144MHz MARCONI MEMORIAL CONTEST:  4-5/11/17

The number of entries this year was 47 including three entries from non-UK&CD stations. This was a gratifying 31% up on last year's 36 entries. This was almost entirely due to a very large increase in entries in section SF - fourteen compared with last year's four! Two check logs were submitted directly to the RSGB: however logs were also exchanged with other IARU R1 societies for checking purposes, resulting in an additional 187 non-UK&CD logs against which RSGB entrants' logs could be compared. 186 different callsigns from 10 DXCC entities - F, DL, G, GM, GU, GW, HB, I, ON & PA - in 51 'big squares' appear in UK entrants' logs.

As is often the case, opinions on conditions varied. Most entrants who commented felt they were no better than reasonable, although a few noted that some reasonable DX could be worked, in particular via a good path into Northern France and Belgium. Several noted that some signals had an auroral characteristic, perhaps due to multipath effects. But there was more agreement that it was hard work and slow going, with relatively low activity particularly among UK operators.

Quin Collier G3WRR

g3wrr@rsgbcc.org