[UK-CONTEST] MW5A CQWW.

[G3WVG]

Hiya Guys

Once again I gave SOAB my best shot using the call MW5A. 
My thanks go to Steve, GW4BLE, who was kind enough to invite me to use his
excellent station again this year.


	QSOs	Pts.	Z.	C.	
160m:  191  252	 9	 46	  
80m: 	 654	1100	19	 79
40m:	1041	1950	25	 96
20m:	1595	3542	32	 97
15m:	 515	1191	29	 76
10m:	  25	26	 5	 10

Totals 4021	8061	119	404	523	4,215,903Pts. 

As ever, CQWW was fantastic fun. I just love the rough and tumble of the
whole thing.  So many stations and so little spectrum!

First, the positive.  LF conditions were good and so was 20M. , even  15M
was fair on Sunday. I didn't get too knackered and in fact I didn't even
hallucinate this year!  Highlights, a good 40M JA opening on Sunday
lunchtime, and being called by VK9AA on ten metres.

Secondly, the negative.  All of my own making.  On the Saturday when at
least it was possible to hear a few stations on 10M I stupidly failed stay
on the band to take advantage the available mults.  Instead I decided to
wait until the Sunday when I thought the band might improve.  Bad descision!
Lowlight, once again not being mentally capable of doing SO2R. 

Steve has a great QTH. It's got a really small garden but is situated on a
hill with a superb takeoff especially to USA and JA.  The rapidly falling
ground in these directions gives an effective antenna height of hundreds of
feet.

The equipment set-up is 2 x FT1000mps plus amps in SO2R configuration. On
the one tower he has a rotatable 402BA a TH7 and a fixed A3. (quite a
squeeze!).  For 80M he uses a dipole in a neighbouring tree and for 160 the
tower is shunt fed.

The only change to his usual set up was to replace Steve's Drake L7 amp with
an Alpha 86. (Kindly loaned to me by Nigel G3TXF.) The Alpha is QSK capable
so there is no danger of the first morse symbol getting clipped due to
clunky change over relays.

I tried (and hopelessly failed) to make good use of the second SO2R rig. I
need very much more practice.  I'm afraid that what I gain with the second
rig I more than lose on the run radio which isn't really the idea. It also
gives me a bad headache!

I took a three hour break for sleep and an enforced 30 min break to sort out
a problem with a blown RX pin-diode protection fuse in the Alpha ( not a
problem you get with clunky relays ..ho-hum).

73 Ian G3WVG