[3830] Commonwealth C4Z(5B4AIZ) Open-24 LP

[webform at b41h.net]

                    RSGB Commonwealth Contest, CW

Call: C4Z
Operator(s): 5B4AIZ
Station: 5B4AIZ

Class: Open-24 LP
QTH: Cyprus
Operating Time (hrs): 23

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
   80:   60
   40:  182
   20:  205
   15:  209
   10:  227
------------
Total:  883  Total Score = 7,925

Club: Chiltern DX Club

Comments:

Before start of the contest I took a look at the A/K indices. I can't recall
seeing an A index so high as 68 prior to an event and wondered just what this
would bring. We soon got the answer which was noise, noise, noise!

Because of the start time this contest always begins with a bang for us in 5B
land with great numbers of uk guys in range. 10 mtrs was open, great, grab it
in case it isn't there tomorrow. 110 in the log after first hour, not so great
- it should have been 150+. The disturbance was distorting signals, listening
high of the pile didn't help, they all seemed to be netted on and the buzz
saw/doppler effect jumbled it all together.

DX cndx were in and out, you were lucky to be in the right place at the right
time or you were not. When you qsy with John, VE3EJ, from 15mtrs to 20mtrs and
don't make it (I didn't hear a trace of him)you know the band is in serious
trouble. So it proved to be for the remainder of the day, very difficult
contacts with the boys in eastern VE and, moreover, the Carribean who normally
boom into here. Contrast that with early doors Sunday, in the 30 years of my
licence I never had such a great 20mtr LP opening to VK/ZL, around 30 contacts,
from ZL7(Chatham), ZL4 in south island right up to VK8, although,as usual, VK's
1 & 5 were no show.

My lf antennas always let this stn down. A very small suburban lot, what area
there is is concrete and the water supply is alkathene pipimg. Unfortuanately,
unlike the majority of properties here  who have flat roofs (where I could play
around with verticals), I have a sloping roof. So my 'best ears' award goes to
Lee, VE7CC for a 40mtr contact. I could scarce copy his good setup so just how
he copied the miniscule sig he got from me is an enigma. My 40mtr ant is an 
inverted vee, oriented all wrong for this event being ends on to ve and vk/zl
so I had only 3/4 scratchy contacts into vk and zilch with zl. Again, on
40mtrs, carrib contacts were few and difficult, with ve not much better. As for
80mtrs that was almost a total writeoff for dx with the saving grace being the
uk guys who were there in numbers.

Whilst difficult you just have to love this contest for it's novelty and
challenges, it seldom blesses us with good cndx but we look forward to it each
year and enjoy it whilst it lasts. Rapid qsb and noise called for many repeats
of s/n's, I just hope the log checking process doesn't maul my best ever score
too badly.

Team Competition.
Following upon the rule change reducing teams to five in number we formed a new
team with four from the Mediterranean plus one from West Africa.
Team members were 9H3C(G3PHO),9H3ET(G3LET),C56XA(G3XAQ), ZB2EO, C4Z(5B4AIZ) .
We are pretty pleased with a combined claimed score of around 35k pts, but
moreso that the first three listed above were travelling dxpeditioners who
carried their own e'qp't and necessary paraphanalia out from the uk. One hour
into the contest C56XA had his hf multiband antenna destroyed by cattle being
moved along the beach and had to use his lf inverted 'L' for the remainder of
the contest. He checked in with over 700 q's - a very creditable performance.

Worthy of special mention is Peter 9H3ET who operated field day style with
antennas erected in a ploughed field and used a car for a shack. Both the 9H
boys suffered severe storm force gales and rain all the time they were there
and the day prior to Beru, suffered damage to  their antennas needing rebuilds
and compromises. 9H3ET made more than 1100 contacts, by far the greatest number
I have seen reported so far (or heard on the air).
Now get this - Peter does his logging on paper and reckons to have only 5
dupes!
Can you imagine operating a rig, a keyer, hand logging, making 1100+ contacts,
maintaining a dupe sheet (with a minimal number of dupes), FROM A CAR !!!?
That guy is something else!
I am proud of our teams achievement and would like to thank them publicly
here.

73  Brian C4Z/5B4AIZ (Team Captain)

883 QSO's  -  176 bonus -   7921 claimed points.

TS570 100w.3 ele Tribander @ 48'. Inv V dipole for 40. Half sloper for 80mtrs. 
Logging with 'SD'


Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/