SARTG RTTY contest

SARTG WW RTTY Contest
Call: F6IRF
Operator(s): F6IRF
Station: F6IRF
Class: SOAB HP
QTH: JN35AU
Operating Time (hrs): 24
Radios: SO2R




Summary:
Band QSOs Pts Mults
-------------------------
80: 100 1030 35
40: 220 2490 57
20: 329 4130 79
15: 136 1710 55
10: 17 165 8
-------------------------
Total: 802 9525 234 Total Score = 2,228,850

my antenna setup: homebrew 7el /6m yagi - OB6-3M tribander - 40/80m dipoles. you can see the new installed SteppIR on the bottom right side

Rig: My modest "legal-limit" domestic SO2R station:
- IC756 pro2 - 3-500z-PA - 500W
- IC706 - HB-4cx250PA - 500W
Antennae: Optibeam (2l/bd) OB6-3m @12m / 2el SteppIR @10m / dipoles @18m / R7
ICE 400-series bandfilters - N1MM 5.7.2 - Telnet cluster assistance

Soapbox:
Excellent start - tnx to unexpected 20m condx, I ended the 1st round at 350Q (could not believe I could be ahead of a few EU "big guns" for a while). Of course it could not last ! After a slow 2nd round, I suffered in round3 due to heavy rains making high noise on my local 380kV line (had to say goodbye to my 1000Q expectations somewhere at mid-test)

Anyway, with moreless similar condx, managed to improve my last year score by some 15% and for the first time I have the feeling that I got almost the optimum from my small setup.
Only E's opening on 10m (mainly Scandinavia). Had zero sections on 15m saturday
but the band came to life on sunday (a pity I had so much noise).
20m has been "average" with a few good surprises, and low bands somewhere below average due to high level of statics.

The new deployed SteppIR allowed better band-to-band immunity than the former
spiderbeam (I believe , due to its monoband behavior). A must in SO2R...
Had a few problems with multiplier check in latest N1MM version (Digital-interface color not reflecting dupe status...) and a few others with lost serial numbers. Pse apologize if I called you twice!

Has been fun to compete... Great activity - nice unique contest format
Tnx to SARTG for organizing (IMHO one of the most enjoyable contest for the last
past monthes). I

Tnx for the QSO's and see you soon on the bands - Best 73's - Pat

My contest statistics have been published here:
http://lists.contesting.com/archives//html/RTTY/2005-08/msg00144.html

my 4cx250 homebrew PA

hundreds of contests with the same pair of second hand tubes !