[UK-CONTEST] Best Radio & 2m Trophy activity.

[Ian Burns]

I was out with G0FBB for the 2m contest. We made 249 Q's (can't compete 
with the groups on the coast from the site we used..). It was hard going 
most of the time although we did manage a couple of reasonable runs. 
Activity from G seemed poor but that may have been due to the wet weather.

Conditions weren't as bad as the weather map suggested they might be. 
Nothing exceptional was worked, best DX was AO2V at 939km. We would have 
worked more DX if we were able to use KST.

The 2m Marconi CW contest and RSGB 6 hour contest that runs concurrently 
in November is very poorly supported in the UK. We have won the 6 hour 
multi op section with 3 (yes three, one per op...) QSO's before now, 
however, ours was the only entry.

Personally I enjoyed the UKAC contests more when KST was allowed. Trying 
paths that might just work was always fun. Often the skeds don't work 
and it's just a waste of time that could have been better spent calling CQ.

Regards
Ian.

Jiri Culak wrote:
> Haven't noticed the 40QSOs bit... 
> I was running G0KPW station this year and was dreadfully disappointed
> with UK activity. I am not big fan of banning skeds over WWConv or KST
> as it helps small stations to work further distance and from my point of
> view it destroys even now poor UK VHF/UHF activity. Marconi Memorial is
> another story with even less G's on band. You do not need to have super
> station to work DX and last Marconni's contest proved it when QSOs over
> 1000km were common with single 9el and 50W!
> Some may say VHF Contesting is much more difficult than HF, I am not
> sure about that, but it's certainly more hard work.
>
> It is fact that most of DL,ON,PA,OK stations beam more east than west
> but so far they are not to be blamed for that as we really don't seem to
> be active enough. May be time for change?
>
> Jiri M0ITY/OK2IT
>
>
>
> Kind regards
>
>  
>
> Jiri Culak
>
> LWSS Ltd.
>
> 13 Robjohns Road
>
> CM1 3AG - Chelmsford
>
> tel. 01245 251 500
>
> jiri at lwss.co.uk
>
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Ken Eastty
> Sent: 09 September 2008 23:09
> To: uk-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] Best Radio & 2m Trophy activity.
>
>
>   
>> On 2m, I have been fortunate to run it alongside an old Icom IC 251E
>>     
> with
>   
>> Mutek front end in several 'lifts' - it doesn't have all the bells and
>> whistles, but is significantly more sensitive than the 7400.
>>     
>
> I compared that IC 251 against an IC 706 Mk 1 on a number of occasions
> and
> couldn't tell the difference albeit from a rather noise location.
>
>
>   
>> you only had to listen to 2m yesterday during the biggest contest
>> of the year. I've got a reasonable station and struggled to make more
>>     
> than
>   
>> 40 QSOs in 6 hours.
>>     
>
> That's considerably better than I did, having made the mistake of
> starting
> on Saturday afternoon rather than waiting for the 6hr. session on Sunday
> I
> only managed 26 QSO's over 3 sessions, that included 4 GM's with the
> best DX
> (GM4ZUK @ 562 km just beating the QSO with GM4AFF by 14 km). Only 1 PA,
> 2
> ON's & 1 French portable managed to get signals over the Cotswolds.
> G0KPW's
> comment 'only 103 G's' just about sums up UK activity on 2m these days
> even
> taking into account the WX & conditions, not a single GW and apart from
> G1KHX no one on from the West Country either. It seems that unless you
> are
> in JO01 entering this contest is a waste of time.
> In the 4m Trophy I had 55 QSO's with the only non G's being 2 9A's. 9
> GW's,
> 5 GM's and several stations in Cornwall were also active.
>
>
> 73...
>
> Ken
>
> G3LVP
>
>
>
>
>