CQ Worldwide DX Contest, SSB
Call: C4Z
Operator(s): 5B4AIZ
Station: C4Z
Class: SOSB/15 LP
QTH: mAZOTOS
Operating Time (hrs): 24
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160:
80:
40:
20:
15: 993 34 109
10:
------------------------------
Total: 993 34 109 Total Score = 385,957
Club: Chiltern DX Club
Comments:
I had planned to do an all band entry but was released from hospital only 2
days before the test so with no wires in place and not up to the effort
involved I settled for 15m single band, same as last year.
I recall from last yearâ??s reports here that 15 really didnâ??t happen in
the USA or for those in EU located much above 45â??N latitude. Here in
Cyprus, on the 35th parallel band cndx seemed pretty much the same as 2009
Having said that I was scratching my head to figure why I am about 300 qâ??s
down on last year. My conclusion based upon impressions during the contest
backed up by post contest studying of the logs for this year and last, is that
propagation was different and if anything inferior this time around. Day 1 EU
was fading in and out, day 2 was better than first day when it took 4 hours
to make the first 100 qâ??s!. Normally I log many second and even third
tier JAâ??s, this time it was only top layer big guns. Nothing to do with
crowding or noise. In those early hours we have the jump on EU and beaming
east later helps a lot too once Europe starts to wake up, the other JAâ??s
were simply not there both days. This can be Candy time for running but
without a good opening to JA the numbers are just not there. Increasing
activity from BY with their economic miracle, innovative technology and vast
population, holds great promise for the future, but for now eu and usa is where
the action is.
Similarly, for me, the very many usual UA0 & UA9, UN were missing, likewise
nearer Russia and closer east/mid eu were absent until the last couple of
hours of propagation before sunset on the second day before the band quietens
down and the skip goes long. But at that time the band is bedlam with crowding
and splatter to deal with, it is very difficult to gain a foothold as a low
power stn, searching and pecking doesnâ??t cut it if you wish to be highly
placed in your section, you need to run too and that was oh so difficult this
weekend. Those missing UA3/4/6, YO, LZâ??s, HA etc left a big hole in the log.
Propagation to eastern asia tropical regions was good as usual, (and VK was
good too), with most active mltâ??s bagged with no difficulty but as the sun
moves over and we need to work west it is â??gloves offâ?? time for low power
opâ??s, do badly to eu and usa and you are dead.
There have been many comments here about the crowding this year, maybe this is
due to more hams joining our contesting community, or more likely that 15m
opened up for many for the first time in a few years and the excitement caused
a stampede (have you ever seen cows turned out into spring pastures after a
winter spent inside cowsheds? â?? they run like crazy!) One thing for sure
is that many more eu hams are catching up with usa and using amps. We have
the same problem here as the west coast guys beefing about the east coast
guards, in needing to climb over the eu wall of noise and for low power stnâ??s
that is a real tough task. As for the splatter and frequency snatchers they
have always been with us and, human nature being as it is, always will be.
â??Might is rightâ??? - I donâ??t think so, but we have to live with it.
In addition propagation to usa was very light this year, the big guns were not
so strong and whilst my pea shooter seldom penetrates that east coast wall I
can at least usually pick off those big guns one by one when eu fades out, not
so this time, they couldnâ??t hear me. As I was unable to run I
didnâ??t get a single caller from stateside, never has my count of Wâ??s
been so low.
Eu fades out about 1 hour or so before sunset and usa hangs on, gradually
fading away, over the next couple of hours. Caribbean stnâ??s appear around
midday and can last until mid evening, (local time) they were also weak and
at those later times are handling piles from both eu and usa making them a
tough nut to crack. By contrast signals from SA & Africa are very strong in
our evening but they are few in numbers and I find that I have already worked
most of the serious entrants because all of us in the northern hemisphere have
their beams looking west so they have to s&p and pick off multâ??s such as mine
during our daylight hours.
So there it is - qâ??s down and whilst the mults are slightly up on last
year that doesnâ??t make up for the lost contact points, a disappointment
bearing in mind all of the extra time I had to spend s&pâ??ing. Only twice did
I get a run going of about 30 minutes each time and it was great to see that
rate meter hit 240. Other than that running was only a few minutes here and
there before I got the sand kicked in my face by frequency stealers or those who
moved too close and their splatter de-sensed my rig or covered up the qrg making
it impossible to hear anything. No point wasting time in starting a frequency
fight, a featherweight will never beat a heavyweight!
Missing zones â?? the usual suspects for me, z1, z3 z6 z7, z31, z32. The
only one I heard of the above was z7 and I couldnâ??t crack that pile.
Biggest thrills â?? being called by HC8A,, ST2AR, VR2XLN, & FR5EC, those
saved me much time which would have been spent waiting in line in pile ups.
The strength of the signal from HC8A was amazing on the LP only 1 hour into
my contest at around 8.00 am local time, a true S9+ and my ant is a bog
standard 3 ele tribander.
Biggest puzzle â?? how on earth can I spend 12 hours per day for two days from
band opening to closing and not even come across some guys who also did same
single band and made 2k & 3k qâ??s? I dunno but it happens every year. .
Assisted guys would never experience that but I still wouldnâ??t swap places,
hunting, getting surprises, and making a capture is a big part of the fun.
Lowlights - Too many poor quality signals. Two letter callers when
running. A Caribbean stn who gave up on me after only two attempts. I know
they are busy and wish to keep their rate up but repeats are a fact of life.
Contrast him with those good opâ??s who are able to control their piles and
identify regularly and donâ??t say â??qrzâ?? after nearly every contact, they
do not create unruly mobs, have no trouble in quietening the crowd, get
successful repeats and do much better.
I have seen some great scores this year and would single out DR1A for a mind
boggling score for a European stn especially as there must be about 500
other DL stnâ??s active (so no rarity/exotic value there!) and also that we
are only just emerging from the trough of the sunspot cycle - a great effort
well worh our congratulations.
Eqpâ??t â?? TS 570. SO1R, 100W. 3 ele Tribander up 15m. Logging
with SD (great as always).
A DVK would be nice but doing only 2 phone contests per year and no other
phone qrv, I havenâ??t made the investment.
73 Brian - 5B4AIZ/C4Z.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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