[3830] CQWW SSB M4R SOSB/15 LP

[mm at plextek.co.uk]

                     CQ Worldwide DX Contest - SSB
                    
Call: M4R
Operator(s): G4AXX
Station: 

Class: SOSB/15 LP
QTH: Debden Airfield
Operating Time (hrs): 
 

Summary:
 Band     QSOs  Zones  Countries
-------------------------------
  160:                     
   80:                     
   40:                     
   20:    885     32    118
   15:                     
   10:                     
-------------------------------
Total:    885     32    118  =  232,350

Club/Team: Granta Contest Group

Comments:

Hi, from M4R in CQWW SSB 2000

Despite the typically gale-force seasonal WX for CQWW, HF
conditions this year were truly excellent. 

I set up the 15m barefoot station at the airfield on Friday and 
found the electric winch wasn't working. I phoned Strumech 
and work for help, but couldn't get the mast up, so I left it at
30 feet.

The trailer mast door handle had been modified with four 
long M6 bolts through the door, so it was, at last, possible
to properly slam the door shut from the inside.

The band was not open at all at midnight start, so I got
some more sleep before I getting off the starting blocks
at 0500Z.

Colin G4CWH came to help with the winch on Saturday 
morning and dismantled the electrics. After a while he 
got it working by hitting the motor with a hammer. The 
motor had seized.

As the band conditions were so good it was decided 
it was definitely on for a good effort even with the antenna
at 30 feet, and it was better to keep the mast low with the
predicted gale-force winds. 

Saturday was a day of S&P and checking my rate against 
last years HP log. Saturday ended at 2123Z with 495 Q's.

The winds had whipped the rain cover off one of the tent
pegs and exposed my tent's inner mosquito netting to the 
rain. The tent was flooded and my sleeping bag was 
soaking. I slept very uncomfortably on a wet Lilo in a
puddle, fully clothed wrapped in a blanket!

Sunday started at 0500z, I warmed up, had breakfast and
a hot shower from a thermos flask! Propagation was brilliant,
at 0800Z I could hear Eu stations working JA's but I couldn't
hear them, then at 0900Z the JA's came booming in at S9+. 

I spent most of the day on 21.175MHz calling CQ. It was near
the bottom of the S&P LF->HF sweep (as you do in USB).
Stations called in, in little waves, at a rate of 1/minute (never
a pile-up - not with 100W) and my Q rate steadily rose. By 
mid-afternoon I knew for sure I had beaten Shaun M0BJL's 1999
all-time record. I worked VK on both days, and 118 countries!

S9 Rain static affected me around 1700Z on Sat and 1900Z
on Sunday. Interestingly it was raining heavily before and after 
the static, I guess some clouds are charged and some just 
aren't, hi. As the static died down I could hear individual 
charged raindrops discharging into the antenna, (the 
tower was grounded with jumper cables and a guy stake).

2 hours after sunset the W's became unworkable, and the 
band opened up to South America. I just called CQ and
was called by S.Americans, some of which were new 
country multipliers!

The Army got so used to me phoning them up to open the 
gate (eight times in all) that they gave me the number of the
combination lock on the gate.

The claimed summary for comparison then is:

Band Call  Score    QSO  Zn  Co   Year
L21  M0BJL 199,206  764  33  120  1999
L21  M4R   232,350  885  32  118  2000

Total fuel consumption 32 liters.

73 Mark G4AXX, Granta Contest Group M0CAM & M4R





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