RSGB Commonwealth Contest, CW
Call: VO1AU
Operator(s): VO1AU
Station: VO1MP
Class: Open HP
QTH: Newfoundland
Operating Time (hrs): 24
Radios: SO2R
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
80: 204
40: 277
20: 334
15: 178
10: 1
------------
Total: 994 Total Score = 8,025
Club: East Coast Canada Contest Club
Comments:
Thanks to Gus VO1MP for the loan of his station, and thanks to Paul VO1HE for
helping sort some PC problems before the contest.
I made 1001 raw QSOs, but a few dupes pulled by claim below the millenium.
10 metres? What's that? VO1RAC (by Paul VO1HE) provided my only QSO and
bonus.
15 metres was pretty good to the UK, Africa and Caribbean, but awful to any
other place, including western Canada. 178q and 20b.
20 metres was remarkably good, but only while the sun was up. Otherwise, it
was dead, dead, dead. No matter how good it was when it was open, I worked few
VKs and no ZLs on 20m. 334q (!) and just 37b.
40 metres was a real surprise at the start of the contest. At 10z, the sun was
up here in Newfoundland but ZLs, VKs and E51PJT were all good signals - for a
short while. I also worked a lot of Gs at the beginning of the contest on an
all-daylight path! More evidence that Marconi was right! 40m dominated the
evening hours, and I was able to start working ZLs and eastern VKs more that
two hours before their respective sunsets. 277q and 63b.
80 was great for running Gs, and poor for VKs and ZLs. 204q (!) and 28b
I did hear one VU on 80m, but V25XF wouldn't let me call him on what was
Nigel's frequency. Normally, I expect to work VU2UR on at least two bands.
The more unusual corners of the Commonwealth with limited in supply, with
7Q7BP, Z24S, 9J2BO and four ZSes the only Africans in my log. If it wasn't for
V25XF and J88DR, there wasn't much from the Caribbean. VP9HW was the only VP9 I
worked, and him only on one band. VK9NS was a nice treat, especially as he
called me.
I was very impressed with the turnout of ZLs and VKs and doubly impressed by
the very large number of British Isles stations. I can't remember the last
time I found all VK7 bonuses on three bands. The VE turnout seemed down, but
the Canadian eleven did show up as promised. The team concept was a nice
motivator in these poor conditions. I noticed more G8xxx and 2E1 stations on
and it was great to hear such competent CW from these folks.
My bonus total is, as usual, pretty poor. I always have a struggle finding
enough of the right VKs and ZLs to fill all those slots.
This is still my favourite contest, in part because it's such a struggle. I've
never been able to place higher than 3rd place, and I was feeling pretty buoyant
about my QSO total as I hadn't heard anyone ahead of me through the whole
contest. Then near the end I heard Nigel ahead of me by about 100.
Post-contest, I saw J88DR's claimed score just over mine. I'm now thinking
I'll be in third again, so I'll be watching anxiously for V25XF's and ZC4LI's
claimed scores.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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