[UK-CONTEST] LX/G3VQO CQWW CW SOAB LP

[Les Allwood]

CALLSIGN:      LX/G3VQO

CATEGORY:      SO-AB-LP

CLAIMED-SCORE: 759668

 

                     160m  80m  40m  20m  15m  10m  Total

 

         Valid QSOs:    0  321  257  334  250   59  1221

        Total Mults:    0   65   75   96   81   47   364

       Total Points:    0  392  400  593  555  147  2087

  

Having discovered last year that the FT847 was not an ideal rig for a major contest operation, I took my FT920 this time. Its improved selectivity, big-signal handling and better ergonomics, together with my more instinctive use of the controls, was a great improvement. That was a big plus!

 

A breakdown in communication with my LX hosts meant that there was no 160m antenna available - a definite minus!

 

All the equipment worked without any problems, so the score is down to my inexperience. This serious contesting is a really demanding exercise, with so much to learn.

 

I spent the first 24 hours operating S&P trying to find the rare stuff, just luxuriating in the absolute absence of man-made electrical noises in the receiver, and still being amazed at how easy it is to break the pile-ups with decent antennas (the LX prefix does help, of course!). I intended to spend the Sunday calling CQ and getting the other S&P operators in the log. It didn't work out that way. I must be too polite to "muscle in" to anything less than a real gap, consequently I found it hard to find anywhere to call CQ. When I did find any space, it must have been there so for a good reason because I got few takers.

 

I should also have listened around the bands for the preceding week, to judge band openings (so much to learn and remember!), so I missed most of Saturday's 10m opening. I made it for Sunday, but I think I had missed the best.

 

It made things easier to be in the "Check Partial" files this year, as many stations caught the rather long-winded callsign first time - not like last year. Perhaps somebody can enlighten me though. I used SD which showed my full call in Check Partial, but numerous callers thought I was LX/G3VQ - is there another contest logging program that truncated my last letter?

 

What with sleep and a leisurely evening meal each day (a full two hours, but well worth it) I managed thirty hours of operating. 10m QSO totals were drastically down, and 15m was also down by about 25%, but 20/40/80 were much improved, so the overall QSO total was only down by what I should have made on 160m! The actual points score was down by 25% or so, largely due to a lack of 3 point USA pile-ups on 10/15.

 

So, lots more lessons learned, and doubtless many more to encounter. I'm already planning to be back in Wiltz for next year's CQWW, and with a 160m antenna.

 

73 de Les, LX/G3VQO