plan SOSB 80 M entry during ARRL DX contest. I will be looking for my last 4 states.

 Results of my Low Band acivity

I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this event and everyone worked me during this short acivity. Special thanks for those who tried to work me and took time from their families being on sked with me. Here some results: Two New Countries worked on 80 meters. Thank you Dave J88DR and Atsuo-san 5W1SA! During those two nights I made 565 more qso with another very special one. I worked N0XA from Kansas. Thank you Fred!

Seven New Countries were worked on 160 meters. Thank you 9Q1ET, AH2R and AH2L, NP4Z, OA4/N6XQ, PJ5NA, S79UU, XW1A for New Ones! Total 1327 qsos were made including 1280 in CQ WW DX contest. Special to mentioned US/Canada calls I worked during the contest. It was just matter of luck to be on the clear frequency during openning to NA. Neddless to say that polar pass is making thouse qso's real hard. Here the chronological list of the stations I logged during CQ WW DX SOSB 160 meters from USA and Canada:
VE1DX, W1KM, KT1V, NT1Y, KC1XX, W3LPL, K1AR, W4DR, KB1H, NQ4I, N4IS, VY2ZM, N1BUG, W3BGN, K3UL, NR4M, NO2R, W3GH, N1DG, NO8D, VE1ZZ, K3LR, WE3C, AA4MM, NN1N, VE3DO, KU1CW, K1BW, AA6YQ, K3JJG, VA3EF, K1LZ, N3RS, K2AX, VE3ZI. Special to mention LP qso with N7DD before contest which became audible during qso for about one minute.

November 22.
Travel to contest position. Installation of RX antennas, installation of coax to TX antennas. About 400 meters of coaxes to unroll. Equipment unloading and installation. I hope to have by the end of the day:
320 meter long BV to EU/NA - 320 degrees, switch. to opposite direction for VK and NA LP.
167 meter long BV to AF - 240 degrees, switch. to opposite direction for JA and KH6.
240 meter long BV to NA - 0 degrees dedicated to NA SP.
I will start calling CQ on 80 meters CW about 1200Z looking for NA LP. If you are from states KS, LA, ND, NE, WY please drop me a note and we will set up a sked. About 16Z I will QSY to 160 and stay there till 2300Z. Than I qsy to 80 meters CW for NA. I have some skeds set and I plan to be around 3,510-3,520 MHz. I will opearate till my sunrise.

My TX setup:
160-Half Square @ 45 m
160-Vertical Quad with passive reflector screen from commercial antenna @ 45 m
80-BiSquare North-South @ 55 m
80-BiSquare West-East @ 55 m
IC775DSP ACOM2000A

November 23.
Some changes to antennas if required. Installation of K9AY RX loop (4 directions). 1200Z start on 80 m CW for NA LP. Again QSY to 160 m at 16Z till 2230. 2230-2350 CQ NA 3,510-3,520 MHz.

November 24-25.
During CQ WW CW I will be SOSB 160 meters. My sunrise time I plan to call CQ instead of S@P which I normaly do. Reason for that that in the past contests I was not able to break pile ups for NA/SA stations through EU and NA callers. I have much better condition for receive here as I do not have such a high QRN/QRM floor and I can hear all stations quite well. My antennas resonate 1,810-1,840 with SWR below 2 so don't expect me to be above 1,840 too often. As skeds are not permitted for contests please ask for skeds only within my timetable outside contest.

November 26.
0000-0030Z CQ on 160 for NA. No specific freq. 0030Z I will instantly QSY 80 meters CW for NA. 3,510-3,520 MHz. I will opearate till my sunrise. Than everything will be packed and next activity will be done on January 2008.

My October activity is over and station back on standby mode. Right after CQ WW SSB all RX antennas was rolled and stored back till end of November. My October activity resulted 306 qso on Top band (C5 and FK new ones) and 1214 qso on 80 meters (C6 was a new one during the contest). I recon that it was poor conditions to NA as I worked only 9 stations on 80 meters from USA and one on Top. I plan 2 full night operation before CQ WW CW with priority to 80 meters NA looking for my 5 remaining states. So it will be NO SUNRISE operation on 160 before contest. During CQ WW CW I am planning to enter as SOSB 160 meters.

Finaly after few trips I have Low Band TX antennas installed. Now I have Bisquare WEST-EAST and NORTH-SOUTH for 80 m. For 160 meters I have half square and vertical quad with reflector. All antennas are tuned but no real tests done so far because of poor condition. Next trip I plan on Oct 25 and I will operate 2 nights. RX system will consist of 4 Beverage antennas.

I am going to test new 160 and 80 meters antenna system on Oct 20. Antenna work is not finished yet so it would be limited activity. Up to now I have raised elements for 80 m Bi-Square (tnx N7UA for help!). Oct 20 my plan is to arrange all feeding and test of this antenna and raise West-East direction Bobtail for 160. Next step planned is Vertical delta for 160 meters near extensive screen of commercial antenna. Dedicated to NA direction SP. 160 m antennas are not top priority now as my plan for CQ WW SSB is 80 m band SOSB.

All receive antennas were rolled. Equipment packed and I am back home. Here few results of my low band activity in January. During 3 trips to remote QTH I tried different antennas for RX and TX and spent many hours OFF family and work. So stations in my log can assess if all my efforts were worth it.

Some basic statistics for qso's made during preparation stage and CQ WW 160 contest. More detailed data about contest will be available on contest page.

Total QSO on Top band: 1021

New countries: 8 (3W3W, DU9/N0NM, YT6-Few stations, HP3XUG, KV4FZ, SU9HP, T77C, ZB2FK)

USA Calls worked: NT2A, N1BUG, K1GUN, N1RJ, N1DG, WT3Q, W3UR, W8FJ, W8UVZ, W3LPL, K1KI (in order it was logged)

Other NA and SA: VE1ZZ, VY2ZM, VY2MW, PJ2/K8ND, PJ2T, HP3XUG

I was very excited to add audio files of these qso but I had cable problem and not everything was recorded after TX/RX switch. Probably RFI or poor soldering. Didn't find it out before I get home. But I will add some files for sure. In few days (I promise)

80 meters 805 QSO

My main concern was US states. Working WAS over this pass is a challenge. I am still far before I can complete it but US map looks different now.

I worked 156 USA stations on 80 meters over LP and SP. Other than new states I worked 9Q1EK which come back to my CQ call!

Today I am leaving to country qth. I plan to operate 80 m before the contest looking for my missing states.

Instead of making skeds which I beleive not very efficient I decide to call CQ most of the time.

I will be there Jan 25 for LP openning and than Jan 26 for SP and LP.

CQ on 80 m

1230Z to 1500Z Long Pass (Jan 25 and  26)
2300Z-0240Z Short Pass (Jan 26)
0000Z-0240Z Jan 26 (after CQ WW)

I think that openning can occur instantly regardless of sked time so I just going to call as a beacon. I will make short QSY for 160 skeds.

Jan 17-18. Instead of GP with N4KG feed I decided to make VP2E (Vertically Polarized 2-Element).

L1=L2=0,492 WL
L3=0,139 WL
H1=0,18 WL
H2=0,03 WL

I used all dimentions except height. In my case H1=55 meters. Top band conditions were not very good. Just a few qso. Highlight being called by SU9HP as a new country. Antenna shows reasonable directivity. I tried it on 80 with antenna tunner and worked over 80 Norh America stations! Including New States OK, MS and KY. I installed temporary BV to NA which worked good on 80 but average on 160 m (lenght=200 m). Setup was IC756ProIII and Acom 1000 (800W due to low electricity voltage).

Next trip will be on January 26 including full night operation before contest. I would like to set up 80 m CW skeds with stations from following states: KS, LA, MO, MT, ND, NE, UT, WY

Jan 12-13 I travelled to country QTH and checked condition of 80 m antenna and electricity supply. Unfortunately I have no time to make BV for receive so I operated without any RX antenna. Even band conditions were not bad I was not able to hear well. Noise floor never droped below S5 so I had real problem especialy during NA pile up. I did my best but surely I could have work much more stations. My next trip on the site to make some preparations planned WED Jan 17. This trip I plan:

1. Check electricity related issues and generator
2. Install NA Short Pass BV on new place and check if it works OK.
3. Try 160 feeding for vertical described in N4KG article. 
4. Operate 160 and 80 m for one night.