[UK-CONTEST] CQWW SSB G4ERW SOSB 15m

[DAVID LURCOOK]

Well, that was fun! From other reports it looks like all bands were in excellent shape - especially 10m. I decided on a SOSB 15m unassisted entry but by the Saturday afternoon I couldn't resist the temptation to check the cluster so will be entering the assisted section. Despite this I still 'only' managed 38 out of 40 zones! Also, I should have done more country chasing. 
 
There were some good runs to the Far East on both mornings but by far the best runs were to North America during the afternoons and evenings - 57% of all QSO's were with NA. 
 
As ever, I am grateful to my long suffering friends, Jean and Bern, who live a mile from my home who let me use their home and paddock for contests. I have a trailer tower permanently in the paddock and use of a spare room in the house where I operate and sleep - they even keep me fed and watered!
 
I recently purchased a 3 ele Steppir second-hand and have had this up for a couple of weeks - just in time to catch T32C on a few HF band/mode slots! This was the first time I have used the Steppir in a contest and I am impressed - I found the 180 degree and bidirectional options surprisingly useful. The Steppir was at 50ft for the contest. 
 
So an enjoyable weekend - the only downside was a splitting headache by Sunday evening. Probably as a result of the wall to wall SSB signals and, as someone else has mentioned, the well known clam-like boom mic headphones! Roll on CQWW CW at the end of the month. Let's hope the bands are in as good shape then.
 
Call: G4ERW
Operator(s): G4ERW
Station: G4ERW

Class: SOSB(A)/15 HP
QTH: Ashford, Kent
Operating Time (hrs): 

Summary:
Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:                    
   80:                    
   40:                    
   20:                    
   15: 2121    38      118
   10:                    
------------------------------
Total: 2121    38      118  Total Score = 817,128


 
73's David G4ERW