[3830] Commonwealth ZM2B(ZL2BR) SO-Open24 HP

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                    RSGB Commonwealth Contest - 2019

Call: ZM2B
Operator(s): ZL2BR
Station: ZM2B

Class: SO-Open24 HP
QTH: Taranaki NZ
Operating Time (hrs): 17

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
   80:   31
   40:   96
   20:   52
   15:    3
   10:     
------------
Total:  203  Total Score = 3,695

Club: 

Comments:

The 1000utc kick-off was course of course at 2300 NZ time. The SFI was stuck at
72, so 20m would pretty much a no-go-zone until sunrise at 1800utc. So at this
stage 80/40m was where all the action was between VE's, VK's and ZL's. However
did check 20m out a few times but the only sign of life early on in the game was
9V1YC.

So it was slow but steady going for the first 6 hours, with VU2PTT and Nigel at
3B8 being the only non VE/VK/ZL worked on 40m. The pre-sunrise 80/40m path to UK
was a big disappointment, with all signals weak and down in the noise, but
5B4AGN was about 30dB better than the best G signal on 40m plus GW3YDX was the
only UK catch on 80m.

Day time operating was pretty boring so took plenty of breaks. However did
manage a couple of 15m contacts with V31GX and ZF2CA, both had very good
signals, but there was no sign of any life from VE-land.

Sunset grey-line LP path to UK on 40/80m was also disappointing, however this
was followed by the most exciting session of the whole contest when the 20m SP
to UK suddenly came alive at 0800utc, with heaps of  good signals, but the show
was all over an hour later.

With my station being in a city suburban location, RF noise on the lower bands
is an ever increasing problem of course, with a noise floor of S9 on 80m and S6
on 40m. Main rig is IC-7600 and amp running about 800w-1kw into a C3SS HF beam,
plus a 40m GP with feed base at 7m but just a dipole for 80m. Also have an ever
changing assortment of receive wire things to try and help with the RF noise
problem.

I was surprised when on 40m, that one G station commented on the dx-cluster that
I was "deaf". Unfortunately this and other similar unhelpful and
unnecessary comments are becoming more common as some stations get frustrated
that a dx station is not answering their calls. The spotter would of course have
absolutely no idea of what the dx station was hearing at that time, which in my
case was many very weak callers with strong VK signals either side. Maybe the
people who make such comments don't even consider that possibly part of problem
lay in the efficiencies of their own station. In all my years of contesting this
is a first for me.

Another unusual and unwanted aspect this year was extremely long deep QSB on 40m
and 20m, callers would call and then disappear, plus when having to ask for a
s/n repeat, after a number of requests the needed numbers came booming thru.
Strange stuff indeed.

Will be back next year!


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