[UK-CONTEST] BERU G6PZ (GI0RTN op.)

[Gerry Lynch]

I've promised Paul a proper write up, and fully intend to post something 
K5ZD-style to the group when I get time (probably next week).  But 
here's a quicky.

Here are the scores on the doors from G6PZ.

80m   76/51
40m   114/74
20m   130/78
15m   26/26
10m   1/1
Total   347/230

Reading Dave and Don's write-ups, I do sometimes wonder if I operated 
the same contest.  I had a flurry of "what, how did you miss thats" and 
"I didn't know he was on 40s".  I missed any VEs on 15, but pulled in 
all the VE6/7 bonuses on 20 with room to spare, and bagged a couple of 
VE7s on 40 at their sunset (but none popping up at dawn, when they're 
usually stronger).  I think I worked more ZSs than the competition on 
40/80, but only managed VK9AA on 15, missed 2 VU bonuses on 15 that 
should have been easily workable.  Missed AP2NK on 15 and 80, any VK3 or 
VK5, only worked J88DR and 6Y8XF from the Caribbean on 15, missed 7Q7 on 
15, etc., etc.  Should have spent more time beaming Africa and some time 
beaming West on 15 - the Africa strategy was a good 'un on 20 and 40, 
need to get used to being a big gun in this one.

Long path on 40 sounded very loud on Sunday morning, but having done 
well SP, I soaked up all the unworked ZLs by 0530, only worked one new 
VK, and couldn't seem to get any VK casuals to call in.

I've always wanted to do BERU from a really great station, and am 
greatly thankful to Paul for making it happen this year.  It was an 
awful, awful, awful, lot of fun.  But... our conference is this Saturday 
coming and I was up working on a leader's speech until after 2 am on 
Friday night/Saturday morning before getting up at 5.15 for the flight 
to Bristol.  I'm usually good at concentration for long stretches as a 
contester but the lack of sleep really caught me at the end of the 
contest and I went to pieces mentally, very badly, after about 0700.

I'm sure there were more stations to be worked by moving S&Pers off 
other people's run frequencies, targeted CQs, swinging the antenna more 
and changing band, but I was badly 'sleep drunk' and lacked the ability 
to do much other than sit on a frequency hitting F1.  Should have CQed 
to Canada for a while on 40, and did manage a short burst of 5 VK/ZLs on 
20 after 0830 for thought it must be a short path opening and left the 
antenna there.  I have never been so mentally muntered during a contest 
before, especially a 24 hour one.

I didn't go into the contest thinking I could actually win, with Justin 
at M6T, but I was only two bonus QSOs away from beating him and only 
seven from beating Don for the win.  Had I known I was that close I may 
have kept it together a bit better in the last few hours and pulled out 
the extra QSOs from somewhere on Saturday.  Especially, I don't think I 
made the most of 15.  There were more QSOs to be made there.  But more 
lessons to be learned, as always.  Overall I am happy with how I 
utilised a vastly better station in a contest where strategy is king.

Great to hear all the VUs and ZSs and congratulations to PJT and BUO for 
all the work in getting them involved.  VK seems to be the problem now, 
with great activity from committed clusters but little casual activity.  
Perhaps someone could do an article for the WIA magazine like the one I 
did for RadCom a few years ago, except from an Oz perspective.

Most fun bits - too many to count, but V8 on two bands, filling out VU 
bonuses on 2 bands with room to spare, VY1EI on 20, big loud VKs and ZLs 
on 40 at sunset, the great patience of VK4OQ, VU2PTT and ZS4U to give me 
ESP bonuses on 80, all the old familiar calls, all the new calls.  Not 
fun bits - 15m on Sunday morning being the worst I have EVER heard it, 
even worse than the Sunday of WWCW this year.

Congratulations to G3BJ on the clubhouse lead and what looks like a 
great win.

73 and see you all next year.

Gerry GI0RTN