[UK-CONTEST] Fw: Northern Ireland Hams Commonwealth Contest this weekend...

[Gerard Lynch]

PS - this is what I sent to the various Northern Ireland amateur reflectors - it usually scares up a few more GIs for part of the contest anyway.  Please feel free to cut and paste any of it that seems useful to your local/club reflector.

73

Gerry G0RTN
Vanity Page at http://www.gerrylynch.co.uk
"In days of old, when ops were bold, and sidebands not invented,
The word would pass, by pounding brass, and all were well contented."
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Gerard Lynch 
To: northern_ireland_hams at yahoogroups.com ; realops at yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 11:46 PM
Subject: Northern Ireland Hams Commonwealth Contest this weekend...


Do you like working DX?  Do you like working a couple of dozen VKs and ZLs 
over a weekend?  Do you like to work things like Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi 
with no European or US competition?  Is your CW not the best in the world, 
but you'd like to give it a run out in a relaxed, friendly contest 
environment?  If so, you need to be on the bands this weekend...

The 69th Commonwealth Contest (also known as BERU from its original name, 
the British Empire Radio Union Contest) will be taking place from 1000 UTC, 
Saturday 11th March until 1000 UTC, Sunday 12th March.  Full rules are at 
http://www.contesting.co.uk/hfcc/rules/rberu.shtml but it basically goes as 
follows:

UK stations can work stations anywhere in the Commonwealth outside the UK, 
once per band.  The exchange is the usual 599 + serial number.  Activity is 
CW only in the bottom 30kHz of the 5 traditional contest bands (3.5, 7, 14, 
21 and 28 MHz).  You score 5 points per QSO and 15 points for the first 
three contacts in any given call area.  You also get extra points for 
working special National Society stations who will send their national 
society name after the serial number - you can work GB5CC, the RSGB station 
for even more bonus points this way.

Does the scoring sound a bit complicated?  Download SD for FREE from 
http://www.ei5di.com and let it do the work for you - or don't get too 
worried about the scoring, and sit back and work the DX instead.

Your CW isn't so hot?  Remember stations will be sending their callsign 
repeatedly when they CQ, so you can take time to get it right.  Even the top 
stations will only make 800-900 QSOs over the 24 hours with the current poor 
levels of solar activity, so don't be afraid to ask for them to repeat 
serial numbers at slow speed (QRS QRS) - they will be delighted to get the 
points from you.

What can you expect to hear with 100 Watts and a dipole or a vertical with a 
few radials?

* Never worked transatlantic on 80?  Eastern VEs will be easy pickings in 
the early hours of Sunday morning.  VO1MP in Newfoundland has a signal that 
melts brass and ears the size of an elephant.  You can work him with a 
coathanger in the attic.

* You think VK and ZL are tough on 40?  From about 0600-0800, the antipodean 
stations will be booming in on the long path over South America.  Last year 
I worked VK9NS on Norfolk Island, a very rare country, first call in this 
period.  No hassle, no stress.  If we're lucky the short path around 
1700-1900 will be almost as good, but the low sunspot numbers make that path 
a bit more fickle at the moment, especially for ZL.

* You think the North American West Coast is tough on 40?  The VE7s often 
peak at 0600 or so, happily just when you'll be on the band to work the 
Aussies and Kiwis anyway.

* 10 metres is always dead?  With sunspots as low as they are at the moment, 
there are no guarantees, but there's at least a possibility of working 
African goodies like Z24E, 9J2BO and 7Q7BP on 10 between 1100-1300 on 
Saturday, and if 10 is dead, then they will be on 15.  15 will also have 
plenty of Carribean interest, and the possibility of VUs, 9Ms and VKs on 
Sunday morning from 0800-1000.

* 20 metres?  As well as the usual Canadians, there's often a great VK/ZL 
short path from about 1330-1800 (when they're usually in bed down there), 
with goodies like 9M2 and 9M6 coming in on the same path.  The Africans will 
often peak after 1800.  Then in the morning, the 20 metre long path opens up 
from about 0700 and stays open to the end of the contest.  The Carribean 
stations are strong for as long as the band is open.

* Need Oceania on 80 to finish your 5 band Worked All Continents?  You'll 
have no better chance (assuming you have a half decent 80 metre aerial) than 
working ZL6QH, with their rhombic on the long path to Europe.  A tough one, 
but they might pop up around 0630-0700.

In all of this, you will have no competition from the rest of Europe or from 
the USA.  Stations that normally are buried under the Eu wall or East Coast 
Kilowatts will be easy to find and easy to work.

As well as the overall trophy and overall trophy for UK stations, there are 
also keenly fought prizes for those only operating 12 hours out of the 24 
and those operating with only 100 Watts and single element aerials.  The 
last one adds a lot of interest for those of us without contest grade 
stations.  There's also a nice certificate for all stations working 69 Band 
Call Areas (dead easy if you put the hours in).

Interested?  Show up on the bands and listen for the stations calling CQ 
TEST or CQ BERU.

73

Gerry G0RTN
Vanity Page at http://www.gerrylynch.co.uk
"In days of old, when ops were bold, and sidebands not invented,
The word would pass, by pounding brass, and all were well contented." 



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