[UK-CONTEST] V25XF in BERU

[Nigel G3TXF]

The 3830 posting for V25XF in BERU :

80m :   151
40m :   301
20m :   385
15m :   236
10m :     1
All : 1,074 

Claimed Score : 9,030 pts (5,370 + 3,660 bonus); and 90 BCA 

G3TXF made a flying visit to Antigua (arrived late Thursday, left Sunday afternoon) to take part in the 70th Commonwealth Contest (BERU) as V25XF from the V26B Contest Station. 

BERU runs during the slightly eccentric 24-hour period of 10z to 10z - i.e a 6 a.m start/finish time in V2. An involuntary rest period was taken between 0200z and 0530z as the operator just fell asleep. Fortunately he woke up just in time for the peak in the UK 80m opening from around 0530z to 0700z. 

Even for a 'DX' station in the Commonwealth, BERU is not a major 'rate' contest. The best hour at V25XF was the second hour (11z-12z) with 92 QSOs, and the worst hour, apart from when the operator had crashed out, was the last painful hour (09z-10z) when everything seemed dead, including 80m, when just six QSOs were made. [OK, OK ..... I realise that six QSOs per hour for many in the UK can be a 'good', if not an excellent, hour in BERU!]

Despite 15m being reasonably perky at times, 10m was a wash-out. Numerous fruitless QSYs were made with both G's and VE's. The only station worked on 10m was G4BUO. Dave chipped in with a QSY-request at a lucky moment (1640z) when there was just enough propagation on 10m to make a good QSO at an ESP level signal strength. Despite the relative proximity, no VO or VE was heard on 10m. 

By operating from the Caribbean it had been hoped to work huge bucketloads of VE4s, VE5s, VE6s and VE7s. This was just not to be. The VE4-VE5-VE6's seem to get ever thinner on the ground (especially VE4!) and even the VE7s were only available in small quantities.

The first 40 minutes of the contest (just around sunrise in V2) produced an amazing mixed bag of VEs, VKs, ZLs, a handful of Gs and even E51PJT (Bob G3PJT in S Cook) on 40m.

V25XF thanks all those in the USA, EU and elsewhere who understood that "BERU" is a closed contest for Commonwealth countries only, and who refrained from calling. There were only a small handful of stations (mainly in EU) who kept calling and calling despite it being obvious that the Commonwealth Contest is a specialised event, not open to everyone.

The final claimed score at V25XF (9,030 pts) is made up of 1,074 QSOs at 5 pts = 5,370 pts plus 3,660 Bonus Points.

G3TXF is grateful for the antenna facilities available at the V26B Contest Station. It's a great pleasure not to have to worry about taking antennas when going on an overseas trip. On this occasion only three suitcases were needed (one for the radio, one for the linear amp and one for bits and pieces). 

BERU brings on to the air many UK (and other) stations who are seemingly never heard in contests (either domestic or international) at any other time. 

The Commonwealth Contest (BERU) is a unique event. It was great fun to be able to operate this year's BERU from a major contest station in a Commonwealth island-country in the Caribbean : Antigua.

73 - Nigel G3TXF / V25XF