St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
March 2010 CQ WPX SSB 15m
March 2011 CQ WPX SSB 10m
March 2011 CQ WPX SSB 10m
My first trip in 2010 was so successful, and we had so much fun, that we decided to return the following year. In 2010 I operated within the CQ WW WPX contest as a single operator, single band 15m, QRP entry. In 2011 I did the very same thing, only I was on 10m.
Sandy read two books a day while I called CQ. Because I was using relatively high bands, and because propagation dried up some time not long after sunset, I was able to turn off the radio, grill some dinner, then spend some quality time in the private pool behind the house each evening guilt-free. We had a very good time!
Sandy read two books a day while I called CQ. Because I was using relatively high bands, and because propagation dried up some time not long after sunset, I was able to turn off the radio, grill some dinner, then spend some quality time in the private pool behind the house each evening guilt-free. We had a very good time!
My 2-element 15m beam for the 2010 contest doesn't look like much, but it had a terrific location. The antenna is made entirely from Buddipole parts. The first 50 or so QSOs during the antenna testing netted Hawaii, the Isle of Man, Poland, Italy, Slovenia, France, Germany, Romania, Sweden, and more. The antenna is mounted on an 8 foot mast.
This is the view looking out from our pool and deck. We are near the top of a hill at least 80 feet (25m) above sea level. It was like I brought a 80-foot tower with me! This location, with its height above average terrain, and clear view to Europe, North American, and over the pole, is what gave me the advantage I needed to win.
The operating position is a small desk with computer and radio. I had written my own logging program for the Macintosh and this was its first serious test. It performed flawlessly, giving me instant callsign lookups from the QRZ database, and score calculation in real-time.
RESULTS
2010
15m single op, single band, QRP
The results from the contest were:
778 QSOs, 382 multipliers for a total of 639,086 points.
There was no previous 15m QRP single band record for the US Virgin Islands. I hold that now. (The previous record was 544,808.)
This I am now 3rd all-time in the world for this category.
The results from the contest were:
778 QSOs, 382 multipliers for a total of 639,086 points.
There was no previous 15m QRP single band record for the US Virgin Islands. I hold that now. (The previous record was 544,808.)
This I am now 3rd all-time in the world for this category.
2011
10m single op, single band, QRP
I had a score of 129,762 from 355 QSOs and 178 prefix/multipliers. The US Virgin Islands (KP2) did not previously have a 10m SOSB QRP record so I hold that now (along with the 15m SOSB QRP record I set last year).
I had a score of 129,762 from 355 QSOs and 178 prefix/multipliers. The US Virgin Islands (KP2) did not previously have a 10m SOSB QRP record so I hold that now (along with the 15m SOSB QRP record I set last year).
The Property
The villa, Seabright in Peterborg, is beautifully situated on a long peninsula on the Northern side of the island with a clear shot to both North American and Europe. This was a 100 Pound DXpedition and used Buddipole Antennas exclusively.
