50MHz UKAC 2015  - Annual Results

Activity levels continue to increase. In 2015 the average number of entrants per leg was 187 which is a 12% increase over 2014. The June and July sessions had sporadic-E openings. This year 454 stations entered at least one leg of the series, a 3% increase on 2014. Congratulations go to the 38 intrepid entrants, including four portable stations, who were active for all eleven sessions!  In total 33 of the 45 UK squares were activated.  The club competition retains its popularity with 86 clubs entering.

In the club competition the Travelling Wave CG won eight sessions to repeat their 2013 and 2014 victories with twenty of their members contributing.  In second place were the Bolton Wireless Club who had eighteen members active.

In the AO section GI4SNA won nine sessions to win the section. In second place overall was G4BWP who won two sessions. There were 34 entrants in this section.

The AR section is always closely fought and the top ten entrants achieved scores greater than 7000.  This year G4CLA won four sessions and moves up from third place in 2014 to win the section.  G3PYE/P, won five sessions to retain second place. There were 266 entrants in this section.

In the AL section G0HEL/P won two sessions, and had five second places, to take the winners position.  G8XVJ/P won seven sessions and takes second place.  There were 143 entrants in this section.

In the AX section G4RUL/P won five sessions to take first place. GM4VXX won two sessions to take second place.  There were 7 entrants in this section.

Certificates and congratulations go to the following stations:

• Club Competition:
  • Winner:  50MHz Club Championship: Travelling Wave Contest Group
  • Runner-up:  50MHz Club Championship: Bolton Wireless Club

• Section AO
  • Winner:  David Ross, GI4SNA
  • Runner-up:  Fred Handscombe, G4BWP

• Section AR
  • Winner:  Peter Lindsay, G4CLA
    • Runner-up:  Camb-Hams, G3PYE/P
    • Leading Intermediate Licensee:  Andy Brown, 2E0VPX

• Section AL
  • Winner: Alan Nicholls, G0HEL(/P)
    • Runner-up:  Erik Gedvilas, G8XVJ(/P)
    • Leading Intermediate Licensee:  Andrew Power, 2E0RET/P
    • Leading Foundation Licensee:  Rees Adams, M6GZE/P

• Section AX
  • Winner:  Alastair Turner, G4RUL/P
  • Runner-up:  Clive O'Hennessy, GM4VVX

November

Another wet and windy night for the portables! Entrants universally rated conditions as poor to abysmal. Noise levels appeared to be high and a number of entrants suffered from static rain. There were a number of comments about the poor activity, but with 184 entrants and 285 stations active this was a typical 6m UKAC!  Twenty UK and 3 non-UK squares were active. G4CLA (IO92) and M1MHZ (IO92) worked 34 multipliers and G7LRQ/P (IO91), G3VCA (IO93) and M1DDD/P (IO93) worked 30. The best tropo contact was between G3LDI (JO02) and GI4SNA (IO64) at 526kms.

A big thank you to all 2015 entrants as the accuracy of log submissions has greatly improved making my life much easier. Seasons greetings to all and see you in 2016!

Roger - G4BVY

October

What a night. Portable entrants were faced with wet, windy and foggy conditions not helped by the clock change which made it darker as well. Everyone suffered from poor conditions with severe QSB and high noise levels. Given all of this, it is a credit to entrants perseverance that only 4.7% of contacts were disallowed. There were 295 active stations in 23 UK and 5 non-UK squares. G4BWP (JO02) worked 41 multipliers, G3PYE/P (JO02) 40, and G4CLA (IO92) and M1MHZ (IO92) both worked 38.  Four lucky stations were called by S57RR. The best tropo contact was between G4BWP (JO02) and EI9JU (IO65) at 602kms. With one leg remaining there is still all to play for in the Club, AR and AL sections!

September

September is traditionally a poor month for entries, though the 162 entries represent an increase of 18% over 2014. Sporadic-E was present until the start of the contest! Only two Es QSOs were completed in the contest with CT and EA. Conditions were variously described as "poor", "abysmal" and "chronic". Many entrants commented on the high noise levels and strange noises on the band. This combined with deep QSB made for a difficult evening. Despite this only 4% of contacts were disallowed. There were 250 active stations in 25 UK and 6 non-UK squares. GI4SNA (IO64) worked 38 multipliers, G4BWP (JO02) 36 and G3TBK/P (IO93) 35. The best non Es or MGM QSO goes to an interesting contact between GM3POI ((IO88) and G4BWP (JO02) at 765kms. With two legs remaining there is still all to play for in the Club and AL sections!

August

After two months of Sporadic-E, "normal" conditions were always going to be a disappointment!  As the holiday season kicks in, the number of entries always fall but there was still a 16% increase in the number of entries compared to August 2014. The summer weather of rain and wind made it an uncomfortable evening for the portables. Conditions were described as average to poor with deep QSB and high noise levels. There were 303 active stations in 22 UK and 5 non-UK squares. The number of multipliers worked returned to "normal" levels with G4BWP (JO02) working 35, M1MHZ (IO92) 34 and G3PYE/P (JO02) 33.  The best non-MGM QSO was between G4RUL/P and GI4SNA at 601 kms.

July

This was the third consecutive month with over 200 logs (190 entrants and 12 check logs), and the second consecutive month with sporadic-E !! There were 1238 Es QSOs completed with 564 in the first 30 minutes, 475 in the second 30 minutes and 178 between 20:00 and 20:29. After that there were a further 21 Es QSOs with the last at 21:21. Twenty five non-UK countries were worked with the following numbers active in each country:  4O 1, 9A 5, 9H 1,  DL 29, E7 4, EA 1, F 4, HA 14, HB9 4, I 44,  LA 1,  LZ 2, OE 9, OK 10,  OM 1, ON 3, OZ 2, PA 1, S5 10, SM 2, SP 16, SV 2,  UR 1, YO 3, YT 2. The best QSO was between GM8IEM and 9H5G at 2860 kMs and there were a further 18 QSOs greater than 2000 kMs. In terms of multipliers, there were 28 UK squares active (the highest of the year) together with 101 non-UK squares. GI4SNA (IO64) worked 66 multipliers, G4BWP (JO02) 64 and G4CLA (IO92) 56.

A number of entrants will notice large reductions in their claimed scores. Although "only" 5% of QSOs were disallowed, a large number of these were for Es QSOs losing a large number of points as well as multipliers. Simple checks on logs prior to submission would have revealed discrepancies between prefixes and locators!

June

This was the second consecutive month with over 200 logs (197 entrants and 9 check logs). And finally there was sporadic-E !! The lift was dying by the time that the contest started.  However there were 1040 Es QSOs completed. Many entrants said that the lift only lasted for the first 30 to 40 minutes. However, in the first 15 minutes there were 222 Es QSOs, in the second 15 minutes 359, in the third 15 minutes 317 and in the fourth 15 minutes 90. A further 52 Es QSOs were made in the rest of the event with the final one at 21:13. Noticeably as the event progressed, the further West or North you were, the longer the conditions persisted. Twenty six non-UK countries were worked with the following numbers active in each country:  9A 1, CN 1, DL 14, EA 1, EA6 1, F 1, HA 4, HB9 2, I 30, IS0 1, LA 4, LY 4, LZ 5, OE 3, OH 7, OK 9,  OM 1, OZ 3, S5 4, SM 26, SP 23, SV 2, T7 2, UR 5, YL 5, YT 1. Once the sporadic-E faded, the general conclusion was that the intra G tropo conditions were the worst for some time. The best two QSOs, both at 2787kms were made by GI4SNA to SV3KH and SV3ICL. In fact the best ten QSOs were made by GW0FRE/P, GI4SNA and GM4VVX showing that Westerly and Northerly locations were the place to be. Many AL section entrants struggled in the bedlam to work the DX.

In terms of multiplier, there were 24 UK squares active together with 114 non-UK squares. GI4SNA (IO64) worked 81 multipliers, GW0FRE/P (IO81) 53, G4BWP (JO02) 52 and G4CLA (IO92) 48.

May

For the first time ever in this series over 200 logs were received this month (199 entrants and 2 check logs). The number of stations active, 374, is another all time high for a non-sporadic E month. While the weather remained dry, portables reported windy and cold conditions. One portable was chased from his site by a herd of cows!

Numerous entrants commented on the high activity levels while severe QSB and high noise levels dominated the comments about conditions. There were 363 UK stations active in 25 squares together with 2 DL, 2 EI, 2 F, 3 ON, 1 PA and 1 OZ. G4BWP (JO02) worked 43 multipliers, G4CLA (IO92) 41, M1MHZ (IO92) 40 and GI4SNA (IO64) 39. The best non MGM QSO was between G4BWP and EI3KD at 593kms closely followed by the G4FZN/P to F/G8NVI/P QSO at 591kms.  There were 11 completed QSOs greater than 500kms.

The difficult conditions caused an increase in errors with 5.2% of QSOs being disallowed.

April

Another high entry level with 194 entrants.  The weather is not improving (yet?) as portable stations reported blustery conditions and some experienced snow!

Conditions were poor with a number of stations describing them as "rubbish" and "dire".  As the event progressed the QSB deepened  and many more stations suffered from increased noise levels.  There were 311 UK stations active in 24 squares together with 1 DL, 2 EIs, 1 F, 1 PA and 1 OZ.  The multipliers worked this month were well down on previous months, reflecting the conditions, with G4BWP (JO02) working 33, G3PYE/P (JO02) 32, G4CLA (IO92) 31 and G3TBK (IO93) 29.  The best non MGM QSO was between G4BWP and EI9JU at 602kms.

During the adjudication only 4% of QSOs were disallowed which is amazing given the conditions - well done !!

March

March saw an all time record entry level of 197 entrants - will the 200 barrier be beaten in 2015?  Portable entrants again deserve a mention as they endured very cold, in some cases freezing, conditions.

Again conditions were described as poor though some entrants thought that north - south conditions were slightly enhanced.  QSB caused problems for many and a growing number of entrants are reporting increased noise levels.  There were 292 UK stations active in 24 squares together with 2 DLs, 2 EIs and one ON.  G3PYE/P (JO02) achieved 39 multipliers, G4BWP (JO02) 37, G4CLA (IO92) 36 and GI4SNA (IO64) and M1MHZ (IO92) 35.  The best non MGM QSO was between G4BWP and EI3KD at 593kms.

During the adjudication 5.04% of QSOs were disallowed.  By far the highest source of error was the received RS(T).  For the first time in many many contests all the logs imported into the adjudication software without the need for manual intervention.  Many thanks to all entrants!

February

February saw another bumper entry.  Special congratulations go to the numerous portable entrants who braved poor weather including cold, strong winds and, in one case, snow.

Unfortunately the radio conditions mirrored the weather and were generally described as poor with even more vicious QSB than usual.  There were 283 UK stations active in 24 squares together with one EI and one DL.   The highest multiplier achieved was 35 by GI4SNA (IO64) followed by G4CLA (IO92), G3PYE/P (JO02) and G4BWP (JO02) on 32 multipliers and G3MEH (IO91), G3VCA (IO93) and G8AXZ/P (IO93) on 30.  The best non MGM tropo contact was between GI4SNA (IO64) and G4RUL/P (JO00) at 601 kms.

January

The 2015 series of the 50MHz UKAC kicked off with 184 entries. This compares to 155 in Jan 2014, 128 in Jan 2013, 96 in Jan 2012 and 80 in Jan 2011. Also it is the third highest number of entries, only beaten in April 2014 (185) and March 2014 (192). Will 2015 bring the first 200 entry leg for the 50MHz UKAC?

Conditions were described as "appalling", "dire" and "poor" though a number of stations thought that conditions improved during the event. The common theme across the entrants was the high noise level. Twenty eight intrepid entrants were out portable and faced cold and windy conditions and in some parts of the country snow. There were 280 stations active in 26 UK squares together with 2 EI and 1 F stations.  Three stations scored 38 multipliers: GI4SNA (IO64), G4CLA (IO92) and G3PYE/P (JO02) and three scored 36 multipliers: M1MHZ (IO92), M1DDD/P (IO93) and G4BWP (JO02). The best contact of the event was between GI4SNA and F8ZW at 1141km and the best tropo contact was between G4BWP (JO02) and EI9JU (IO65) at 602kms.

Logging standards, despite the conditions, were the best for some considerable time with only 4.2% of QSOs being disallowed - well done !!