After erecting successfully the 20m high vertical last October and first trial of my new contest QTH by LZ2FV in November during CQWW 2000 CW (92,000 pts claimed), the CQWW 160m CW was to be a second time for testing this location on the magic band. I received the special call (LZ8T) permission two days before the contest and it was used for the first time in this contest. The rig was to be an IC735 with 250Hz CW filter and PA mine ACOM 2000 A.

We planned to arrive with LZ2FV early on Friday morning, to be able to place the Beverages and to install the coil and connect it to the vertical. However Ceco had some things to be done on Friday morning and we arrived only around 14.00z. This left just two hours for stretching the Beverage antennas and work on the vertical before dark.

So, Ceco started rolling off the coax and connecting the coil to the vertical, while I started installing the Beverages. Murphy was away and it was a nice winter day with lot of sunshine and temp around 7 deg C. This time a 300m (abt 850 ft) Beverage was planned for JA and Russia, 450m (1200 ft) for USA/VK and 250m (750ft) for Carribean /South America. Beverages were open at their end which is not a problem at least for me here. While I was placing the JA Beverage LZ1UQ and LZ2HM arrived from Sofia and started helping us. So, with their help we finished with tuning of the vertical and installing the Beverages. LZ2FV made the first QSO this afternoon with RA6 station running just 3 watts and report was 589 at 16.10Z. Sounded great at this time.

Around 16.45z JH2FXK has been worked myself and every one of us worked about 7 to 10 JAs until the start of the contest. What a surprise when we have been able to work ONLY ONE JA station in the test for two nights and after a 5 minutes struggle for the QSO ???

This year contest was the "Inverted Vee" contest. After the end of the first night LZ2JE who has been using an Inverted Vee antenna just 18m high at its apex had about 100 QSO s more than us using almost the same power output. (Locations are about 70 km away from each other).

First hour finished with 98 QSOs and some nice mults ZC4, OD, 4K, EA8,EA9 ,A61 and A45 for example. Not a sound from any JA pile up we've had just before the start of the contest ! Only Europeans and few Asiatic Russian plus ex Soviet Republics stations. Finished first night with 398 QSOs and couple of times LZ2JE with his low Inverted Vee antenna beat us while we were calling a given station simultaneously. During first night the only USA worked was W2GD with very potent signal. KC1XX was about 2 S-units weaker and was not able to hear us after about 30 min of calling. Same happened with NP2S (called for 45 min) and also ZF2NT.(NP2S will receive our award for longest called station in the test with no response L). Disappointed we went to sleep.

The second evening started slowly with just about 40 QSO during first hour. We worked TA3D ,SV0LK (SV9),Z32LM,OH0RJ,EX8W,CT and GW,EA6NB, 9H1XT,IS0LYN for new multipliers until 00.00z.

The first station to be heard and worked from USA second night was K3WW with very good signal. Took us 3 calls to work him at 23.14z. He was followed by K2TOP who was even stronger and with no QSB the best US signal here in LZ.

After midnight the worst part of the contest started for us. We have been hearing the USA stations all around the band and have been calling them many many times without a sign that anyone is capable of hearing our sigs. Believe me guys it was very frustrating. At the same time it was very interesting that those of EU located between UK/F and LZ were not able to hear these many US stations. On great number of frequencies there were an EU and an US station calling CQ without hearing each other. Few times we have had to ask the EU station to stop transmitting to be able to call the US station CQing on the same frequency.(Unfortunately in most instances our calls were in vain.)

While trying to call W3TS unsuccessfully I have been called by ZS6ES with such a booming signal that I thought at first that is a pirate. (W3TS was calling CQ right on S50A frequency and Tine was not hearing him at all-That is to give you an imagination what a mess it was on one and the same freq. here in EU J).

The only USA stations worked on CQ were N4MM, W3EKT and W4WA. Total of worked NA on second night are : K3WW, K2TOP,AA1K,NU4Y,K2NG,W4ZV, VE3EJ, NY4A, K2PLF, W4MYA, W8JI, N4MM, W3EKT, W4WA, K4MA, W1FJ, N8AA, VA3UZ,KT3M(?) and W4NF. About 100 different USA stations were heard and called unsuccessfully. Among them even stations in Iowa and Montana which are very difficult from LZ. Champs not being able to copy us even after 20min of calling each one KC1XX, W9RE (35min calling), WD5R, N4UK, N6AR, WB9CIF, KB8U,KT4ZX,WK3I,W3UR, K8AC, KG7H,WA3HEQ and from NA NP4A,VP5F, HI3LFE. Multipliers heard and not worked include also VQ9PO,VU2PAI,4L1UN and T77C.( 4L1UN worked just before the test L.)

After such a night we thought about renting the antennas and 500 Kw transmitter of the near by located MW commercial radio station for SSB part J !!!!

Thus we finished this one with 747 QSOs, 64 countries, 12 states or VE provinces and the claimed score of only 307 268 pts.

Another vertical will be added this summer, and an Inverted Vee will be installed, too.

Thanks to all who called us and look for LZ8T in CQWW 160m SSB in February.

73 s de Wally LZ2CJ (LZ8T)

Editors Note: A re-written version of this email is also published in the NCJ magazine, to whom full credit for permission to copy the original email, and thanks to Dennis, K7BV, are given. The orignal email can, of course, be viewed at any time in the archives of the CQ Contest reflector.