[UK-CONTEST] 9M2/G4ZFE BERU

[richard at babbage.demon.co.uk]

RSGB Commonwealth Contest, CW

Call: 9M2/G4ZFE
Operator(s): G4ZFE
Station: 9M2RPN

Class: Open HP
QTH: Kuala Lumpur
Operating Time (hrs): 19

Summary:
 Band  QSOs
------------
   80:   9
   40:  74
   20:  194
   15:  162
   10:  135
------------
Total:  574  Total Score = TBC

Station:
IC-756 PRO and IC-PW1 Amplifier
Power - 400 watts (max)

Antennas:
TH3 Junior 3-ele at 10m
40/80m trapped dipole at 25' 

Thanks again to Sangat, 9M2SS, for the loan of the Kuala Lumpur Planetarium Club Station for the weekend.

Hopefully a better score than last year. Apologies for the deafness on the LF side. Plans to get the LF antenna higher up did not work out. Well done to those who heard me on the LF bands!

On the HF side 15m was a problem as the 15m traps in the TH3 tribander have blown, so I was surprised to work so many stations on 15m. 20m was the star band here and opened up nicely to the UK with some stunningly loud signals. There is still life in 10m and it was good to work so many UK stations on that band. I was relying on the last hour of the contest for a run into the UK on 10m. However there was a very heavy rain storm and the noise of the rain outside along with the rain static made copy difficult. 

Thank you to G3BJ, G3WGV, G0IVZ, GM3POI, VK6LW, VK6VZ and ZC4DW for the 5 band QSOs. I also worked two M3 stations, the first time I have worked any from here and both were excellent operators. I operated at 21/22/23 WPM for the majority of the contest. This is slower than normal but I was trying to atract non-contesters and it seemed to have worked. I never felt really loud on any band so I also hoped than a slower speed would also help copy at the DX end. A slower speed also gave me time to read through the last 3 months RadComs and do some other stuff on my laptop during the contest :-)

I will probably be here still next year and will try and get the LF side sorted. LF performance from my KL apartment (26th floor) is a lot better - I have worked many W6/W7 on 40m and 80m with 599 reports over a distance of 8,000 miles using 100W - but sadly my take off from there to Eu is appalling.

I am now working in India but will be back in KL for CQ WPX SSB from 9M2RPN - UK multi-op with GM4YXI, G3TMA and G4ZFE. 

73 de Rich, 9M2/G4ZFE
WWW:    http://www.g4zfe.com
E-mail: g4zfe at g4zfe.com