RSGB Commonwealth Contest, CW
Call: ZF2NT
Operator(s): ZF2NT
Station: ZF2NT
Class: Restricted HP
QTH: lcm
Operating Time (hrs): 12
Summary:
Band QSOs
------------
80: 58
40: 135
20: 133
15: 198
10: 247
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Total: 771 Total Score = 7,515
Club:
Comments:
This is the first time I've ever entered the Restricted category. I always
thought it was just there for slackards and non-hackers, but this weekend I
discovered it is quite an interesting challenge. Now I wish more contests had
an entry opportunity like this. The British Empire may be a thing of the past,
but it's still true that the sun never sets on the "Commonwealth and mandated
territories". Thus it was a puzzling question indeed to try to plan which 12
hours out of the 24 I wanted to operate. There is no time which is completely
dead (although some of them are painfully slow). In the end, I consciously
passed on a chance to get 5B4/ZC4 on 80m...and I'm still wondering if that was
the right choice. The only easy choice was NOT getting up at 4 a.m. so I could
start this thing at 5. I learned last year that all I'm going to do between 5
and 6, my time, is spend my time blowing off JAs who want a contact and continue
begging for those few VK/ZL contacts on 80.
This aspect of having the Restricted category isn't the only novel point in the
rules on this contest which I think some other contest sponsors should consider.
Packet is not allowed--period. Thus all packet spots can do for the people in
this contest is cause them grief by attracting DXers. And for me, I know that
as soon as I answer one of them, then I've quickly got a pile-up of people worth
zero points to me. So my solution is that I never, ever work stations in this
contest worth zero points. If it weren't for the cluster systems, I wouldn't
mind giving out a few free contacts here and there, but as it is I can't take
that risk.
But why did the HF Contests Committee have to change the start time to 1000Z?
That was a terrible move.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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