[UK-CONTEST] M5E SOSB(A) 40

[Olof Lundberg]

1233q 32z 121c using K3 + vertical + WinTest

40 has always been my favourite band. This started when I caught the
contesting virus 50 years ago. That band fascinated me because it was so
challenging. We had Radio Cairo and a Chinese relay station in Albania smack
in the amateur band and plenty of QRO cold-war BC stations close. Most
receivers couldn't handle this well so you could get a competitive advantage
if you knew how to build a good clean RX. As I slowly have been getting back
into the hobby I remain attracted to the band. The BC stations are gone and
the radios today are so much better and it makes life easier and more fun.

I like the idea of operating from the comfort of my home. A malfunctioning
boiler reduced the comfort somewhat this year and it did occur to me that a
big inefficient amplifier would have provided more local heat than my K3
barefoot. But I cannot and do not want to run high power from here because I
know that I then would interfere with the electronics in my own house and
probably also with my neighbours' and it isn't worth the hassle. I doubt I
would get planning permission for a tower here nowadays and while I would
love to have one (or preferably several and tall should they be too) I
probably don't want them at this qth. 

So, I tend to put up field-day-style simple tailor-made wire antennas for
the few contests I play in. For 40m I have used loops, inverted vees and
verticals. This year I used a vertical with elevated radials. A 12m
glass-fibre pole supported a 10-meter vertical wire and a short sloping
extension of the top took it marginally in the direction of an inverted-L.
The idea of it all was to lift the antenna's current max some meters above
ground so that a least some RF could escape my well-screened back garden.

It fascinates me that it is possible to work so much dx during a single
weekend with low power and simple antennas. I tend to do almost all S&P but
to be competitive I should do more attempts to run. It is
tough-to-impossible to hold a frequency though against all the QRO guys and
I get depressed about the level of courtesy and civil behaviour when I get
those big bullies just stepping on me so I prefer the agility of fast S&P.

Technology is fun so I decided to try Assisted. I knew that the cluster
would be useless. It is a waste of time to fight with the click-and-shout
mob with my LP station. To work those dx stations I need to find them myself
before that mob without receivers or ears descends and I can mostly do that.
I had higher expectations for other people's Skimmers and RBN. The way it
was all configured turned it into an exercise in information overload though
so the utility was marginal. The assistance gave me a few more multipliers
but conversely I believe the Skimmers also gave me a few more qsos as I made
a couple of attempts to run. I am however convinced that the Skimmers are
serious game-changers and the technology around them will evolve to
something much more useful in the near future.

Main point I want to make is that you can have fun and do OK in a major
contest even with LP from the average suburban London garden.

73 de Olof G0CKV