Dear Topbanders - especially those who took part in the SP contest.
After returning to amateur radio in Feb 2001 after a qrt of 32 years I have
had a superb time back on the one and only band for me: 160 metres. In
1968 I did manage to work Stew Perry W1BB on three occasions (and K1PBW)
and the 160 bug bit - but obviously lay dormant until now! In those days I
used an AR88D Rx and a homebrew 10W (UK legal 160m limit then) CW Tx with a
110 ft end-fed. Now I have an FT1000 MP(V) - which I like a lot.
So, on returning to the band in 2001, I was pleased to see 1) that the SP
contest had been set up and 2) that generally there is still a
"gentlemanly" spirit of behaviour around (which is more than I can say for
most other bands I have observed this year).
Although I live in a small qth (80 x 18 ft garden) about 3km fronm the
centre of Oxford city, UK (where RF the noise level is vy high) I have
managed to erect a "W1BB - style" inverted L with a vertical section of
some 15 metres, and my lawn has so much metal in it the grass roots have
nowhere to hide. The best Rx ant I have come up with so far is a giant Mag
loop made out of 93 ohm coax and resonated at 1832 kHz.
In the SP contest I was pleased to make a total of 119 qsos, including many
EUs, 4X3A, and some 29 with North America. couldn't raise FM5 although he
was vy loud just at my sunrise. I did manage to get 5 hrs sleep in the
middle of this as well!! Also it was an unusual pleasure for a G stn to be
the "food" for a "feeding frenzy" - from 0535 to 0610 z I worked 20 NA stns
in quick succession. I am sorry if I was a little slow at that time - my
Windows computer had just crashed and I had to use a hand log! (very W1BB -
authentic)
Does anyone know of a good logging programme for a Mac?
73s and HNY
Geoff
G3XGC
Geoff Cottrell
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