[UK-CONTEST] AFS

[g3rte]

Hi All.

Well I have finally discovered where all the action is! 

Though this topic is a few months late I would just like to add my thoughts on the best aerials to use for the contest in my opinion.

I seem to have taken part in every leg of the CW contest ever since it became an 80m event. I also think I have alway been in the top ten scores.  I have always used Inverted Vee dipoles from heights of 30 feet up to 55 feet from 4 different locations.  Three in Potters Bar and one at Hemel Hempstead.  I think at the end of the day I would if possible go for the 55 foot one and as Dave BUO does use a reflector.  In my case this has been positioned below the driven element.

Though at the end of the day I think the main criteria is to have a quiet location.  I know in the past I have probably lost several contacts due the high noise level I have in PB.  Five MW transmitters about 2 miles away to the North and Capital Radio five miles to the South doesn't help.  I have operated from Neville's G3NUG's location several times.  The band is much quieter and I have always done better from there, apart form this year but that's another story.

My other thought and maybe nice if others agree that this  contest is probably won in the first hour!  As you all know it is hardly a contest where you are running flat out for the four hours.  If you get off to a slow start you would think at the end of the day you would catch up!  Not so in my case anyway.  I got off to a very poor start this year for certain reasons.  After about an hour I had only logged 60 qsos.  Normally this would be in the 90's or just over the 100 in a good . I never did recover those 40 lost contacts and my score was apprx 40 down on previous years.

I used to run for 3 hours then S&P in the last hour.  I now run for the full 4 hours.  I always thought I was missing something when tuning over the bands.  Better to be heard at all times I think and let the others do the S&Ping!

On a completly different track with reference to the 21/29Mhz CW contest being ruined by the WAG contest.  I did suggest to the HF Committee that the SSB and CW legs be changed around annually to give us all a fair chance.

Jim G3RTE