The contest weekend was a great success for PI4COM, resulting in a solid score and plenty of activity across the bands.
Conditions on 10 meters were not ideal, but it still proved worthwhile to spend time there. While the number of QSOs was limited, we managed to work a good number of valuable multipliers.
Both beam antennas performed well, with the Optibeam generally showing slightly stronger signals, while the 4-element beam often provided a quieter receive experience.
As expected, 20 meters was one of the strongest bands throughout the contest. The two beams worked flawlessly and delivered excellent results.
On 80 meters we encountered some issues with high SWR, limiting the available output power. During the night it was noticeable that some North American stations had difficulty hearing us, and there are certainly opportunities to improve receive performance on this band as well.
One interesting observation was that the Reverse Beacon Network occasionally spotted our callsign incorrectly as “I4COM” or “PI4CO” during CQ calls. Initial checks ruled out a PTT delay problem, and resets of both the laptop and Elecraft K4 did not solve the issue. Further investigation will be needed, although monitored audio sounded clean and free from obvious RF distortion.
Like every contest, the weekend also highlighted several areas for improvement:
- Filters in Shack 2 are running too hot and should be relocated.
- The 40 meter dipole balun may be saturating above 200 watts, causing SWR to increase.
- The 80 meter CW dipole requires a new wire section after damage was discovered.
- A faulty cooling fan in the 15 meter filter was replaced.
During the first night, significant QRM from the 40 meter station was experienced on 20 meters, particularly around the second harmonic. This issue disappeared on Sunday evening but has been observed during previous contests as well, making it another item for future investigation.
Looking ahead, improvements to the 80 meter antenna system are planned, including raising both the CW and SSB dipoles. This should help overall performance and reduce some of the limitations experienced during the contest.
This year operator team: PA1CC, PA3BWD, PA3EWP, PA3GDG, PD4RD and PD9DX
Overall, the contest was enjoyable and productive. A good score was achieved, valuable experience was gained, and several technical improvements have already been identified for the next event. We look forward to putting those lessons into practice and achieving even better results in future contests.