[UK-CONTEST] WAE - G3SQX

[Ed Taylor, G3SQX]

WAE Contest CW 2002

Call: G3SQX
Class: Single Op HP, unassisted
Rig:  TS-570, Alpha amp: 400w
Antenna:  Dipole at 50 feet

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  QTCs  Mults
-------------------------
   80:    22    0    8
   40:    49   115    18
   20:    245   242    56
   15:   129   217    39
   10:    27    30    15
-------------------------
Total:  472   604   136  Total Score = 328 032

Club: Contest Cambria


Comments:

I have to agree with those who say that this is an excellent contest, which
deserves more support from UK stations.  It would make sense to get rid of
most of the RSGB HF contests, and offer trophies for UK participation in
WAE.  Having said that, I would admit that my operating tactics were very
shaky, and I have to learn how to persuade stations to send me QTCs even
when they don't really want to.  I like the scoring system, though, which
rewards 80m and 40 operation.  Maybe 10m should also have a multiplier
benefit, at least in the "off" sunspot years.

Conditions were not too hot, although more RF on 10m might have surprised a
few people.  Things improved a bit on Sunday, and 15m wasn't hopeless.
Still, I think we deserved (and didn't get) 3 or 4 years of good 10m
propagation -- anyone got ideas for suitable sacrifices to the ionospheric
gods?

This was my first outing under contest conditions with Writelog -- a baptism
of fire, you might say.  I didn't have trouble with the software, mainly
because I don't use the "Enter does everything" feature, I suspect.
However, there are some features that Writelong really needs to get on board
to be a genuine piece of CW contest software, which will undoubtedly be
discussed in the appropriate reflector.  Still, it's nice to know that a
Windows logging program is running successfully, since we can't rely on
having DOS around indefinitely.  I even used parallel port keying without
glitch -- a facility which may not last too much longer it seems.

Receiving QTCs at 35 wpm is a bona fide assault on the senses.  I don't use
any "record" feature, and think this would definitely be outside the spirit
of the rules.  In fact, it might not be as useful as it seems, since you
perhaps wouldn't realise you needed to ask for a repeat because of QRM or
QRN.  Just a millisecond of concentration lapse at that speed, and it's easy
to lose a whole QSO.  My sense is that DX stations would get better results
by sending QTCs at about 27 wpm, and have virtually solid copy every time
(QRM/N excluded).  Perhaps they all assume we are recording these days.

It is definitely VERY annoying when someone asks for (and gets) QTCs from a
multiplier with stations waiting to work him.  I'm not convinced it's good
tactics for a "rare" station to send QTCs when there's a pile-up waiting --
shouldn't he work as many as he can then wait till later and offload them
when stations are not so desperate to work him?

As far as the contest rules are concerned, I am reasonably happy with
things.  But I really DO think 48 hours is too long, and 24 hours would be
better.  There aren't enough stations on the air over the weekend to justify
28 hours, apart from the anti-social aspects of such a long event.  Support
from outside Europe is not very high, which means that serious non-Europe
entrants are very much in demand.  I don't know how this could be changed --
"everybody works everybody" would be one way of going, but would change the
character of the event.  As usual, North American stations are not really
interested, and they are the mainstay of any world-wide contest.  Still, the
number of JAs was gratifying.

73,

Ed, G3SQX