[UK-CONTEST] BERU GW3NJW RESTRICTED

[Clive Whelan]

Hi

                 GW3NJW
     (PC!) Commonwealth Contest Restricted Section
     
Band QSOs  Bonus

3.5  20 16

7 48 39

14   38 40

21   38 31

28   22 21


Total   166   147



Score ( probably) 3770 points ( possibly!)

>From a quick and dirty post contest log massage.

                       
                          Station
_______

                          TS870
Alpha 78 400 watts
Writelog 10.40g beta

                                                     Antennas
_________
3.5-14 W1CF/Butternut Hybrid array
21/28  212ft inverted vee doublet at 30 ft                       
                                                                 
    On Thursday I discovered why the verticals were not working 
properly viz two conductors in the control cable were open 
circuit. It is not presently clear what has happened, but 
possibly some creature, rabbit, fox, rat? has gnawed the cable ( 
killer bees, Ed?). On Friday it was once again inclement, 
clearing in the afternoon. Thus at 16:00 a new 40m run of 
control cable was laid, and the installation has been entered 
for the lash up of the year award!

                          I had intended to go for the 24 hour 
section, but after 6 hours of very slow rates, decided to step 
down to the 12 hour section. This provides an additional 
challenge in respect of when to take the off time ( 6 hours only 
of the last 18 allowed). Because this was unplanned, it was 
almost certainly wrong.
                          
                                                  Although I 
could hold my own on 7Mhz, and to a leaser extent on 3.5Mhz, I 
was consistently blown away on HF with verticals and wire. 'Twas 
ever so here; nice place to live, shame about the antennas.
                                                  
                          Had some deliberate QRM on 3.5Mhz from 
a DL station , who was obviously disaffected by not being 
included in the Commonwealth. When I managed to work a couple of 
VEs through him however, he decided to slope off.                
                               
                          The auroral conditions, which seem to 
be de rigeur on 40m lately, caused some difficulty, but it could 
have been worse. 80m seemed less affected, although I managed to 
miss VK and ZL on that band, who were nevertheless plentiful on 
7 and 14Mhz. I worked VE1ZZ at 19:25 on 7Mhz, and plenty of SP 
VKs, although I missed SP ZL, almost certainly because of poor 
off time planning. Got a clean sweep of VK1-8, and ZL1-4,6 but 
frustratingly missed VK9NS who was a cracking signal on the SP 
on 3.5Mhz, but who just called a ZL and then seemed to disappear 
. 
                          
I don't know what antenna Nigel was using at VP2EN, but even on 
3.5Mhz, he was a very respectable signal, if not crushing rocks. 
It was very satisfying to be able to pull him away from the 
frequency of a VE he had just worked, a technique which rarely 
works in my experience; thanks Nigel. Really nice to hear OM 
Pat/G3IOR on from 5B4. Does this mean all the Oscars have fallen 
from the sky!

                          73
                          
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                    
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                                 
                                                               
Clive
GW3NJW