[UK-CONTEST] February RSGB 23cm UK Activity Contest - Report

[Ray James]

Tuesday's 23cm UKAC was certainly a mixed bag of highs and lows from this quarter.
The most striking aspect was the conditions.

I never hear radar interference unless a tropo lift is actually in progress yet on a couple of occasions in the first hour and a quarter, such was heard and coincided with enhanced signals from vastly different areas and when it disappeared I went on to struggle to work the same neck of the woods. The joys of microwaves!

When it first occurred I was called by Richard G4HGI, normally a bit of a struggle to dig out his 3w/35el but very comfortable copy and quickly followed up by a schedule with 2E0NEY in Wiltshire without me looking at Planefinder for aircraft.

When I did look it dawned that there were no aircraft anywhere near our mid-point and with the radar noise I thought it would never come off. Wrong, Pete's 45w/35el made it fine on SSB.
The next spell of radar was of much longer duration, about 15 minutes.
During this period, well above normal signal reports were exchanged with Mike G8CUL in IO91JO having struggled earlier with Mike M0MJW in nearby IO91IO with well below normal signals and no radar.
Bob G8DTF in IO83 was next with an extra-ordinary signal on SSB running just 2w/44el, Dave G4MVU 10w/64el/SSB, Des G3NNG IO91/SSB, John G4NTY IO83/10w/35el/SSB, Tony G4NBS JO02/25w/55el/Loud CW!, Bryan G8DKK IO91/80w/4x23/CW and finally John G4EAT in JO01 on SSB. The radar disappeared during a contact with Keith G4ODA and though we stuck with our initial good signal reports it actually took longer than 10 minutes to dig enough out of the noise to complete.

The remainder of exchanges were what I would expect for flat conditions though the QSB was really rapid, even taking out dots or dashes on CW.
Giving up on someone is a real last resort for me when someone has taken the trouble to look for me so apologies to G0CDA, after 10 minutes trying for what is usually a fairly straightforward contact. The QSB was dreadful.
With around three 10 minute contacts this month, I ran out of time to work a number so apologies to G3TCU, G0VVE, G8OHM and G3PYE/P of calls that spring to mind.
Kjeld OZ1FF was my ODX with a very quick contact via aircraft reflection. It was so hectic (or frustrating) the rest of the time that each occasion I looked for opportunities into Holland, a plane had already passed the mid-points.


Was down on multipliers this month. Good to catch Martyn in IO82 but no IO93 this time. Martin GM8IEM in IO78 was heard briefly via aircraft reflection. 

John GM4LBV IO86 was using a beam fixed south this month and I was too late into the contest before checking if I could hear him by reflection. 

I expected the Southern Uplands would work, it does for Cairn o'Mount but east to what I assume would be the Forth Railway Bridge did produce a unstable signal but John failed to get all my information by the time the clock went over.

My contact map can be viewed at http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://www.rsgbcc.org/vhf/kml_files/2012/sidDltOY1GTgwzt4Wve2wk2scXG6MFZ

73 Ray GM4CXM IO75TW
150w 4x44 + LNA