[3830] ARRL 10 C4Z(5B4AIZ) SO CW HP

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                    ARRL 10-Meter Contest

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

Class: SO CW HP
QTH: LARNACA
Operating Time (hrs): 15

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
   CW:  910    88
  SSB:           
-------------------
Total:  910    88  Total Score = 315,744

Club: UKEICC

Comments:

Ahead of this contest I was not expecting a lot considering the downward slide
of the solar cycle so, despite various frustrations and disappointments along
the way, we can be grateful for what we got. Some good dx openings and good
rates available at times made turning out worthwhile even if we didn't get this
or that we needed or wanted.


As 10M is essentially a daylight band for us in the Northern Hemisphere it is
more understandable if we quote and relate to local times rather than Zulu
time, which in my case is Z + 2 hrs.

Saturday was far better here than Sunday when the band opened one hour later
and closed one hour earlier than the previous day. I got started at 06.15 to a
dead band, first signal  was heard 5 minutes later with VK2IA, however it was
30 minutes before the next contact. I have to compliment VK2IA on his antennas,
he was a beacon on both days for hours on end, quite remarkable on a band which
demonstrated such variable condx.


 The first 8 contacts were all VK/ZL with nothing else heard. the band slowly
opened up to HS, BY and JA, albeit no big opening to JA where the numbers are.
I was pleased to get 5W and KH2, disappointed that JD1 couldn't hear me and
frustrated that V73 who got my s/n disappeared into the qsb hole before I could
resolve his number. That was it for Pacific, nothing heard from that area on
Sunday.


My beam started off looking SE gradually moving up to NE as propagation
changed. Interesting when  the first EU's appeared, UA4, SM, OH, that  if I
turned the antenna towards the North they disappeared, so I worked that first
half hour to EU on side scatter  beaming NW to JA with only the occasional JA
or BY. It was a struggle, with only 56 q's in the first 3 hrs and then Bingo,
EU opened up, beaming due North even UK in west EU was there with strong
signals. In a 2 hour period, one hour hr each side of local noon, I had 220 q's
which considering the fade outs and numbers of fills needed was satisfying.


The rate stayed pretty good until 15.00 when the band all but closed up! - hey
what's this there is still 1 hr 40 minutes to sunset!?. After that we are left
with SA & AF where there are few numbers. USA wasn't there, Florida apart,
I managed only CT, MA, VA plus NF & NS, quite a miserable result in a
contest where there are so many USA/VE mlts available. Apart from the period
around Noon the Caribbean stns were weak whereas SA was booming in most of the
contest. Those guys really shine in this event with their long daylight and i
got a big surprise Sunday am when PP5JR called in on the LP with a s/n of 1947
with still 18 hrs to go! I finished up Saturday just short of 600 q's.

Sunday was hard work to get and maintain rate, even though I had to lose a
couple of hours  for unavoidable domestic duties and the shorter band opening
time I didn't miss a lot, still no USA and I was gutted when the lights went
out shortly after 14.00 local time.

I didn't get close to DXCC with 82 countries, most were with EU, I was pleased
to get calls from the rare counters of C3 & 3A and I didn't miss many. Most
contacts were with West Eu, I was happy to get counters from close in stns my
side of Central EU but there are few S5, YU, YO, UA3 guys who normally fill out
the log, I guess the skip was too long most of the time.


Operating standards were good with few objectionable wide/dirty signals, I did
curse one occasion when I had a 6W mlt call me there was a continuous caller,
unusually a Swedish stn who are such good ops. he must have been a code reader
who just kept pressing his F5 key. I asked him several times to QRX to no avail
my mult had disappeared and I determined that I was not going to work this lid
but had to give in as he never stopped and was a strong sig blocking other
callers, maybe I should remove him from the log! 


I have to agree with Mike VE9AA about guys who disappear without confirming the
exchange after fills and there will be several who will find that they are NIL
and will lose my mlt. Sorry we didn't make it this time Mike, the only two VE
mlts I made were the only two I even heard over the weekend. Cndx were
difficult, I cannot count the times I came across loudish stns, not ever
considering that they wouldn't hear me, who continued to cq in my face, quite a
lot of one way propagation. That worked against me too as the Runner as I see
now I got three spots from W3LPL yesterday afternoon, in that time I did not
ever hear one single caller from NA, sorry about that guys, it was not my
eqp't!

Eqp't  - TS590S  + Acom  1010  500W   Cushcraft X7 antenna up 50'


Wishing all my fellow contesters a Happy Xmas & New Year and thanks for all
of the contacts in the past year.


73  Brian C4Z / 5B4AIZ.


 

 

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