UA9BA CQ Worldwide DX Contest CW

CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW

Call: UA9BA
Operator(s): UA9BA
Station: UA9BA

Class: SOSB/160 HP
QTH: Karataban MO04uq
Operating Time (hrs): 40

Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160: 875 26 80
80:
40:
20:
15:
10:
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Total: 830 26 80 Total Score = 237,440

Club: Ural Contest Group

Comments:

My plan to join Canary isl. EF8M M/2 didnt come together. So I had to decide what to do in THE CONTEST.

Three weekends prior to THE CONTEST I spent on 160m from my small station on the shore of lake Karataban (MO04uq) with a short 27m tall vertical with three temporarily installed 50m long radials (the 10 permanent 50m long radials were all gone in just few days after CQWW CW 2007) that I had to unroll each time I wanted to operate on 160m. I was simply amazed at the CONDX on Top Band during those weekends! I just couldnÁ t believe some of the signals, especially from NA hours before our sunset and hours after! N7UA at one night was measured as loud as s9+15dB!!! That was above my understanding of things. I couldnt believe that signal until Bob started a chat and revealed some detailes that only Bob and I knew so he made me believe that was him - N7UA, not a pirate. So having had such remarkable experience I made my choice to go into THE CONTEST SOSB 160M real quick. And now I am one of those that in years from now will be in position to tell my own Top Band fairy tales of the unique period of quiet sun with no spots on it for some 200+ days in a row and what wonders it brought to us amateurs on the Top Band. Itd be just like listening now to those that experienced the 1957 sunspot maxima and how everybody could work everybody around the globe on 10m with a wire and a 50W AM TX.
Yes, indeed it was a fantastic weekend for me! The first NA that I heard was K7BG at about 00:20 after the start of the contest. Then N0NI (never wkdÁ em), then just too many from zone 4. At 01z I was called by VO1HP with good signal.
Finally I worked my first USA and that was Bob N7UA at arnd 04z. In the first 5 hours I had over 350 QSOs in the log from 13 zones and 56 countries! With a short vertical, 700W TX and no RX antennas! I was fevering! I couldnt wait till the next round. So it came but alas the band wasnt as good. It was much noisier and signals didnt sound clean and clear (they were sort of muddy) and not loud. So I struggled the Saturday night with such CONDX till about our sunrise and only managed 280 QSOs . After the SUN showed up the band came to life! Isnt it another wonder?! I always thought and saw the other order of things before this weekend! The band was good till 12:00 LST (3.5 hours into the daylight!). Intrestingly the loud NA stations werent the usual BIG GUNS except for the few like VY2ZM and N7UA. For instance K3WW had a much better signal than K3LR. W3LPL was barely audible, K1DG had a good one but problems with reception. K9DX is worth special mentioning. John had a GREAT signal but very handicapped in receive. Last station I was trying to work this morning was again N0NI and VE3EJ . That morning I heard many zone 5 stations but very few came back. I again was too excited and didnt sleep and at 14:30 LST started to listen to the very quiet band. And at 14:45 LST I heard K7BG cqing weak but Q5, and thats 2.5 hours before sunset, at the prime time on 15M band!!! What a THRILL!!! Few minutes later I found N7UA, then N6TR (never wkd you Tree). WOW!!! Then the JA guys started to roll in and the first West European was OZ1LXJ and DK0RTC at 11:54z (their suns high!!!). Isnt all that AMAZING?! This last night was THE NIGHT! Very quiet band and clean signals from all over the world ( I only havent heard zone 02, 06, 13, 31, 36, 37 and 38). It felt as if I was dreaming and just watched myself in a dream! Lots of RARE DX QSOs! How about SU9HP calling in?! Nigel OX5AA was excellent copy for hours!!! KL7HBK was nice copy for at least an hour! D4C was all over the band looking for multipliers and even once stupidly calling JA ONLY!!! for half an hour while EU was begging for QSOs. 3X5A were there all the time loud and clear! WHAT A BLAST!!! TNX TO THE ORGANIZERS FOR THIS MOST MEMORABLE ONE!
TKS ALL FOR THE QSOs! CU NEXT ONE!
73s & GL, Willy UA9BA