ARRL 10-Meter Contest
Call: GM5X
Operator(s): GM4YXI
Station: GM4YXI
Class: SO SSB HP
QTH: Ellon
Operating Time (hrs): 22
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
CW:
SSB: 2336 175
-------------------
Total: 2336 175 Total Score = 817,600
Club: North of Scotland Contest Group
Comments:
Last year I enjoyed mixed mode, just to fend off boredom; this year I opted for
SSB only expecting better propagation. I resurrected the second 4el monobander,
which doubles as a 15m monobander with different spacings and element
extensions, after a 15m outing in CQWWCW. It went on the tower that has my 20m
monobander, which I removed. Two weeks ago, I got the stuff working and in the
air, but the forecast storms persuaded me to lower the towers when I got back
home at 2200 on Friday evening. On 10m I guess this is not so bad, but yagis at
30 and 40ft agl is not ideal.
Saturday am was relatively calm. The band opened about 0730 and I did some
S&P until after 0800 when I started to try to run. EU and Asia were patchy
but OK, but I thought the QRM and splatter from UA etc was really brutal. There
was some nice DX about but the Far East was not great. I only heard, but did not
work, one JA, I managed only two Bys, HS and VK were few and weak, but I did
work a rather weak ZL4NR. The far east stuff fell away quickly and from around
1030 it was quite slow. I looked to the west about 1130 after HI3K called and
the backscatter echoes were quite strong. It was, by now, blowing real gale
outside and I was glad I had lowered the antennas. First US was KX1G at 1150,
followed by VE9AA, both from SW. Stations from NA were reasonably numerous but
not so strong. I hoped to get some LP to Asia but only got a couple of VR2s; no
JA. The band slowly extended to the west, first skewed south, then the paths
straightened out. It just about opened to W6, though most guys were ESP
strength, and W7’s were almost non-existent. It felt like the band was not
properly open and I was suffering badly from QRM and splatter. I seemed unable
to really hold a frequency and was bounced around the band all afternoon. This
does not help get a good run going. The band was not runnable after 1730 so a
bit of S&P caught some rapidly fading signals and a few mults. By 1800 a
few NA stations sounded auroral and for the next hour I could work a few more
by beaming up to 330 degrees; this was the only way to hear and work OR, SK and
WA as well as my only ES5. Heard but not worked KL7 & VE6. Band empty at
1850. 1300 QSOs incl dupes, 82 DXCC but missing loads of states and most of XE!
Band opened Sunday about the same time but I had worked most of the UA4s
audible! There was precious little DX about so I started calling CQ. Things
actually sounded better than Saturday morning �" HS and VK much louder
and more abundant. Never heard a single JA or BY, but did work new stuff like
9M2, 9M6, YB, DU, more VR2, XX9 and lots of VU. SE antenna produced 3B8, C9, ZS
& 6W1. EU activity was relatively poor. I only added another 250 QSOs on
Sunday morning. Apart from the odd South American, stuff to the West was later
in appearing. I went S&P about noon to find 8P, J7 and HZ. I started
running again, in the hope of working a JA on LP and got JH6AUS as the only JA
in the log. My first W was worked as late as 1225, but it opened quite well and
they were louder than Saturday. The NA opening was considerably better than
Saturday, with good pile ups on and off, but never really got out West. XW0YJY
appeared LP at 1348. By 1630, deep QSB set in and by 1715 callers had gone.
S&P for a few more minutes �" band closed at least one hour earlier
and no aurora today.
It was still pretty stormy on Sunday but I was always thinking it might have
been better if the antennas were at their proper height �" but at least
nothing blew over. Comparing the log to 2011, when I was QRV for 4 hours less
due to a power cut, I have in 2013, fewer states, many fewer XE mults, more
DXCC and fractionally less QSOs. The NA opening was not so good this year I
think.
Hope everyone had a great Christmas and best wishes for 2014.
73 Keith GM4YXI (GM5X)
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