The main soapbox comments in this penultimate contest of the series were about the weather – pretty bad over most of the country.  Rain, wind and thunderstorms were experienced, which meant that some entrants decided to call it a day earlier than they wanted.  Some had to close down for safety reasons because of the lightning nearby.  Congratulations to all those who stayed the course – fewer than usual, which is not really surprising!

Conditions were generally flat, with plenty of static crashes to make things even more difficult.  French stations supplied a lot of the DX.   In Section 3B, Steve Marsh, G4TCU, achieved the top spot this time with an excellent QSO and multiplier score.  In Section 10H, Paul Selwood, G8BGV, again leads the table with 76 QSOs and the best ODX at 548 km.

In the cumulative table, G4XZL and G4TCU are both in contention to become overall winners.  In Section 10H, G8BGV is still in the lead, with M0BAO a little way behind.  The final session of the 2m Backpackers series for the year is on the 7th September, coinciding with an IARU coordinated contest  – let’s hope for good weather, plenty of activity, and better conditions.

Ed Taylor, GW3SQX