[UK-CONTEST] STEW PERRY - 2011

[Stewart GM4AFF]

I can pretty much echo what Don has said about conditions. I entered the QRP
section again this year, for the 3rd year running. I have a new antenna for
160m, a K3LC 160/80m top-hat dual band vertical. This has made a real
difference to getting heard, but I still have the dipole. Interaction
between the two is a nightmare, but of course they do perform completely
differently. I started at 1700 and as Don says conditions deteriorated
through the evening, and I changed my plan and decided to sleep from 0000 to
0500. As a QRP entry I wasn't going to be running the US, so nothing was
lost, I don't think, and Europe had begun to dry up by then.

Sadly, this year there was little US to be heard compared to the last two
years. At 0600 I was only hearing southern US stations and more they were
louder on the dipole. Naturally they don't hear me, but it doesn't mean I
don't try! Although I caught VO1TA early on Sat evening, it wasn't until
0745 or so that I was called by my only other VE/US station - Jeff VY2ZM. I
never imagined I get called by so many as a QRPer when calling CQ, but it
really was quite productive. I have failed to get the DX that I achieved 2
years ago (K1LT), but I did achieve my highest QSO total, so that should
make a difference. On reflection I should have probably started an hour
earlier, but too much hindsight could put one in the assisted category.

167 QSOs, 576 pts (raw), best DX VY2ZM at 4157km.
Elecraft K3 to a 71ft K3LC vertical, dipole at 50ft, 2 beverages (NW and SE)
and 2 Ewes NE and SW).

73
Stewart
GM4AFF

	
-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Don Beattie
Sent: 18 December 2011 20:19
To: uk-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [UK-CONTEST] STEW PERRY - 2011

Took time off from my RSGB duties to get a little real radio this weekend.
The SP Contest is always good fun, with its use of locators as the exchange.
Doing it on 160 adds to the mix, as copy is often a bit "marginal". This
year was no exception.

It all started well - I elected to make a start at 16.00 and soon had a good
rate putting mainly European and Asian stations into the log.  A good clutch
of JA stations duly arrived around 21.00 and I thought things looked good
for the US later. When VO1TA appeared well before his dusk, that was another
good omen.

Sadly, it all then started to go downhill. By 23.30, things had slowed, and
I chose to take my two hour break then (14 hours is the maximum operating
time, and 16.00-08.15 (dawn) forces a two hour or so break). Back on the
band at 01.40, and - wideband noise. A quick look into the garden and it was
snowing - best quality static charged snow. This lasted about an hour, which
was intensely irritating, as copy of the US stations was badly impacted.
Frantic fiddling with the noise blanker made some improvement, but only a
little. An hour later and it ceased - but the band was not in the shape that
I had hoped, and by about two hours before dawn, it was in terminal decline.
 In the last two hours I worked just 17 stations - quite dire for what
should have been the US peak. In the end only 74 NA/SA stations in the log,
but ODX of CE1/K7CA at about 14k km. The score was a tad up on last year,
but could have been so much better if only:

....I had been able to predict the lack of propagation at the end, making
the two hours break earlier quite unnecessary ....it hadn't snowed ....the
band hadn't died quite so completely

But that's what 160 is all about. There's always next year.

Not too many UK stations around in the contest - yes it's a bad time of
year, but this is a fun little event.

73

Don, G3BJ
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