[UK-CONTEST] G4FKA CQWWSSB - No towers, amps, beams or web

[g4fka at aol.com]

Just good old wet string!
 
First time using the 756ProIII in this marathon so it was a good chance to  
compare it with the 706MkIIG as used in the previous 4 years. Needless to say  
there was no comparison. The 706 used to fold under all the strong signals on  
the lower bands but the 756 was streets ahead and I just love the twin  
filter controls.
 
Antennas here are very simple. The first is a 90 foot inverted  V wire 
doublet fed with 450 ohm ribbon with the apex at about 30 ft up  in the midst of a 
very fully and wet leafed 50 ft plus high oak tree  and scrunched most of the 
time into a 40 ft garden. The other antenna is  a 30 ft wire vertical with 3 
wire radials, with the base at ground  level tied into the next fully and wet 
leafed oak tree about  20 ft away from the first. So most of the RF absorbed 
into the trees no  doubt!
 
Aims for this weekend were to have fun, enjoy my usual S&P dabble,  balance 
the activity across all 6 bands and see what could be done with  relatively 
little ERP, with a target of at least 500 QSOs for the first  time.
 
Most pleasing experience was getting the doublet to emit some power on 160,  
with 25 Qs and 15 DXCCs after some patient calling in the wee small hours. 
Also  happy to make 500+ Qs in the periods I was able to operate and all search 
and  pounce. Some of those Qs took a lot of calling but that's all part of the 
small  station experience! Always amazed how deaf some S9+ stations seem to 
be. After  all there is only 10dB difference between my 100w and their kW. I 
guess large  antennas also give large QRM so maybe not suprising if the weaker 
signal can't  get through.
 
Summary was 540 Qs for 164,754 points so another candidate for the low  
scoring G competition! And yes I will be sending in the log. QSO numbers by  band 
were 160 (25); 80 (100); 40 (101); 20 (126); 15 (130); 10  (58). Not too much 
in the way of DX interest but pleased to get a handful  of the the usual South 
American and Caribbean suspects in the log  plus 7W2W, 6W1RY and a certain 9M6 
who lurks on here. They didn't seem to  have QRM problems!
 
Very enjoyable as ever and a few more Qs in the log. Thanks to all the  
stations who pulled me out of the RF stew!
 
Geoff G4FKA