[UK-CONTEST] 2005 summary - GM4AFF

[Cooper, Stewart]

Annual brag sheet for GM4AFF.

Having read of Lee's (G0MTN) total of 80-odd contests in 2004, I thought I should really make more effort to participate in, and enter more contests in 2005. Adding up the total it comes to 54 in which I participated in some way - although I actually submitted logs for very few. I must confess that some involved only working a handful of Q's, but hey, I did my bit. A good number were on 2 and 4m as well.

The most enjoyable and memorable contests of 2005 for me:

IOTA, CW WW CW, CQ WW SSB, the 80m CC contests, the 144MHz Trophy, Stew Perry and AFS.

The lows included the ARRL 10m Contest, the 144MHz Marconi and the failure of my 144MHz amp.

I visited Shetland for IOTA and entered the 24hr SSB category. This was a true one-man dx-pedition, and was great fun, if a little hard ...and I broke my previous year's personal best score.

Major advances in the shack this year include:

- addition of a line to my DX Doubler which keys the voice keyer when I hit F1,2, and 3

- full implementation of SO2R using the DX Doubler and Win-Test

- committed to Win-Test as my main logging software

- replacement of the FT-847 with an FT-897 (for better or worse, I still can't decide)

- repair of a long term fault in my Alpha which means it doesn't trip (so often)

- addition of another band-pass filter

- addition of 2 Ewe antennas and a beverage to SE, which is wonderful on 80m long path.

I went to Dayton this year for the first time, which was an experience. Winning an antenna in the raffle in the last hour, and having to transport the wooden crate back to Scotland on the plane was another. Nevertheless, I was impressed by the sheer size of the event, and had a truly great time at the social events, winning yet another prize at the Contest Dinner.

I only really count countries on 80m (and on my feet), but I did manage a few all time new ones with KP5 Desecheo just a month ago and FT5 on many bands back in the Spring. On the whole, the sun spot low years, and hence the better LF propagation, seem to favour higher latitude stations, so 160 and 80m have been good this year for me. Nevertheless, the biggest disappointment of tne year was failing to even HEAR K7C on any band, never mind work them.

And the biggest surprise of the year was being presented with a wonderful pewter Quaich by the GMDX Group at their convention in April, for my 2004 IOTA success. For this I was truly taken aback.

Although it scares me to think that my first contest (not as an SWL) was the ARRL in 1971, only now am I beginning to learn what HF contesting is all about. Seems like I used up a lot of years on 144MHz or just not being QRV!

Hope to see some of you next weekend in Finland and all of you on the bands in 2006!

Stewart

GM4AFF



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