better hook that tuner up soon, those finals in that radio probably are hurt 
already.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2009 6:05 PM
Subject: CW DX Contest - you won't believe


>     So it went this way and read to the end for the funny part.
>
>     I finally got the Icom 7000 to key on CW with the MFJ keyer
> keyboard combination.  A friend discovered a jumper wire inside
> the MFJ keyer box that said Direct keying and Gridblock keying.
> It was on Direct so he switched it to gridblock and wouldn't you,
> know, it began keying the radio normally, although the Icom manual
> said nothing about this.
>
>     So, Friday, waiting for supper, I tune through 20 meters and
> worked everything I could hear just for the fun of it.  About 30
> stations in all.  Some were the big loud contest stations running
> big antennas and big power but some I worked, I could hardly copy
> myself; yet they answered.  I was running about 60 to 75 watts
> output due to my SWR and no tuner.
>
>     Then just before the supper call, I was tuning 40 meters
> about 7 PM.  I have had the R7 vertical on my roof for many years
> and used mostly Ten Tec transceivers.  Once for about three
> years, I had the Yaesu ft767 on the same R7 vertical on the roof.
> Never once, to my recollection, have I worked, or even copied Q5,
> a European on 40 meters with any of those radios and this vertical
> and believe me, I've tried.  Since getting the IC7000 in mid
> November, I have heard many Europeans, to my amazement, and many
> were Q5 copy, too.  Friday night, a 50 mile an hour wind storm
> blew into Denver and then it began snowing.  It was a literal
> white out for a couple of hours but then just as quickly blew
> itself out.  At 7 o'clock that evening was when the storm was
> strongest and I was on 40 meters.  I called several of the big
> signals but didn't get through.  I also heard several of the
> European big contest stations S9 or better at times but none were
> hearing me except for one.  I worked a guy in Sweden, to my
> amazement, and later, I worked a few KH6 and KH7 on the band.
> After supper, learning from one of my kids who had brought his
> family over to eat with us, that the storm was on, I went back out
> to the radio and used the talking watt meter to see what the SWR
> and forward power was.  This R7 vertical, at 7.1 is 1.4 to 1 and
> at 7.0 is 5.1 with no tuner running as of yet.  My output power at
> 5.1 is about 25 to 32 watts.  With the high winds, temperatures
> dropping rapidly below freezing, the snow and all, where I worked
> the Swedish station I was running 6.4 to 1 and had 18 watts
> output.  Imagine that!  18 watts and a vertical working Europe
> from Colorado.  By the way, at 7.0 it was up 6.7 to one.
>
>     I worked someone in the Caribbean, I forget who now, on 15
> meters Saturday morning but even today heard nothing on 15 meters
> or 10 meters.  So, under the circumstances, I was quite happy with
> the rigs performance under such limited conditions and not so hot
> band conditions.  Now all I need to do is hook up the solid state
> amp and the LDG auto tuner, throw up and 80 and 160 antenna,
> install the 40 meter rotary dipole, and I'll be in business.
>
> Phil.
> [log in to unmask]
>