CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW - 2021
Call: M6W
Operator(s): G3WW
Station: G3WW
Class: SO(A)SB80 LP
QTH: IO82wt
Operating Time (hrs): 34:39
Summary:
Band QSOs Zones Countries
------------------------------
160:
80: 1272 20 76
40:
20:
15:
10:
------------------------------
Total: 1272 20 76 Total Score = 170,976
Club:
Comments:
Having struggled with one or two health issues of late I was doubtful of making
CQWW CW. But as this contest tends to be the only opportunity I get on the radio
these days, I tried to make an effort from my new QTH in Stafford. I haven’t
been sleeping well lately so thought a good compromise would be to do a low
band. I opted for 80m and the day before the contest, threw a ¼ wave wire in
inverted-L configuration over a 10-meter high tree branch. I also laid out about
a dozen random length radials on the grass.
SWR was flat across the CW portion of 80m but noise was S6. I have no RX antenna
(yet). On Friday evening Storm Arwen hit the Midlands and by 10 pm the SWR was
infinity and the radio deadly silent. I cautiously ventured outside in the dark
two hours before the contest with a torch to see if I could identify any faults.
I saw no obvious problems but was seriously concerned whilst scratting around in
the darkness underneath several 70-foot mature and creaking ash trees. I had
visions of being fatally wounded by a falling tree limb. In the end I
disconnected a 1:1 choke balun at the feed-point as that was the only thing I
could realistically change in the dark and miraculously it seemed to be the
issue so I decided to work without it. I was convinced that at some point though
my thin piece of wire would snap like tissue paper between the swaying trees.
The contest started well and I was up in terms of QSOs on my 2010 record and
Tim’s subsequent 2018 record by Saturday breakfast. Tim, G8X, and I have been
trading records over recent years and we have a healthy rivalry and respect for
each other. 80m did seem in quite good shape I thought and I was usually heard
first call except for in the big pileups. By Saturday evening it became apparent
that I was running out of stations to work S&P so I switched more to running
which didn’t make much of an impact. I spent most of Sunday and the remainder
of the weekend picking off RBN spots as soon as they appeared on the screen.
I’ve found this a problem previously with single band contesting.
In the end I passed my nominal target of 1000 QSOs quite comfortably, however I
was a good 20 DXCC multipliers down on what I have come to expect on 80m. 95-100
DXCCs is achievable in this category. There were a few double mults I could hear
but not work such as China, Japan and Brazil - those would have been a welcome
boost to the score. Is the poor mult count due to Covid and the lack of
dxpeditions? The contest was a lot of fun though and it really did prove to be a
good tonic.
Monday morning was back down to earth with a bang when I discovered water
leaking from the ceiling onto the dining room table. Oddly enough the insurers
were quite busy with Arwen damage claims (mine wasn't) so they had their own
pile-up of sorts as I had to wait my turn on the telephone. Desperately sorry
for those who have suffered damage last weekend.
FT-1000MP, 100w
66’ inverted-L over 10m high branch
Win-Test
73 Dez
M6W/G3WW
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