70 MHz CW 2011

This is the second year of the 70MHz CW contest after it was revived. Activity and entries show a healthy rise with twenty three this year (a 35% increase). In total there were forty nine stations (a 44% increase) active in DL, G, GM, GW and ON.

Although half the contacts were made in the first hour, activity continued throughout with a fifth of the contacts taking place in the final hour. In a contest like this, multipliers are key and the ability to hunt down those final multipliers determined the final placings. Conditions were rated as average to poor with the four metre QSB causing difficulties. Six contacts over 600kms and a further thirteen over 500kms were completed with GM4ZUK/P involved in fourteen of these.

This band provides a challenge to provide the equipment for a competitive station and there was a vast array homebrew and commercial transverters and amplifiers and a variety of antenna types. No equipment failures were reported.

Logging standards were variable from perfect logs to a third of entrants who will note that they lost over a third of their claimed scores. The major sources of error were the locator and the incoming RST.

Congratulations go to the section winners: Allan, GM4ZUK/P and John, G4ZTR. Stations marked (*) will receive certificates.

Roger Dixon G4BVY