TM6A ARRL-DX CONTEST

(click to enlarge)
40m has been by far the best band with 500 QSO's logged in only 6 hours - hald of them during the 2 last hours


Call: TM6A
Operator(s): F6IRF
Station: F6IRF
Class: SOAB(A) HP
QTH: JN35AU
Operating Time (hrs): 15

Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
40: 501 51
20: 334 57
15: 91 26
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Total: 926 134 Total Score = 372,252
rig: IC756pro2 +homebrew 4CX250 PA 500W
ant : 2elts wire-yagi / Optibeam OB6-3M

Part-time/casual effort; Started the contest on saturday evening, after a verybusy and tiring saturday. The main objective was to test the addition of a passive reflector on my 40m dipole (see below), but I quickly gave up due to high local noise (rain on 380kV power line) and ended-up in bed earlier than planned... In fact the real fun started sunday evening, when the rain finaly stopped: 230 QSO's logged on 40m during the 2 last hours (best 30mn @150 ), confirmed that the antenna was working fine... a 2 hours great pile-up which I'll keep in mind(probably the best ever, from my modest domestic station !)
Finaly 40m has been by far the best band with 500 QSO's logged in only 6hours... (for sure that's promising for future contests...)
Superb conditions also on 20m late sunday evening; but was to impatient to test the 40m antenna (same for 80m !) ... Finaly and in spite of the limited time spent on the air all US-states have been worked except SD. A pity the weather did not help, but to be honnest I had been too lucky for many weekends in 2005 !