This year's contest again attracted a good batch of entries and around 150 stations were active during the day. Although most enjoyed the event, conditions being slightly above average, some were, as last year, affected by poor weather. Heavy rain, some causing static noise, was the main problem, especially if, like GW8ASA, you went out portable in your carpet slippers!
This year, the Five Bells CG made their more remote location pay off and receive the VHF Managers Trophy, operating from a slightly different part of the Mull of Kintyre. The Dartmoor Convicts took second spot in the Open section, relegating last years winners down to third place. G4AEQ kept his strangle hold on the Single Operator Fixed Section, with GM4CWH/P claiming the top spot amongst the single operator portables, a new section for this year. G0AEV returns to reclaim the certificate for the best placed fixed station using 25w (or less in this case) and a single antenna.
There were many interesting comments in the logs all of which have been included at the bottom of the result tables.
Pete G4CLA.g4cla@rsgb.org.uk
Section O Pos Call Loc Qso Mults Score Total Best DX Dist Power Ant Group 1* GM4SIV/P IO75DH 90 75 35075 2,630,625 GJ3YHU 719 160 2x9,4 Five Bells CG 2* G4BVY/P IO70XP 95 71 28114 1,996,094 GM4ZUK/P 706 160 2x7,7 The Dartmoor Convicts 3 GD0EMG IO74QD 73 61 19021 1,160,281 G4FUF 450 160 2x8,2x5 Northern Lights CG 4 G3TCU/P IO70FD 57 49 18865 924,385 GM4ZUK/P 781 150 4x6 Kintyre Window Cleaners 5 G4ZAP IO81SG 65 56 12674 709,744 GM4ZUK 630 160 2x6 A1 CG 6 MM0CPS/P IO85RU 51 46 14868 683,928 G4ADV/P 614 50 8 Cockenzie & Port Seton ARC 7 G4BRA/P IO91PK 59 50 11054 552,700 GM4ZUK/P 623 80 6 Bracknell ARC 8 G1EHF/P IO91GI 53 47 9572 449,884 GM4AFF 610 30 6 Dave Austin 9 G4ADV/P IO70MM 40 34 10408 353,872 MM0CPS/P 614 80 2x7 Newquay & DARS Section SO Pos Call Loc Qso Mults score Total Best DX Dist Power Ant 1* GM4CWH/P IO74WV 66 55 18294 1,006,170 G3TCU/P 537 140 2x5 2* GM4WLL/P IO85NR 41 40 11340 453,600 G3TCU/P 646 90 6 3 M0AFC/P IO84SA 45 41 9183 376,503 G3TCU/P 480 20 5 4 GM4ZUK/P IO86RW 30 31 11457 355,167 G3TCU/P 781 75 5 5 G0PQF/P JO02HV 20 23 5570 128,110 G3TCU/P 525 10 3 6 GW8ASA/P IO81FP 35 26 4427 115,102 GM4SIV/P 433 5 3 7 G3IZD/P IO84KD 21 20 4709 94,180 G3TCU/P 474 10 4 8 G0WJR/P IO81QJ 23 24 3857 92,568 GM4AFF 602 15 2 Section SF Pos Call Loc Qso Mults score Total Best DX Dist Power Ant 1* G4AEQ IO93PE 74 65 16197 1,052,805 GM4WJA 507 160 2x6,3 2* G3MEH IO91QS 61 56 10773 603,288 GM4AFF 573 150 6 3 GM4AFF IO86ST 39 38 15278 580,564 G3TCU/P 769 140 8 4 G3NKS IO81XU 54 49 9433 462,217 GM4AFF 552 100 6 5* G0AEV IO81WL 47 44 9049 398,156 GM4ZUK/P 608 12 8 6 G3LVP IO81WV 47 36 7148 257,328 GM4ZUK/P 561 25 7 7 G0GCI JO01ED 35 31 6776 210,056 GM4SIV/P 615 100 4 8 G3BPM IO80OV 33 27 5425 146,475 GM4SIV/P 528 50 8 9 G4YPC IO91RH 29 27 4574 123,498 GM4SIV/P 561 60 4 10 G0API IO80XS 20 24 4457 106,968 MM0CPS/P 566 15 5 11 G4OUT IO92AT 20 21 3831 80,451 G3TCU/P 387 10 3 12 G1KHX IO81MI 20 22 3213 70,686 GM4SIV/P 476 90 5 13 GM4DIJ IO85IW 18 18 3230 58,140 G4BVY/P 591 160 4 14 G3FIJ JO01KV 13 14 3155 44,170 GM4SIV/P 677 15 4 15 GU6AJE IN89RL 11 13 2816 36,608 GM4SIV/P 683 10 2 delta loop
G0AEV:
Back on 4m after 2 years absence!
G0GCI:
The conditions were not bad with a quite a lot of activity. I must do something
about the receive side of my equipment as several contacts were lost as they
disappeared into the noise including another GM station in IO86 square and a GI in IO64.
G0PQF:
My first time on 4m. very enjoyable contest. Pleased with distances worked with
10w/small yagi. Couldn't raise GI3PDN/P. Where were all the GW's?
G0WJR:
Very wet: rain started as I arrived, and then turned torrential. I could have
done with headphones, the rain was so heavy on the car roof at one point!
Propagation good to the North: I worked 4 GM/MM stations - the first for
two years. Very surprised that no-one was on from the SE (or not beaming
West, anyway)
G1EHF:
Radio conditions seemed average,
improving (although very slow!) towards end. Wx started overcast but dry,
some driving rain later.
G3IZD:
My 1st 4m contest. Need better Ant as could hear stns working others inaudible to me!
Ant matching cap found S/C so 2.5:1 SWR Hi! Must have netter Ant and Amplifier.
G3LVP:
Conditions good to the north, one leading (?)
station appears not to have a tunable RX! A restricted portable section might
encourage a few more stations to take part.
G3MEH:
Condx were a bit above average in the morning, tailing off to
flat by the end of the contest.
G3NKS:
Conditions good especially on N-S path.
Activity seemed better than in recent years. Great fun!
G3TCU:
Conditions were poor at the start, improving later.
We suffered from torrential rain, bringing an S9 rain static level, for
the first hour or so.
There was also high winds. We found wet log sheets hard to write on!
In several ways, the weather seriously restricted our ability to make
contacts.
G4ADV:
WET DAY AGAIN
G4AEQ:
Condx average activity quite good. Quit before the end due to time limitations.
G4BRA:
No Es, so a relatively quiet band. Stayed
dry for most of the contest.
G4BVY:
Above average to the North. Level of activity high. Weather - absolutely atrocious
It poured down for the whole event and I have never in 20 years plus been so wet.
Tremendous rain static from time to time.
G4OUT:
Only able to work during first 4.5hrs of contest
Very enjoyable GM stations strong as were Dvn Cnl
but where were local stations eg ST !
G4ZAP:
Conditions: Average
GD0EMG:
Six hours is to long. Perhaps 4 or 5 next year?
GM4AFF:
Lots of deaf G's around, but great fun. Maybe not
quite as much activity as I expected.
GM4CWH:
Went awfully quiet after initial rush.
GM4DIJ:
Good conditions, but high local noise levels masking the weaker signals
G4AEQ,and G4BVY/P strong signals throughout.
GM4SIV:
Most of the contest we were covered in the
Kintyre mists, with GI occasionally popping up out of the mists. Contest was lively
during the first hour petering out after that. Just shows how vital that first
hour can be. No conditions other than straight tropo, no pings, no e's etc.
Rapid fading of seemingly strong signals.
Better site that last year only a short distance away, but further off road.
Many thanks to all the stations on the band for calling in with signal reports
towards the end of the contest. The homebrew antennas really do work well.
GM4WLL:
Conditions were reasonable, though not what you might call exciting. Weather
was miserable, with thick mist, pouring rain and at times static rain.
Nonetheless, activity was healthy and suggests a positive future for 4m.
My last QSO was one and a half hours before the end: does this really need
to be a 6 hour contest?
GM4ZUK:
Conditions very average - some meteor pings in more distant stations, some stations were very "deaf"!
Even replying on CW some stations could not even detect me despite receiving good sigs from
them. QRM levels high further south?
GU6AJE:
Condxns quite good with some tropo. Didn't manage to work GD this time, but was successful with my
first tropo GM - thanks to cw.
M0AFC:
First time entry in 4mtr trophy after finally
getting transverter to work-- enjoyed very much but
last hour was very slow
MM0CPS:
Really enjoyed taking part. WX was terrible with very heavy rain
gladly it cleared for the end of the contest. Seemed very busy and even
heard GU6AJE 59 for a few seconds {meteor burst).
G3BPM:
Very deep fading
G4YPC:
Conditions average
G0API:
Normal tropo
G1KHX:
Conditions average, lots of deep QSB.
G3FIJ:
Some good DX conditions but deep QSB at times.
GW8ASA:
Propagation condx flat. Only one station from JO squares. WX very poor
visibility 15 mtrs. Half way to site realised I was wearing my carpet
slippers no boots, in a peat bog (XYL very happy) closed down early
wet feet.