The 2020 season of the RSGB 80m Club Contest ends as usual with the Data contest, a contest which challenges with dual modes and conditions playing a major part in success. Throughout the season entrants have had to cope with not only varying propagation but also getting their contesting setups to play ball. So often the soapbox contains comments lamenting this struggle. Despite this the level of activity has been excellent as the short form contest is much appreciated by entrants.

The 100W-Assisted section saw G3TBK finish in 1st place with G3RVM and G3RXP in second and third places respectively. In the 10W-Assisted section G4ENZ took first place with G6EES and M0NQN coming second and third places. The most popular section of the contest is the 100W-Unassisted and here G0DWV came first with G4RCG and GW5NF in second and third places. Also popular is the 10W-Unassisted section and here we see G0GDU in first place with G4ARI and G3VCA in second and third places.

One of the very important aspects of the 80m Club Contest is having G6XX on the air and giving away valuable 5 point QSOs. Without the dedicated team of operators who put the station on air the contest would be the poorer. Nigel Williams G0RPM operated G6XX for the final session although he too was plagued with computer issues at the beginning. Our thanks to Nigel and all the other stations who have operated G6XX throughout the series.

Looking at the results for year and the stations who were first placed in each section we find G3TBK (100W-A), G4ENZ (10W-A), G4RCG (100W-U), and M0RYB (10W-U). Congratulations for achieving this result. The series also enjoys good support from Non-UK stations with many stations in Europe both giving points away and actively participating. Sitting just under 44th place in the UK table comes DF1MM who takes First place Non-UK Station with a very nice score indeed and having participated in the bulk of the sessions throughout the season.

With these results the final positions are revealed and thus the three trophy winners. The series has three trophies, The Horace Freeman Trophy for the top club in the General section, The G5RV Memorial Shield for the top club in the Local section and the RSGB 80m Challenge Trophy for the overall leading individual station.

It is with great pleasure to announce that the Horace Freeman Trophy for 2020 is awarded to the De Montford University ARS, the G5RV Memorial Shield is awarded to Newbury and District ARS and that the RSGB 80m Challenge Trophy is awarded to G4ARI. Congratulations to you all.

The 80m Club Contest now takes a break until February 2021 when battle will once again ensue. In the meantime the Autumn series begins and is an excellent opportunity to refine your setup for 2021. The RSGBCC would like to thank all who have participated but also notes that all who enjoy this aspect of the hobby are also grateful to the stations who give points away.

Simone Wilson - M0BOX

RSGB 80m Club Contest DATA Adjudicator