[UK-CONTEST] 2004 school report - G0MTN

[Lee Volante]

Hi all,

I've not done this for a couple of years, and as I've certainly been quiet
on the reflector this year in the discussions, and submitting any
post-contest scores here's the whole lot in one go.  Hopefully you won't
find it too self indulgent, but if you do, my apologies, and you know where
to find the delete key!  The last times it did get an interesting thread
going, so let's give it a whirl.....

Summary:
86 contests entered with logs sent off.  I started with the SARTG Happy New
Year RTTY on January 1st, and finished with the DARC Christmas contest
today. 21,000 QSOs as G0MTN, and a few thousand more at 3 field days, on VHF
as G1WAC, and 5U5Z during CQWW CW.  A big reason for the increase was the
very popular introduction of the 80m Club Championship contests.  There were
a few sessions I had to miss for work reasons, but apart from that, I was
there underneath the QRM.  There are a lot of the Tuesday evening VHF/UHF
activity contests I simply didn't enter, so 100 events in a calendar year is
now certainly possible for anyone so minded.  I missed some big events like
AFS SSB and BERU too due to other commitments - oops.

I already know that there are people who've made more contest QSOs than that
this year, some even with 100w / dipole setups, and certainly more people
that have had more success in the results tables. This year there has been
an increase in the number of events I've taken part in seriously, rather
than just play in, which I take a positive development.  In a lot of the 24
hour events, I still go off to get some sleep, but it's nice to aim for
around 20 hours in the chair. In most events, I'm not in the running to win
even with a full bore effort, so the trade off I make at 2 a.m. is whether I
should go for, say 20th place, by getting no sleep and so ruining my Sunday
afternoon and evening, or get some sleep and not be grumpy after the contest
has finished, and end up in 30th place. Does it really matter ?  I've made
it into a few top 10 or top 5 boxes now and again which I didn't used to,
and will have won a few leading 'G' certificates I guess.  6th place is
certainly good enough for me with my midi-station, if I am behind
powerhouses like RK4FF, UU7J etc.

The team events take up the most time. Field Days normally require some
preparation, perhaps equipment maintence, or taking apart some of your own
station.  Also it's not only your time and money that have been put into the
project, so you can't really leave things to chance or go into it half
heartedly. At most of these I'm a helper rather than an organiser, so I
still have it relatively easy.  I should admit I didn't realise I was
missing the 50 MHz station at my group's VHF NFD until 5 minutes before the
start, but that was quickly resolved. Speaking of team events, I'm was
pleased with my radio club's 80m Club Championship placing.  Admittedly I
did do most of the CW contests alone, which helped the score, but after some
badgering, persuasion and practice got a number of guys on the air on SSB, a
few on RTTY for the first time, and even someone new on CW.  Most of the
guys are not active contesters, so a top 10 placing from mostly 'normal
radio club' members was great.  We'll be looking to build on that next
month.

Actual radio highlights:
CQ WW:  RTTY was fun, 1100 QSOs, and SO2R. SSB had excellent conditions, and
I was pleased with my mult total using low power, but I slept too much.  And
it looks like a fairly good result in CQ WW CW with the Voodoo team,
(despite yet more sleeping from me!)

EU Sprints.  Managed all 4 of these, getting some best ever scores, although
probably due to the increased activity.  Pleased to climb to #6 in the
cumulative results across the year.

Best ever claimed result in WAE SSB, due to realising that perservence on
the low bands is really rewarded with those doubled and trebled multiplers,
and more begging for QTCs.  I'm never going to catch Steve 'BLE though.
Entries for all 3 WAE events, let's see if I win anything in the anniversary
raffle.

First time >2000 QSOs from home (in WPX CW.)  Unfortunately my off-time
strategy mostly surrounded my Mum's birthday celebrations, rather than
maximing points/QSO, and I got rightly thrashed in the actual scores.
Serious effort in WPX RTTY, and I can't remember why I was only part time in
WPX SSB.

Managing to hover near the top of the table in RoPoCo.

Continued fun during Field Days with Lichfield RS.  Murphy visited a few
times this year, but we kept going.  Thanks guys.

RTTY contesting is definitely on the increase. First PSK QSOs for me too,
thanks to the 80m CC.  Getting #1 in a couple of CC Data sessions with my
dipole at 15 feet.  Top #10 in ARRL RTTY.

Non radio highlights:
These are even better than the radio highlights.  Some contests I can't even
remember entering (who says RF doesn't affect the brain?) but the trips away
and meeting up with people will be the lasting memories for this year.

The trip away to Niger for 5U5Z with the VooDoo guys was very special. At
the time it feels like it's a lot of hard work, but the time spent together,
experiencing a little of a different culture, travelling, and putting
together a big station with never a cross word spoken says a lot about the
team.

The trip to Croatia with the young contesters was unique, meeting up with
lots of guys I've worked time and time again over the last few years. All
the activities during the meeting itself, and the IOTA contest that took
place whilst I was out there was a good example showing that contesting can
be fun, minimising the physical and mental stress that are usually
associated. I even brought M0RHI back alive. Slightly pickled, but alive.

Other firsts included where I've helped to write a book, which was a novel
experience (sorry, couldn't help myself !), thanks to Roger G3SXW, and had a
couple of guest appearances in some DVD's created during the July 9A trip. I
was asked to start compiling the CDXC Digest contest column too.  [Don't
forget to send me news and info. Last call for AFS team members too!]  With
the increase in multimedia opportunities to contesters these days, will we
start to see PR managers listed on qrz.com as well as QSL managers soon ?

I stopped for the whole weekend at the HF Convention for the first time, and
so had more chance to socialise, enjoy the dinners, as well as actually
manage to attend some presentations for a change :-)  I picked up my first
G0MTN plaque for IOTA 2003 there - many thanks to John G3LZQ.

Being back at Milton Keynes for another year with the GB5HQ
multi-multi-multi team for the IARU HF Championship, this year with Rich
M5RIC joining the team. My role of ordering the pizza's seems cemented.

Operating a 2m contest whilst at a special event station celebrating JRR
Tolkien, again surrounded by hobbits with hairy feet and black riders on
horses passing by the station was a break from the norm.

Right at the start of the year, there was a little contingent from the UK at
the Contest Club Finland meeting which was great fun. A scarf, woolly hat,
snow, and some fellow contesters.  What more do you need ?   (Some would say
alchohol to keep you warm)  I'm booked to go back to Finland for the CCF
meeting next month, this time a cruise. I hope to visit Friedrichshafen for
the first time, and the WWYC crowd are planning a meeting in Poland in 2005.

What else ?  I've received, acknowledged, and sent on 1100 VHF contest logs,
and hopefully not misplaced any of them permanently.  I could have done with
more 21/28 CW logs on HF, but I guess I should be pleased with what was
received given the conditions. I've checked 14 small contests which takes up
a little bit of time each month and gives me an constant excuse to not start
redecorating etc. I'd say most of my HF and VHFCC colleagues put more time
in than me, (and some massively more) as they look after bigger events. As I
sit in both camps I can tell the HF guys I'm very busy with VHF work, and
vice versa, and so escape the nasty work :-)

I've done a few contest presentations to radio clubs in the year - either
specifically on the adventures of DXpedition stations, or on HF and VHF
contesting in general, and how folk might get started.  Andy G4PIQ offered
the services of HF and VHFCC committee members to come and give a talk on
contesting in the Jan 2004 RadCom right at the start of the year, but
received only a handful of replies. Despite various back to basics articles,
lots of FAQs and new pretty websites on the Internet, some of the clubs
visited did not really understand (and hence have any enthusism) for
radiosport. We've seen people who don't know what a serial number is, and
don't feel brave enough to ask on air. M0's, M3's, and the old Class B
licensees are not making a proportionate amount of contest entries compared
with their G3 peers. There's still a lot more work to be done here.

I've not put up any new antennas this year, which isn't good. I have made my
dipole supports a little higher though, and did try SO2R RTTY for the first
time, which at least is something new inside the shack.  My first CQ 160 CW
with the combination of a resonant antenna and amplifier was a quantum leap
forward in success.

Fatigue, sniffles and colds have been an unwelcome visitor - I've slept
through more events than I should have this year.  In CQ WW RTTY I did
approximately 40 hours on air, 4 hours asleep, and spent 4 hours as a zombie
at a friends birthday party.  I don't think anyone noticed.  In CQ WW SSB I
was very tired and had a cold, and didn't stay on air for long enough.  In
CQ WW CW I had my first (fortunately brief) contest induced hospital visit,
but was still able to find some mults and do a bit of running when the
contest started.

With the sunspots going down, and the majority of traditional all band
events suffering as a result, I may be less active in 2005. I'm half
convinced they're doing it on purpose, as a large number of my friends and
peer group colleagues got engaged, married, and/or had children this year.
In response, I do have a participation certificate in the YO DX contest. It
doesn't quite seem the same somehow ;-)  I haven't forgotten that there are
plenty more things out there other than radio...  Somehow I found a bit of
time to play with RF up at 2.1 GHz at work, but the results haven't been
announced for that contest yet. I *really* do need to spend more time on
that next year.

I'm *not* trying to blow my own trumpet, but as in previous years, hopefully
prompting some of the other list members to recount what they've done this
year, and possibly even inspire someone to try something new, or put a bit
back into the hobby ?  Over....

Enjoy the holidays, and Happy New Year for 2005.

73,

Lee G0MTN