UKSMG Winter Contests 1996/97 - Results!

Report by David A Whitaker, BRS 25429, UKSMG Contest Manager

Overview

From the results, you will gather that there was a reasonable amount of activity for both contests. I would like to thank every one of you and all the non members for creating this activity. This is exactly what we needed at this time of the sunspot cycle. Without it there would have been just another day of white noise and no signals.

As I mentioned in my contest interim report, it seemed the new rules format was well received. I have collated some of your comments and suggestions and these are shown later. If you have any further suggestions to make please make them to me at the soonest opportunity, as we will be drawing up the rules for the next contest very shortly now.

It was a pity the two contests did not produce any Winter sporadic E conditions. However, sandwiched between the two contests was the Quadrantids meteor shower. This did give the odd five second burst but very few contacts were made this way. Most QSOs were fairly localised, but providing a station is well sited and using reasonable (!) power, I would say you have a good chance of working 600km on a ‘dead’ band.

I was pleased to see a large number of counties reported in both contests. I know one or two of you were not quite sure which county to give because of recent boundary changes; on this occasion the counties in question have retained their old status. More on this in your comments.

Statistics

I also know that some of you like the statistical side of any contest so I have been able to provide the following information:

English participation produced 211 callsigns which were extracted from your logs. Wales showed 23 callsigns. There were three each from GD and GM whilst GI and GJ produced just one callsign each. No callsign appeared from Guernsey.

Outside the UK the following countries/stations were noted:- EI-1, OZ-7, OE-1, DL-3, PA-11, I-8, ON-10 and F-3. So that made a total of 286 stations who were known to be active at some time over the two contests.

I think we can say the OE, DL, I, and OZ stations were via MS whilst F, PA, and ON could have been extended tropo. I counted 54 British counties taking part in the contest. The county activated the most was Essex with 16 participants and Gloucestershire was second with 12. Strangely, there was no activity from Northants and only two callsigns appeared from the county of Surrey.

Thank you to the 21 members who submitted entries for the contest. Without them there would have been no report! Congratulations go to the all the section winners.

UKSMG Winter Contest
December 29th 1996

Section 1 Single Operator

Section 2 SWL

Section 3 Novice

Section 5 Europe

January 5th 1997
Section 1 Single Operator

Section 2 SWL

Section 3 Novice

Section 5 Europe

Members comments/Equipment used.

G4IFX - Chris. "Conditions not good in the first contest, it was hard work to get the number of contacts I did. Unfortunately I couldn’t manage much time in the second event, I was working on the February Six News!". Chris uses the TS 690S, converted SB220 and 400w to a two six ele beams at 60' agl.

G4OJH - Andrew. "My first attempt at a six metre contest - it won’t be my last". Andrew worked OZ5W at 16.37 on SSB. Probably ms? He used an Icom 706 with 100W to a 5 ele yagi at 60' agl.

G3KJX - Brian. Brian was in CT1 during December and January for the contest but heard nothing! He could just about detect a signal on the CTØWW QRG but no positive identification. Brian says he will be back in CT1 on June 22nd 1997. Can you make it any earlier Brian as it is the UKSMG Summer Contest on 21st June?

NL-213 - Jan. Jan could only hear three stations in the first test and nothing at all in the second. He uses a 50 MHz converter to a six element beam at 17m agl.

G4IDF - Dave. Dave could only manage the first contest. His station comprises a FT101Z+ FTV 901R running 12W. Antenna is a four ele yagi at 8m agl.

GWØGEI - Steve. Steve sums up the first contest as TORTURE! "With 100W it was difficult to get other 100W G stations to hear me. P60 tower base has since been completed so I should be louder in the summer contests, Hi! " Steve’s station comprises the IC575A plus BNOS 1050100. Antenna was a six ele Create yagi at 42' agl.

G1WYC - Steven. "I found the format for the contest very good with the duration being just about right." Steven would like to see a low power section introduced, i.e. 10W into a single antenna only. Sorry Steven, M1 is no longer San Marino!! Equipment used was a FT-767GX - 10W into a five ele Tonna at 9m agl.

ON4PS - Pierre. Pierre has the right idea. "More than ever, participating was the most important thing." I could not agree more, Pierre. Thanks for your efforts.

G8ZRE - Dave. "I suggest that next years contest should coincide with the RSGB 50MHz Christmas Cumulatives." What do our other members think? My personal view is that the UKSMG is a specialist group and we should be doing our own thing. But, if it is a case of increasing band activity on the day, maybe not a bad idea. Dave was running 10W to a FT69OR, the antenna being a five ele Tonna at 30' agl.

OZ5W - Palle, OZ1RH used the club station OZ9EDR on the day along with OZ4STA. Palle makes the following comments:

"1) Please accept logs e- mailed via Internet. UKSMG has an excellent home page but one can not forward logs there.
"2) Please use the Region 1 DX window 50.100-50.130 in the rules.
"3) Please allow self spotting in UKSMG contests. Stupid to have to ask a friend to spot oneself. It is hard to attract UK stations on ms when self spotting is prohibited. If you want DX in your contests you should allow us to spot ourselves.
"4) UK Counties have little appeal to non UK stations. They are not well known and should not be used in contests. Use locators and one point per km like the rest of Europe."

Thanks, Palle for those points. Hopefully other members will answer either through Six News or directly to me. Station details of OZ5W are Icom 736 + 2x8874 running 1,000W. The antenna is six elements at 19m agl.

GØAEV - Steve. "Re the double multiplier- QSO x Counties x Countries, I suggest a fairer way of scoring would be to ADD the county to the country and then multiply by the number of QSOs." Well, what do the other members think? Steve, the county boundary problem can’t be solved just yet so for the moment UKSMG contests using counties will follow the present RSGB list. Steve’s station comprises a IC706 using 100w output, 50m Westflex 103 feeding a five ele yagi, 10' boom at 45m agl.

2E1AFN - Pat. Hi Pat, nice QSL! Pat was the only novice licence holder to put in an entry, although from the logs I noted eight others active. Pat’s radio equipment is a FT69OR with a five ele Monoband yagi. Pat made no comments on the contest but with just 2½ Watts was getting out OK.

G8CDW - Ted. "The first contest was very disappointing. Took four hours to hear/work six stations in two countries! " Station equipment - FT69OR multi - mode running 2W + BNOS. linear running 60W. Antennas - Diamond V-2000 at 6m agl and a H/B Horizontal Turnstile in the loft.

GD4IOM - Andy. "Both contests had some interesting conditions. The first one had some very weak tropo type contacts along with some ms enhanced contacts. Conditions in the second contest proved to be more elusive. What was workable in Europe was only worked via very short ms bursts." Thanks Andy for getting so many operators on! Without you the contest would have been a ‘no go’ for many of us. The GD4IOM club station runs two x seven element Create antennas, 400W from a 3CX800 P.A., a low noise mast head pre-amp and a FT650 Radio.

G3OIL - Mike. Thanks Mike for your two entries. "No Es but I heard IW5BML throughout much of the first contest on ms; just could not get him to hear me!! In the second contest there were very poor conditions with a very high noise level." I share your sentiments, Mike as I had similar problems. The G3OIL station comprises a TS690S using 100W to a nine ele yagi at 15m.

G4DCJ - Dave. "I suggest instead of two different contests to have two legs on different days of the same contest and add together the two scores." Again, what do other members think of Dave’s idea? Dave was using a FT69OR MK 1, a Microwave Modules linear amp giving 100W into a quarter wave vertical or six ele beam which were switchable. The antennas were on a tower at 50'.

G7RRD - Graham. "I liked the new format for the contest and the four hour time period was appreciated. The afternoon time spot fitted in well with Sunday meal times and no XYL agro!" Graham is also a supporter of a low power section. Any other takers? Working conditions for Graham were FT-736R, 25W to a five ele Tonna at 15m agl.

GW6VZW - Paul. "I thought conditions were quite good for the first contest but level of activity was generally very poor. In the second contest conditions again very poor but more activity from UKSMG members. Two very difficult contests but as a "contest freak" I still managed to enjoy myself." Thanks Paul for your efforts. Station was a Icom 706, 100W output plus three ele beam at 28m agl.

G6HKM - Ela. Super log, Ela. You must have a nice QTH, Hi. "Could only participate in the second contest which I thoroughly enjoyed. Could not make the first contest because of grandchildren QRM!! " Ela also liked the format of the contest. She has the IC-575H running 100W to a five ele home brew yagi at 38' agl.

And finally G3HBR - Brian. "Conditions very ordinary for the first contest. In the second contest there was more activity but very patchy. I was surprised to hear no one from Yorkshire and Lancashire this time." Well Brian, I heard you but that does not count! Station equipment is the TS 680S + 200W output linear + low noise RX pre-amp. The antenna is a 3 ele quad 11m agl.

Final

Well, there you have it, folks. Some suggestions and points have been raised which I would like you all to consider for the next Winter contest. The format and rules etc. will be drawn up in July, so if you have anything to say let me know now. As I said in the interim report, this is your contest not mine.

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