UBA DX CW 2025

The UBA DX CW contest is a very nice contest, because you can work any station. A DX contest offers a good opportunity to work with low power.
This time I tried to make as many QSO's with QRPp and only use more power for something special.

S&P
I used only S&P (Search and Pounce), so I only answered CQ.
This is the best way for my to operate, cos I always must hear a call twice. Taking a number immediately is no problem. 

14 MHz

On Saturday I started on 14 MHz. On 14 MHz There is always good activity.
I dicided to start with 360 mW and only increase my power to 800 mW if necessery. When the band closed, there were 18 QSO's in the log.
11 QSO's with 360 mW and 4 QSO's with 800mW (4).
And even 1 QSO with 80 mW. When the signal goes up to S9+10 dB,
I use the PA1B 10 dB attenuator to reduce my power to 80 mW. Hi.

7 MHz 
Then I went to 7 MHz. The first QSO was made with 450 mW.

For an other 13 QSO's a power of 2.7 W was needed.

Sunday

14 MHz gave 5 QSO's with 800 mW and only 1 with 360 mW.
On 21 MHz I made 4 QSO's with 800 mW and 1 QSO with 2.7 W.
On 28 MHz I used 800 mW and 2.7 W in two QSO's.

Back on 21 MHz the signals were stonger, so now I used 360 mW (5)
and 800 mW (2). 

Back on 14 MHz the signals were strong I made 11 QSO's with 360 mW 
and for one QSO I had to switch to 800 mW.

So I had great fun with low power.

Worked DXCC's

Power per band

Booster and End fed in UBA DX CW 2024

Booster Cylinder Dipole
Wingspan 55 cm - 22"

In the UBA DX CW contest I used the Indoor Booster Cylinder Dipole and my End fed antenna. 
I used the Booster Cylinder Dipole exclusively on 21 MHz.
I used the End-fed on 14 MHz, 7MHz and 3.5 MHz.

Booster Cylinder Dipole
On 21 MHz I compared the Booster with the End fed. Strong signals on the End fed could be worked easily with the Booster Cylinder Dipole. Also with a lower power than 3 or 4 Watt. Hi.
On 14 MHz  I had to use "Full Power" to make the QSO's.
I used Search & Pounce for all QSO's that I made with the Booster.
This gives the opportunity to lower the power, when the received signal is strong.

End Fed on lower bands
 

As a Low Power enthusiast I often use Search an Pounce (S&P). When the signals are strong I use S&P, instead of calling CQ with  the maximum power of my QRP set.
Before I answer a CQ, I can adjust my power, using the S-meter reading. The stronger the signal, the lower the power can be. Propagation works both ways.

UBA DX CW contest

When I came on the band on 20 m, I heard a UA3 station with an ear splitting signal of S9 + 20 dB. So my first QSO I could finish with just 8 milliwatt, using the PA1B attenuator. WOW.
Friday before the contest the contest, I repaired the support for the antenna. My simple mast was damaged by storm. It was sunny, when I went onto the roof. Just in time for the UBA DX CW contest.

My antenna is an end fed that is fed via a 300 ohm twin lead. The twin lead acts as a counterpoise and acts as an impedance transformer. The end fed is sloping down to the east.

I made 20 QRPp QSO's with 800 milliwatt or less and 14 QRP QSO's with 2, 3 or 4 Watt.
QSO's in red in the table are more than 1000 Miles per Watt QSO's
All QSO's are made with search and pounce (S&P). My CQ with 800 mW gave NO response at all. hi.

UBA  DX CW contest 2018 PA1B

UBA DX CW 2017

I was looking forward to participate in the UBA DX CW contest with QRPp. This is a very nice contest with a lot of activity. I found out that my End fed antenna is working fine. This time I also made a few QSO's on 7 MHz. I discovered that I had to use a longer twin lead on 7 MHz than I use on 14 MHz. I made most QSO's on 14 MHz using QRPp. Click to see my End Fed with a twin lead feeder.

I came back home late, so I made 1 QSO on 14 MHz and 3 QSO's on 7 MHz on Saturday.
On Sunday I made 23 QSO's with 360 mW and 7 QSO with 800 mW to 3.6 Watt.

UBA DX CW contest 2017 - PA1B
Numbers in red are more than 1000 Miles per Watt

I am very pleased that I could make that many more than 1000 Miles/Watt QSO's.
I ran the FT-817 without the attenuator.
The lowest power of my FT-817 is 360 mW, after a serious mismatch.
But as you can see, this low power is still working fine most of the time. Hi.

20 m UBA DX CW contest 2017 - PA1B
Numbers in red are more than 1000 Miles per Watt

All QSO's were made with Search & Pounce (S&P).
I only increase my power when I am sure that my low power signal is not heard.

40m UBA DX CW contest 2017 - PA1B

Using low power, is absolutely not that difficult and is great fun.

Cylinder dipoles in the UBA CW 2016

In this UBA DX contest I experimented with  the new built Booster cylinder dipole.

Wingspan 55 cm
The Booster antenna is called Booster, because each cylinder is made out of 6 Energy Booster cans, that are cut open and bolted together. The length of the cylinders is 22 cm (9") and the wingspan of the antenna is 55 cm (22")
The booster is hanging in the dormer window at the second floor. The coil is wound on a 110 mm PVC tube and has 15 turns. The Booster resonates on 10 MHz.

The Booster - One cylinder is made of 4 cut open cans - PA1B

It took my a long time to discover the right setting of the tuner for the Booster on 20 m. At first I could not get a good matching at all on 20 m. The SWR was too high. At the end of the contest, I discovered the right setting for the tuner to get a SWR of 1:1  This is the setting that I always use on 10 m, with the inverted Vee. hi.

The Booster - Wing span 22" - PA1B

The table below shows the QSO's in chronological order.

Booster on 20 m 
The table shows that in the first 5 QSO's, I used the Booster on 20 m. The Booster is longer than the Monster, so I expected much of the Booster on 20 m. But I could not get a SWR of 1:1.

Taps at the center  - ONE turn apart - Click to enlarge

Monster (35 cm) on 20 m
After 5 QSO's, I was a bit disappointed. Just to make some QSO's, I decided to switch the shorter Monster energy can antenna, which is located in the the shack, also on 20 m . This antenna is easy to match. I could easily make two QSO's with UA.

Booster on 40 m

On Sunday morning I went to 40 m. I started with the twin lead two turns apart. I ended up with the twin lead connectors ONE turn apart to get a SWR of 1:1 

Monster on 15 m

The monster is doing fine on 15 m. A total of 8 QSO's were made on 15 m. The signals in QSO number 14 were very strong so I reduced to 800 mW.
QSO number 16 was with R0AA over a distance of 5200 km and was very easy to do.
<<  Read the details of the  QSO with R0AA >>  Click

Booster again on 20 m

My experimenting payed off. I found out by desperately playing around with the tuner, that I had to use a very strange setting of the tuner to get a SWR of 1:1   - Finally I got the Booster working on 20 m. With this setting the last two QSO's were easily made. hi.

UBA CW - Booster - Monster - PA1B

Wat een gein

De blikjes komen van de straat. Ik drink het niet zelf.

 Energy Booster  is verkrijgbaar bij Trekpleister voor 39 Eurocent.

UBA DX CW Contest (2)

In most contests, I use the lowest possible power in each QSO.
Also in this contest I started with search and pounce with low power.
But because a station from the Netherlands is a wanted station in this contest, I also tried to called CQ myself, using 2.7 W.
Very occasionally I was heard by more than one station, who would than call at the same time. But on other moments my QSO-rate dropped, when I called CQ. So then I would go back to S&P after a few QSO's.

QSO-rate
I calculated that I made one QSO in two or three minutes, while searching on the band, answering stations that are calling CQ.
When not too many other stations are also answering, I don't have to wait long to make a low power QSO.
I tent to answer, with more power than needed, when I have to wait for a longer time.

The bands
14 and 21 MHz were good. On 14 MHz the lowest power was used.
On 14 MHz 80% of the QSO's were made with QRPp and on 21 MHz only 50%.

When the S-meter goes up, the power goes down.

UBA DX CW contest

The UBA DX CW contest is a very nice contest. Such a DX contest gives the opportunity to work everyone. On Saturday I used the lowest possible power in each QSO. On Sunday I also gave CQ my self in a few QSO's. I worked mainly station from Europe. The antenna is an Inverted Vee.

UBA DX 2012 - PA1B

The table shows the worked DXCC's. The numbers in red are more than 1000 MPW QSO's. After a quick count I realized, that I made much more 1000 Miles per Watts QSO's, than I expected.
45 QSO's out of 72 is 63%