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UBA DX SSB Contest

In brief: poor -ations…

Poor motivation

Not in a contesting mood – lots of things on my mind, a lot of work to be done etc etc. I knew it wasn’t going to be fun but I won last year (12h HP category) and I’d like to make ‘m back to back. This frame of mind does not enhance the fun level.

Poor preparation

I planned to set up on Friday but I couldn’t find the energy nor the drive to make it happen. There was a pretty strong wind blowing so I decided to wait. I couldn’t get last year’s results to set a goal because the UBA web site had been down for a couple of days. I didn’t want to risk putting up my flimsy "field day" 80m vertical with the wind and having to take it down mid-contest so I made a 80m inverted V dipole in a hurry on Saturday morning. Bottom line: I was ready setting up at 13.30 local, needed to take a shower and have lunch before 14.00 when the contest started.

Poor propagation

  • 10m: 1 QSO with local ON4BHQ for the multiplier. The band was dead of course.
  • 15m: Not too many contacts (5?) and 3 multipliers. I think – don’t have the log at hand. You can always hope for DX or a local opening but it wasn’t meant to be. Bummer!
  • 20m: Very boring to end up there time after time. Plenty USA worked, 1 JA, HS, 2 YB and 2 ZL. That’s it. Lots of 3 point (non-EU) QSO though.
  • 40m: I hate that band in SSB. Period. Very low score there, no real DX. Splatter or QRM anyone?
  • 80m: Man that dipole sucks compared to my elevated GP vertical. Period.

Poor participation

CQ 160 CW, REF CW and BARTG RTTY. If I wasn’t ON and felling obliged to participate I’d skipped this one too and play in CW. Normally participation is better in UBA CW when there are more SSB contests that weekend. It was hard to get contacts. I think I made about 420 QSO or so, where it was 618 last year. 83 mults compared to 103 last year. On the other hand ON participation seemed quite OK for such a small country with no real contesting tradition and I heard and worked a lot of club stations.

Bottom line-ification

If someone tops my 12h score I think she/he deserved to win because I feel this lousy score is all I could squeeze out of it.

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