CHRISTMAS HOPE CW QSO PARTY - 28/12/2020

103 entries were received for the 28thDecember Christmas Hope CW QSO Party (7 DX High Power, 27 DX Low Power, 1 DX QRP, 16 UK High Power, 46 UK Low Power and 5 UK QRP, plus one checklog). This is 21 up on the 23rd December CW session. Entries were received from nineteen DXCC entities, fifteen of which were outside the UK&CD. The total number of valid calls appearing in entrants' logs was approximately 265 (although the true figure will be slightly lower owing to misread calls), from 41 DXCC entities - almost twice the number in the 23rd December session. All but six of these were European, the exceptions being BX, BY and HS in Asia, W (call areas 3, 4, 5 & 8) in North America, and VK (three stations) and ZL in Oceania.

Although conditions were a little better on the HF bands than in the 23rd December session, activity remained concentrated on the lower frequencies, with 36% of contacts on 80m, 47% on 40m, 16% on 20m, 0.6% on 15m, and 0.1% - 6 contacts, all inter G - on 10m.

Entrants' comments again largely reflected the numerical analysis, with one noting that some signals had an auroral character, and activity was reported as no better than 'steady'. But there were several comments that it was fun - which is what the HQPs are supposed to be!

Looking at the Christmas HQP CW#1 series as a whole, many thanks to all the entrants for taking part, and congratulations to the certificate winners as follows:

DX High Power - Winner SD1A and Runner Up F5VFT

DX Low Power - Winner OE5TXF and Runner Up PG7V

DX QRP            - Joint winners DG2FDD and PE2K

UK High Power - Winner M0BEW and Runner Up G3WVG

UK Low Power - Winner G3P and Runner Up G4ARI

UK QRP             - Winner G4DBW and Runner Up G5LOW

Leading Intermediate Licensee - 2E0OBO.

By the time you read this, the Christmas HQP Series 2 will be well under way, so hope to see you then!

Quin Collier G3WRR

g3wrr@rsgbcc.org