Topband: Stew Perry 2000 and the Zen art of Ferby training

[Steve Ireland]

G'day,

The Stew Perry 2000 was an exercise in patience from Glen Forrest, Western
Australia, with conditions being good for very short lengths of time and
efforts maximised into making the best of these.  With the apparently
higher absorption rates that existed on the topband this year as compared
to last, the number of contacts (63) was reduced from around half of those
made last year.

The start of the Stew Perry found the band full of S9 static crashes and S3
signals from the west coast, resulting in much frustration and contacts
from that area with only KL7RA and N7UA.  However, there was a nice
surprise at 1548Z, with a contact with Gus A92ZE.

The next three and a half hours only produced a handful of contacts with
VK, until 1928Z, when the static levels dropped and the first European,
SM5EDX was worked.  The band opened slowly into Eu, with a steady trickle
of contacts until about half an hour before sunrise when the conditions
suddenly improved.  QSOs were made across Scandinavia, western Russia and
down into central Eu, moving west from 9A and S5 into DL, G, and as far
south as Italy and Eire (EI7BA).

The openings seemed spotlighty and when the band closed about 15 minutes
after sunrise (2107Z), there were 41 QSOs in the log. 

Feeling somewhat groggy, I went in to see my wife Deb and discovered she
had not had an entirely successful night either.  My daughter Hannah had
been badly bitten by a renegade insect (we have a big problem with spiders
this year) and Deb had been up looking after Hannah - in between being kept
awake by my CW breaking sporadically through the child monitor system we
have (160 CW doesn't usually do this) and the strange chatter of my
daughter's Christmas present, an untrained Ferby ("Me Kosi, me happy")
which awoke from its electronic sleep at random intervals.

After a few hours sleep, the day was spent pottering around with the kids
and Deb training Kosi the Ferby to keep it quiet at night ("Me Kosi, me
want to play. Wheeeeeeeeeee!").

As sunset approached, the QRN levels were around S5-S6, better than
expected. Signals started to appear from North America bang on sunset, K6VX
being the first QSO at 1127Z.  Unfortunately by 1149Z, signals had
virtually disappeared again, with the finish of the customary 15-20 minute
post-sunset boost in signal levels.  However, during this period, a few
very long distances were worked (K1PX and K1VW, 18,592km), with several
other good QSOs into W2 and 4 land.

After that, it was very very slow going, with just the odd signal breaking
through the summer QRN from time to time.  W8JI, W8TOP and W8UVZ, with
their FB rx and tx set-ups, were the only US stations worked outside of a
few west coasters (N7DD, N7RT and N7NQ).  Note should also be made of the
FB signals of K9DX, K6NDV and N6FF, who were worked in the sunset rush of
stations but were also regularly heard almost up to the end of the contest.

In the final wash-up, 63 stations were worked, around half of which were in
Europe and around a third from North America.  Only three Japanese stations
were worked, which reflected the overall poor conditions.

Oh yes, and the Ferby training was more succesful than my Stew Perrying.
Deb was able to retire to bed during the evening Stew Perry session after
Kosi had been put into a deep sleep, using the correct zen method from the
manual.

See you blokes next year!

Vy 73,

Steve, VK6VZ



 


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