[UK-CONTEST] G5XV/P NFD 2008

[Ken Chandler]

A brief summary from the West Berkshire gang of G5XV/P running in the open
section out of Aldbourne, in Wiltshire,  just a stones throw from Berkshire
border. 

we started assembly of our station on Friday evening with about 8 Newbury RC
members turning out. We  actually got the beam together,  guyed, and tower
up to 60ft by 9pm.  The force 12 really looked impressive in the evening
sunlight. We then relaxed and had  a club social BBQ and open camp fire.
Plenty of beer & wine flowed and some members of the team camping out
overnight.  This is real NFD spirit!!

During the BBQ we were working JA & W6/W7 stations  with the clubs FT2000
100w rig which the club bought as part of a lottery grant.  10m was open
also with ES. I was hoping 10m would stay open for the weekends activities
which it did!!!!

Saturday we spent our time putting up the 160m, 40/80m dipoles making sure
the ends were up as high a possible.

We started NFD on 10m es, working those all important double points and had
a good run going at times.

160m later on was a dream, I have never heard the band so quiet, in fact so
quiet that I first thought we had a problem but this was soon discounted
when out first stations started rolling in. We had a YL on 160m and she made
use of the conditions, nicely. 

Sunday morning 10m Es opened very early, 0546 was our first qso. Strangely,
though perhaps not, first Sunday morning qso's were by non contest stations
with 001 serials!! but that didn't last as the contest  /P's were soon
booming in  with some very strong signals. 10m was open to us for most of
the day right up to the close.

No real dramas for us this year, everything was planned and went together
perfectly. 

As usual for us our club members do a lot of very good work in preparing the
station for contest operation. You could not ask for a more devoted bunch!!
Are we lucky...I'm not sure, perhaps we are!!

Weather was hot and sunny, no thunderstorms, rain, just a perfect weekend.

Final raw qso's were 1204. we await to see what our 160m & 10m qso totals
bring us!! We certainly worked a lot of /P on both bands

 

Operators were, no order,

 

Paul, G3WYW,  Ian G3RVM, Richard G3ZGC, Danny G3XVR,  Avril M0KOP.

 

Ken G0ORH ....Nadars NFD coordinator.