1st MGM Contest

A great start to a new format of contest for the RSGB.

6m Contest

A total of 35 entrants working 278 stations in 103 locator squares.  It's true to say that competitors and organisers both learnt a lot and had some good fun.

There were a few very short bursts of sporadic E in evidence but most QSOs were completed using FT8 via troposcatter followed by the longer distance squares achieved using meteor scatter, mostly MSK144.

Conditions were widely described as flat with only a slight increase in 'normal' background levels of meteor activity despite the Lyrid shower.

ODX for the contest goes to Clive, GM4VVX who worked IS0BSR at 2336km

Congratulations and certificates go to:

EI9E operated by EI2FG (John), EI7FJ (Billy), G4CLA (Pete), EI3KD (Mark), EI9HQ (Declan), EI7IG (John) and EI3JE (Neil) winners of theEUO section

PA3ECU, (Rudy) wins theEUL section

GM3SEK, (Ian) wins theUKO section

G1PPA (Steve) wins theUKL section

2E0DGP (Phil) is the leading intermediate licence holder

G0FCT (Ian) is the leading station with 25W to a single antenna.

2m Contest

A total of 54 entrants working 318 stations in 97 locator squares.

The majority of contacts were made using FT8, a mode that didn't exist a year ago.  Some more difficult QSOs resorted to the slower but more capable JT65 modes with a small mix of JT9 and others.  Less than 25% of entrants tried Meteor Scatter which of course is a bit harder on 2m than 6m.  It remains a puzzle why 6m MS has moved to MSK144 while 2m operators still persist with FSK441.

ODX for the contest goes to SM4GGC (Stig) and UT8LE (Anatoly) for their 1790km QSO.

Congratulations and certificates go to:

EI9E operated by EI2FG (John), EI7FJ (Billy), G4CLA (Pete), EI3KD (Mark), EI9HQ (Declan), EI7IG (John) and EI3JE (Neil) winners of theEUO section

PA5WT(Kees) wins theEUL section

G4SFY (Ray) wins theUKO section

G8HGN (Bob) wins theUKL sections

2E0VPX (Andy) is the leading intermediate licence holder

M0ICR (Carl) is the leading station with 25W to a single antenna.

This contest has sections for UK (and CD) entrants as well as overseas (EU) stations.  There were several logs submitted to ineligible sections.  These have been re-assigned to the correct sections.  The same was true for the O and L subsections with quite a few stations entering the L section where their declared stations made them ineligible for this group.  Could entrants please make sure they check for these errors in the future.

See you all on 15/16 December for the second leg.

Mike, G0KAD