[UK-CONTEST] 160m

[Ken Eastty]

I suspect that like many others I can't put up an effective antenna for 
160m  having only just enough space to erect an inverted V trap dipole 
for 80 & 40, gardens of modern houses just get smaller & smaller. 
Perhaps I could reconfigure it for 160m after 80m AFS but I don't have 
any enthusiasm for doing antenna work in sub-zero temperatures!

My last attempt at working a160m contest a few years ago from here was 
so disappointing that I've not tried since,  whilst  I could hear plenty 
of stations I only made 20 QSO's in 3 hrs. Although I worked GM, PA & OH 
during the contest it was clear that 100W & rather inefficient antenna  
wasn't being heard by many however during the short time that I had that 
particular antenna I was able to work 29 countries including the USA. I 
concluded that without an antenna up at 60 ft & 400W 160m contests from 
here are a waste of time.

How have 160m contests changed over the years? I looked up my first 
attempt at a 160m contest in November 1958 (!) when I'd been licensed 
for about 18 months (& should have been concentrating on O levels). For 
those who weren't there (& there aren't so many of us left!) the contest 
started at 2200 went through the night until 0800 the following morning 
(even boys had to be men in those days!). Running 10W DC I/P (807 with 
300V HT) & a quarter wave inverted 'L' from  Wanstead (London E12) I see 
that I made 105 QSO's most of the time apparently giving a higher serial 
than I received.  I don't know where I came as I don't have the results.

There was plenty of scope for making logging errors with "proper" 
reports exchanged, none of today's 5NN nonsense, in fact very few 
reports were 599. I see that I worked about 15 QSO's/hr. until 0200 then 
the rate dropped to around 8/hr. for the rest of the contest. I worked 5 
GM's one each in GW, GI & DL. Most people were I think using 'straight' 
keys, there were few if any transceivers in use & 'netting' was the 
order of the day.  I believe that most people didn't run (much) more 
than the legal 10W DC I/P ~ 7w RF O/P & there was of course no computer 
logging. We still had QRM to contend with but then it was from Coast 
Stations, Loran & TV time bases but these went off before midnight (24hr 
TV who needs it?). No doubt those with bigger antennas (& a few with 
813's 10W?) would have worked the USA although I don't recall hearing 
any real DX myself.

I notice that many stations worked in '58 were recently licensed  (G3L's 
& M's), comparing that with recent 160m results where there are few 
calls of recently licensed stations of any category in the results even 
where SSB is allowed. Could it be that until higher power was permitted 
on 160m more people were prepared to have a go with what today is 
considered to be QRP  Quarter wave end fed wires were once common place 
as these fitted into the gardens of most houses in the London suburbs & 
the 'Home Counties' which is where I think a lot of the activity was 
centred.

I though that if we turned to clock back & had a restricted section this 
might encourage those who can't manage (or aren't permitted) to run 400W 
to have a go on 160. Limit the antenna to one that's (for instance) no 
higher than 30ft & no longer than 132ft. (even that would be difficult 
for many to erect) & limit the power to 10W.
I then to looked at the results of other RSGB HF contests (CW, SSB & 
QRP) only to find that there are hardly any entries by Foundation or 
Intermediate licencees despite the fact that many of them are now to be 
heard on the HF bands (mainly it seems on 80 & 40) in fact almost all of 
the entries on 160m are from callsigns starting with 'G', I'll leave it 
to others to draw a conclusion from this. Is there any way back to the 
heydays of 160M contests? I doubt it very much, particularly when 
entering a contest entails making a bit of effort....

73...

Ken

G3LVP


Chris, lucky fellow wish my K3 showed the same low noise level on 160m.
Another reason many Gs no longer go contesting on 160m?

73 David G3YYD