[UK-CONTEST] 70 cms UKAC

[Rob Harrison]

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the contact on Tuesday, it's our 1st ever on 432. We've worked a 
few times on 144, but not since 12/2009.

Like you I admire the hardy souls who go out portable week in week out. I 
used to go out a lot with the G0VHF/M1CRO group, but prefer the home 
comforts now. I too worked Eddie G0EHV/p in IO94, for the second month 
running on 432, only ever having worked him twice before on 432 in 9/2009 & 
3/2011. Not an easy path for me.

As for contacts overall, I worked 20 in the 1st hour, 17 in the 2nd and 5 in 
the last 30 mins.  I spent the first 45 mins beaming NE through SE, this is 
my best direction and picks me up distance points I can't get inland, sorry 
but it's a fact of the location. Not surprisingly ODX was DL8GP in JN39 at 
526km. Breakdown of DXCC's is DL= 4, G= 30, GD= 1, GW= 3 & PA= 4.

Ken be assured that I, and all the others on from the "east coast" do not 
beam east all the time in UKAC. There are a lot of EU stations on, but they 
don't beam this way in great numbers, preferring to work their fellows in 
DL/OZ/PA/ON & SM at a faster rate. More so since the M5 rule change, " where 
are all the UK stations" I'm asked, and have to explain the situation.

Almost all of the other time was spent beaming into the UK, and I spent 15 
mins prior to 2000z calling to the SW & W to no avail, so no IO80 or 90. 
Surprisingly for me NW was a better direction, working 5 in IO83, I'm 
sometimes lucky to work one. IO74 was worked with GD8EXI, but I couldn't 
raise IO93 or JO03, again a difficult direction, more so on 432. I now know 
that there were active stations in all those 4 squares, grrr.!

Unfortunately only 9 mults in the bag, 13 is probably the most I'm ever 
going to work under flat conditions, due to geography. The best I've 
achieved is 12 so far under present rules and activity levels.

Hope to work you more often, 73,

Bob G8HGN






----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ken" <ken.g3lvp at btinternet.com>
To: <uk-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 9:59 PM
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] 70 cms UKAC


>I take my hat off to anyone who operates from a hill top until 2230 
>especially in the winter, I prefer my nice warm shack!
> Having tripped over a bramble whilst taking the antenna down after a 
> daytime contest it occurred to me that someone having an accident whilst 
> alone at night might find themselves in need of assistance & there's no 
> guarantee that a mobile phone is always within reach or will work.
> I'd suggest that anyone going solo portable (especially at a remote spot 
> at night) should tell someone what time they will be home and exactly 
> where they will be operating from, NGR etc. ( I did hear of a SOTA 
> activator who'd taken a fall & when calling for assistance was asked for 
> his post code!)
>
> My QTH is on the 'wrong' (west) side of the Cotswold's & I came on last 
> night's 70cm UKAC mainly to give points away. I made 5 QSO's in the last 
> half hour (I was about to give up at 2200) having worked only 6 in the 
> previous hour &16 in the first hour. It seems that some stations in the 
> east spend most of the time beaming towards the continent & only think to 
> look west in the final minutes.  Perhaps it's not surprising that so few 
> stations in the West Country bother to enter these events.
>
> 73...
>
> Ken
>
> G3LVP
>
>
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