[VHFcontesting] How Good was Six Meters in the June Contest?

[curtis roseman]

VHF Contesters: 

With everybody working DX on six meters these days, perhaps we forgot how good the band was during the June contest.   Here is one measure:  the number of stations working more that 1000 QSOs.  

The "Six Meter 1000 Club" is listed in the table below  [I hope the formatting works out ok; if not I can try another method].  The table includes all those entries that logged at least 1000 QSOs on six, based on official results from previous contests and claimed scores from the 2008 contest.   Claimed scores come from the 3830 archives, last checked on July 1.   It is likely that some of these numbers will change with the official results, and also some additional stations who have not yet reported their scores may have worked 1000 Qs.   Nonetheless, this gives us a simple way to compare 2008 to other years.  If I missed anybody, please let me know. 

The results are quite impressive:  Of the 24 stations on the list, the top five are from 2008.   The previous record of 1358 QSOs, by W5KFT in 1998, was shattered by five different stations in 2008 (assuming the numbers hold up).     

CALL YEAR  QSOs  GRIDs CLASS  SECTION
W5PR 08 1710 278 B STX
WD5K 08 1439 267 B NTX
K5QE 08 1422 262 M STX
K5TR 08 1392 264 L STX
KC4PX 08 1365 287 B SFL
W5KFT 98 1358 245 L STX
K9NS 06 1272 258 L IL
N5HHS 98 1212 233 B STX
W2SZ 06 1168 247 M WMA
K8GP 06 1140 262 M WV
W5KFT 96 1161 269 L STX
K5TR 03 1129 252 B STX
K9MU 06 1094 229 A WI
K4SN 08 1105 244 B SFL
W5KFT 00 1104 260 L STX
W5UWB 98 1090 221 B STX
N5HHS 99 1077 262 B STX
W1XE 98 1066 240 L CO
K0GU 98 1031 234 B CO
K8GP 05 1025 135 M WV
N5HHS 96 1023 232 B STX
K5AM 00 1020 260 B NM
K5AM 03 1011 260 B NM
W8CM 98 1009 210 B NTX

A total of six new members of the club were added in 2008 (with possibly more to come).    In 2008 and other years, it is clear that stations in Texas have the greatest chance of joining the club.   However, it is interesting to note that a total of eight states are represented, from Colorado, to Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, back to Wisconsin.  So it can be done from other parts of the country.   

The first to join the club were W5KFT and N5HHS in 1996.  Someone has joined the club in eight of the thirteen years since then, so it really has become fairly common.  Will this trend hold up?  Who knows, but I agree with K5TR that one of these days somebody will work 2000 on Six in the June contest.   Then we will have to start a new club. 

73, Curt Roseman k9aks