[UK-CONTEST] 144MHz Trophy - lack of UK activity

[John Lemay]

Stewart

I agree, it's a shame there wasn't more activity for the 144 Trophy. I think
you've put your finger on one reason already - the business of supporting a
club on the HF ssb field day. 

I think activity is high in the UKAC for the same reason: many ops are also
supporting their local club.

There's another reason I think: as you say the 144 trophy requires
considerable commitment, in terms of manpower, equipment and time - no-one
wins the trophy by operating for just a few hours. In contrast, the UKAC
requires one to operate for a couple of hours, which can be from home - it's
really no effort at all.

Perhaps I'm suggesting that new contesters want it easy - well, if the cap
fits, wear it !

Our (G0VHF/P) result this year is down on 2010, and I put this mainly down
to conditions rather than a lack of activity. We had no propagation to Spain
for example. We listened to 5P5T testing, solidly for 45 mins before the
contest, and then managed not to work them in the contest ! There were also
thunderstorms running up the English Channel, which limited our
effectiveness to the continent for a while.

It'll be interesting to see if this discussion develops further ...........

CU

John G4ZTR

www.aerial-parts.co.uk


-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Stewart GM4AFF
Sent: 07 September 2011 11:44
To: uk-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [UK-CONTEST] 144MHz Trophy - lack of UK activity

UK activity in the 144MHz Trophy last weekend was very low. Yet activity
last night in the 144MHz UKAC was very high. So there are a large number of
people who are interested in 144MHz contesting.  I believe this is because a
lot of contesters are being sucked into operating or helping out with their
local club's SSB Field Day entry,  and therefore not taking part in the
144MHZ Trophy. This is evidenced by the lack of reports for the Trophy on
this list. It's a pity because the 144MHz Trophy is a major annual event,
with huge central Eu support. SSB Field Day seems to be gaining in
popularity, relatively speaking. One can do quite well in SSB Field Day with
relatively little effort, whereas a 144MHz Trophy entry requires
considerable effort for a serious portable entry, which is a shame when
there's less people to work every year.

I realise that there are clubs who combine both events. I don't have a
solution - just thinking out loud. It is true that the SSB Field Day event
is a better draw for clubs, and those who are new to the hobby. I just
happen to like the Trophy event and as my main Trophy customers are UK
stations, I'm losing out! It would be nice to run DL's all day on 2m, but
it's not going to happen in IO86!

 

73

Stewart

GM4AFF

 

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