[UK-CONTEST] Club Calls - G3SVL

[G3SVL]

Had a go at the Club Calls Contest on Saturday evening - and found it 
really hard going.  160m was in terrible shape down here on the Sussex 
coast - and it would seem elsewhere too.  My problem was S9 noise level 
(seems to be the norm here in the evenings now!) and 10 over 9 static 
crashes.  Signals were mainly below S9 (Chris, G3VHB being the 
exception).  The inverted L was getting out OK but was so noisy on rx that 
I used my HF trapped vertical to listen on which worked better up to 100 
miles or so but beyond that distance it was worse than the L.  Didn't help 
that I worked the contest as a member of Southdowns ARS - which no-one had 
heard of (~70 members, based in Eastbourne, few contesters though).

After the first 30 mins I nearly gave up - but hey, if all I wanted was low 
noise levels and strong signals I wouldn't work 160m as much as I do.  By 
the end my ears hurt and I felt bad about the stns who called me that I 
just could not pull out of the noise.  My rate suffered with 90% of QSO's 
needing a repeat or two, or three.

Unchecked score is 72 QSO's, of which 32 Clubs stns, 35 members and 5 
non-members - looks like 1191pts.

Thanks to everyone who worked me.

73  Chris  G3SVL