[UK-CONTEST] GW7X - CQWW CW 2008

[Ed - GW3SQX]

A report from South Wales on the CQWW CW contest.  First the raw statistics:

GW7X (op GW3SQX), SOSB 80m, unassisted, high power -- 
     QSOs: 2001 (plus over 60 dupes!), Zones: 25, DXCC: 94.

I'd just finished putting up a Titanex vertical, 87 feet high, albeit with a 
few last-minute bodges (shaky earthing: radials connected by twisting wires 
together, not soldering, that sort of thing).  This was in addition to a 
dipole at 60 feet, and I was hoping for good things.  Of course, staying 
awake for two nights in a row was going to be a challenge -- I've always 
been hopeless at this -- but I almost made it both nights.  I definitely 
dozed off on Sunday evening on a couple of occasions, and might have missed 
a few callers in my zombie-like state.

Conditions on 80 were quite variable, and I think that people concentrated 
more on 40m this year, where things seemed to be better.  European and 
near-Asians (UA9, etc.) were definitely thinner on the ground, but there was 
more DX in my estimation.  Of course, it could be that the vertical made 
these easier to hear (and work).  I definitely worked more 3 pointers (USA 
mainly) compared with a dipole at 40 feet last year, but the endless stream 
of EU stations, particularly DLs, was not so evident this year.  Some of 
the EUs that I worked were definitely ESP level in full darkness on either 
antenna, which was in contrast to usual conditions.  I'm expecting a higher 
penalty for busted calls this year!

Some nice DX called in -- half a dozen JAs, mostly at S0, and a single VK 
(but at good strength -- a real S4), as well as 3X5A, J88DR and some 
Caribbean multipliers, saving me the trouble of searching them out.  I also 
had the pleasure of cracking a few pile-ups at first or second go with 
Titanex, although I didn't attempt the couple of out-of-control pile-ups 
that appeared from time to time, particularly on Sunday evening low on the 
band -- I'll have to look at the cluster's weekend spots to see who they 
were!

I have to agree with various correspondents that the Curse of the Cluster 
has really struck in a big way.  Being spotted is a mixed blessing, with 
continuous calling almost the norm now.  Surely callers must realise that a 
callsign dropped in at the correct time, on a frequency about 150Hz away 
from everyone else, is likely to get a result almost immediately.  I never 
moved frequency as a result of poor behaviour, just slogging through, but it 
was tempting.  The pile-ups on "real" DX were ridiculous, and I'm not sure 
what the solution is.  One or two operated split, generally frowned upon in 
contests, but this appeared to help a bit.  An injection of common sense is 
what's really needed, but I'm not holding my breath.

Anyway, I'd like to get closer to GW3YDX's CQWW record (for GW) in the same 
category in 1997, although that's a challenge,  He achieved 2186 QSOs, 30 
zones and 97 countries.  I could definitely get the QSOs up, and perhaps the 
countries The zones are harder to get, and 30 would be a difficult target. 
As for G4PIQ's UK record of two years ago (Q:2482, Z:34  DXCC:108), I'll 
think about that some other time!

73,

Ed, GW3SQX