[UK-CONTEST] G6YB/P NFD 2012

[Ian Greenshields]

As usual, G6YB/P entered Field Day this year. Not only is it a fun
contest in its own right, it's also a chance to thrash out bugs in
equipment and operators before next month's IOTA. And some operators
needed thrashing as some of the regulars disappeared off to folk
festivals and exotic locations like V73, but the Bristol Contest Group
persuasive volunteering techniques capably filled the gaps in the
operating chair.

We operated in the open section from a farmer's field just north of
the City of Bath, as per last year. We had a new tri-band antenna to
build and check out, as well as having to evict the winter wildlife
from the G6YB caravan, and reluctantly decided to forgo the work
needed on a transmitter interlock system to allow the use of 2 radios.
So it was a single radio operation for the entire contest.

Murphy cast an occasional glance in our direction in the run up to the
start: just an hour before, the 15 metre section of the beam was only
vaguely resonant somewhere near 22MHz, the top band dipole must have
last been used above 2MHz and the 80 metre dipole was in the air
before realising that it had not been extended from SSB Field Day.
Even the computer wouldn't switch on! But the old proverb 'if it
wasn't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done' held true and
at the off, all the aerials were aloft and resonant where needed, and
the only sign the computer had received any special treatment was a
slightly dented side panel lying nearby on the caravan floor.

Conditions were average at best, and activity seemed to be down on
last year, especially the DL portable stations appeared far less
numerous than in previous years although in some compensation,
activity from Russia seems to increase year-on-year. 10 metres
provided some propagation around Europe and the occasional South
American QSO on both days, but was never really capable of maintaining
a good run. 15 metres was in good shape with plenty of propagation
and, along with 20 and 40, became the bread and butter bands. 80
metres and top band provided the usual overnight sustaining service,
although the rain, which had been threatening all day, finally
unleashed its worst after midnight resulting in horrendous static on
all bands for about an hour. It was on 160 metres where the lower
activity levels were really noticed and we observed we were not alone
among the stations that were jumping back & forth between 160, 80 and
40 much more than usual to keep the rate up.

The following morning gave a few more valuable 10 metres QSOs, but
sadly it didn't last, and by the end of the contest we, and most
others, were mopping up on 20 and 40 metres.

BAND   QSO DUP POINTS
====================
  160   122   0    852
   80   167   0    558
   40   286   4    865
   20   356   7   1058
   15   221   2    663
   10    70   2    458
====================
TOTAL  1222  15   4454
====================
TOTAL SCORE : 4 454

Operators: Phil G3SWH, Robin G3TKF, Alan G3XSV, Colin G3YHV, Bob
G4BWB, Ian G4FSU


Thanks as always to the organisers and the other participants. See you in IOTA!

73 Ian G4FSU