[UK-CONTEST] RSGB 1.8MHz report

[Paul_group]

1.8MHz contest report GW8IZR.

I need to put up a wire antenna for a contest tomorrow night, it will 
only take an hour or so, if I start first thing I’ll be done by ten 
o’clock – maybe half past at the latest….

I got that knowing half smile and the “make sure you leave the car keys 
where I can find them..” look.

I was almost right and by the time it was going dark I had a wire strung 
between the two masts between forty and 70 feet up, half a mile of scrap 
Cat5 cable laid as radials around the field and tangled up in my 
neighbours hedge.

If I’d jumped in a horse trough there and then I couldn’t have been wetter!

All this really in preparation for CQWW CW..

By the time the RSGB event started I’d warmed up a little with some 
Glenlivet and the cold and wet was all forgotten.

I certainly enjoyed the event, a lot less frantic than AFS and N1MM 
worked a treat, even ESM didn’t trip me up this time round. For those 
that suffered the “pregnant pause” between your report and my 
confirmation, blame the cat who was intent on sitting on the valve exhaust.

So just 65 Q’s all S&P, couldn’t be bothered calling CQ although I’m 
certain that would have boosted the score. Nice to work some  good (for 
me) DX and basically nothing went wrong.

My receive antenna was always different to the vertical, sometimes 
better sometimes worse.. don’t think it ever turned up a signal that I 
couldn’t hear on either so maybe some work needed there, the Amp just 
burbled along with no fuss..

As usual, thanks for all the qso's.

So I anticipate just turning everything on next weekend and hit auto CQ… 
but of course that is where we came in :-)

-- 
73 de Paul GW8IZR IO73TI
http://www.gw8izr.com