RAC Winter Contest - 2023
Call: VE3KG
Operator(s): VE3KG VE3REV
Station: VE3KG
Class: M/S HP
QTH: NR BASTARD
Operating Time (hrs): 19
Summary:
Band CW Qs Ph Qs CW Mults Ph Mults
----------------------------------------
160: 40 7 8 6
80: 156 19 10 8
40: 257 50 11 10
20: 288 199 11 13
15: 57 85 11 12
10: 111 55 10 11
6: 2 2 2 2
2: 2 2 2 2
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Total: 913 419 65 64 Total Score = 842,112
Club: Radio Society of Greater Bastard
Comments:
I chose to do a Multi-op with Ron VE3REV. Many of you may remember Ron from his
activity as 6W1SU from 2015 to 2018. Ron worked several of the major SSB
contests during that period and was my host for the CQ WW CW in 2017. Ron was
also active as F4WCR for the last four years, but without good antennas. He
returned to Canada in 2023 and has very limited antenna possibilities at his new
location. Ron is a great guy and he is my oldest and dearest friend. He
doesn't quite have the killer instinct in contests or the reflexes, but he is
keen to operate. His skills have waned a bit following four years locked in a
Paris Haussmannville apartment with no useful antennas. I hoped operating with
me would rekindle Ron's enthusiasm. Ron made about 30% of our SSB QSOs.
I started the contest on my own, and operated until about 0600 GMT. I started
again around 1100, and Ron joined me around 1400.
For the first time, I tried using the https://contestonlinescore.com/ to watch
the competition. I was pleased to see Gerry W1VE (aka VE1RM, VY1AAA, etc.,
etc.) was also in Multi-Single and our scores seemed to be very close all the
way through. With Gerry and his team in the running, my contest objectives
became three:
1. Reintroduce Ron to contesting
2. Get a high multiplier total
and
3. Beat Gerry.
The online scoreboard provided the nudges I needed to politely suggest to Ron
that it was time for an operator change. I would operate for as long as it took
to get a 15-20% lead on W1VE's score, then we would switch ops. When our lead
reversed, another polite suggestion to Ron would follow. Some strategy, eh?
I only found out after the contest that Gerry and his team were at the K1LZ
superstation. Ending the contest 14% ahead of Gerry became that much more
satisfying.
I'm really pleased with our multiplier total. It's a testament to where we are
in the sunspot cycle and to the level of activity across Canada. I suspect my
claimed multiplier is a little high for two reasons:
1. We never knowingly worked anyone in Nunavut. So, where did that 13th
multiplier on 14 SSB come from?
2. I am certain that I violated the 10-minute rule on a couple of occasions with
my aggressive multiplier-hunting.
I will leave it to adjudicator Sam VE5SF to tell us our real score.
Collecting the multipliers on 6 and 2 metres is often overlooked. Just about
every Canadian can work two multipliers on each of six and two metres. I live
close enough to Quebec (about 60 km) to easily work Gary VE2GK and Bert VA2IW on
two modes on each of six and two. Ron VE3VN gave me my six metre Ontario mults,
and Chris VE3FU (who was active in the contest as VO2AC), rushed out his
satellite station to work me on both modes on two metres.
At the beginning of the contest, I tried to work VE9AA and VE9HF on six metres.
A clever trick is for the Maritime guys to meet on six and two at the beginning
of the contest, and work all three Maritime provinces on both VHF bands in both
modes, then head for the HF bands. At 700-1000 km, it was just a bit far for
me to join in. So, I'm very content with the eight multipliers we worked on
VHF.
I had a second station set up to hunt multipliers, but it ran only 100 watts,
and we could only meaningfully use it after Ron arrived at 1400. By them, my
multiplier bag was already pretty well stuffed, so only an occasional new one
could be found and worked with the second station. Most multiplier hunting I
did was by making a quick change from the main station based on a Packet spot or
on a request to someone else to change bands or modes.
Station 1:
FTdx-5000 + VL-1000 amp
Station 2:
TS-590Sm (no amp)
FT-225RD + RFC 2-317 amp (170 watts)
Antennas:
10-15-20: two X-7 yagi at 22 metres
40: vertical dipole
80: vertical
160: dipole at 20 metres
6: 5el at 25 metres
2: 9 el at 23 metres
This was fun!
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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