[UK-CONTEST] CQ WW SSB 2006 - GM0F

Mon Oct 30 12:27:32 EST 2006

This was not what I would call an auspicious weekend! I had set out with the hope that I could improve on past results, but I really never got started. I'm so tired today, I'm concerned that any 'self-criticism' will be taken as Jock-enese wingeing! So suffice to say that I'm not happy with my score. I did 36 hours or so, with a sleep on Sunday from 0200 to 0530. I didn't get a good rest on Thursday night, and I have always felt that that was the important night - seems I was right.
I had four frequency-fights this weekend, and as far as I'm aware I didn't deliberately jump on anyone's frequency. In three cases I found that the other station was using a new technique for grabbing a frequency. They start calling very slightly off my frequency after I have been there for a while. I don't complain. I figure that they'll not be able to withstand my massive splattery signal(!) for very long. But they do. So eventually you are forced to ask them what they're doing. One station said to me, work me, 'then I'll go'! So, not only did he need me for a mult, he also wanted to steal the frequency. Another tried a similar technique. All the stations who felt that it was OK to jump on me, then complain to me that I was QRM'ing them were from the same general geographic area. I think it's hard enough trying to find a spot on 40m and 80m without having to put up with the most unbelievable grief as well.
While I'm on a roll, I really have had enough of hearing Eu stations working US stations simplex above 7.2 and 3.8, but that's for another day.
I think the hills behind me to the west and north eventually won this year. I heard a lot of mults working other folk, that either never called me, or I never found. Because I face south, LP did produce some VK - even one VK mobile. And the HF bands went so quiet at some point (was it Saturday evening?) that I guess there must have been some kind of 'event'.
I expected LF to be good this year, and had built a 2 element phased vertical array for 80m to give me a bit of gain to the west, but it (seemed to) made no difference.
All equipment worked well, and the integration of WinTest with all the antenna switching, voice keyer, and both radios was great. My recording software conflicted with Skype, which prevented Linda M0CMK listening to my audio (for her personal amusement!), the webcam software decided to crash for the first time ever too, and the Win-Test livescore update site seemed to take hours to get going, and obviously isn't that popular. So software (as usual) needs sorted out (worldwide:-).
Overall I found conditions were not very good, but there was lots of activity.
- 10m, when it opened on Sat, was mostly a Eu affair. There was strange propagation on 10m late on Saturday evening - one SM worked VE while beaming north.
- 15m was dull and neither 15m nor 20m ever really got going to the US on Sunday.
- 20m was OK, but little JA. A reasonable run to zone 3 on Saturday. The band opened fast at sunrise and closed as fast at sunset. The residual stuff that I could hear later in the evening was just loud Caribbean.
- 40m maybe shows up the limitations of an FT1000mp without a roofing filter and the stock SSB IF filter. I found it extremely hard going. I called CQ for hours with little joy - thank God I had the second radio with which I could trawl the other bands. Heard AH6, but never worked.
- 80m was reasonably productive, but I couldn't get JA or VK in the log, but I could hear them. I could hear JH4UYB working DO/DD stations. Worked ZL6QH because they pulled me down from 40m, which was nice, but they were very weak.
- 160m The usual weak mults were completely missing this year. I enjoy digging for the DX mults on 160m but this year there weren't many (for me).
Lastly, physically and mentally, I found staying focussed this year just impossible. Over the 3 weeks before the contest I spent 5 or so full days working on the antennas prior to the contest, and lost an 80m vertical in the gales last Thursday - spent another half day fixing that. No more wingeing I promise, but I spent a lot of time fruitlessly calling CQ this weekend. Not how I want to spend a contest! Now looking forward to the CQ WW CW!

2 x FT1000MP, ETO 91b, Collins 30S1, DX Doubler, home-brew dual antenna switch. Beverages to NW and SE, Ewe's to NE and SW.

...and here's my second worst ever CQ WW score (if you're still reading)...
 BAND   QSO DUP DXC  CQ  POINTS   AVG
--------------------------------------
  160   189   1  45   7     213  1.13   Dipole @ 50ft
   80   620   6  74  13     743  1.20   2 x vertical
   40   575   3  75  21     715  1.24   402CD @ 50ft
   20  1060  12  91  30    1968  1.86   4 ele Force12 @ 55ft
   15   418   5  68  19     776  1.86   4 ele Trident @ 45ft
   10   256   1  48   8     284  1.11   5 ele Create @ 30ft
--------------------------------------
TOTAL  3118  28 401  98    4699  1.51
======================================
       TOTAL SCORE : 2 344 801

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