Showing posts with label contest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contest. Show all posts

7 Jun 2023

2m activity contest last evening

Last evening was the June 2023 2m activity contest (UKAC). 

Conditions were well up, but I found it very hard work with my 2.5W to the big-wheel omni. I guess this is a combination of several factors.  Firstly, my low ERP is obviously a handicap with stronger signals being copied over me. Secondly, I have a very poor voice, not cut out to "outshout" others. Thirdly, I have no compressor, so my signal lacks punch. 

In the end 6 stations were worked before I gave up. These days, I find FT8 easier as I do not need to "outshout" other stations. To be honest, I am no longer attracted to VHF/UHF voice contests.

17 May 2023

4m activity contest (UKAC)

Unless I have my dates mixed up, the RSGB organised 4m activity contest is this Thursday evening. Last month I forgot! It starts at 1900z (8pm UK clock time).

So far, I have been disappointed by activity levels on 4m, so I hope it is better  for the UKAC. Maybe more people pop up in the Es season. I live in hope.

Assuming I remember (must put alarm on, HI) I shall give it a go.

10 May 2023

70cm FT8 activity contest


The RSGB activity contest (UKAC) starts at 1900z, but I think the European contest starts earlier.

The map shows the activity on 70cm FT8 well before the UK contest starts! 

My antenna is just a 2m big-wheel omni too!

6 May 2023

2m activity contest last Tuesday


As usual, I go on the 2m activity contest on the first Tuesday evening in the month. As I run 2.5W and an omni big-wheel antenna and my voice is poor, I am usually on for less than an hour. Conditions seemed a bit "up" and it was quite busy.  In 37 minutes 7 contacts were had (see map). Next Tuesday is the 70cm activity contest.

2 May 2023

2m activity contest (UKAC)

The May leg of the RSGB organised activity contest on 2m is tonight starting at 1900z. Activity levels are usually good with portables on hilltops. 

It lasts (I think) for 2.5  hours although with my QRP, omni antenna and poor voice I am usually on less than an hour. 

This really does not feel like a contest. It is more a way to stimulate activity and work squares.

12 Apr 2023

70cm FT8 activity contest

This contest starts at 1900z tonight. I usually go on with my 2.5W to my 2m big-wheel omni antenna for about 30 minutes. I may well stay on RX until much later in the evening to see which stations come through.


UPDATE  2115z:
  After 2.25 hours, 24 stations spotted (see map). What a difference from the UKAC last night!  It would seem many now prefer FT8 to SSB.

11 Apr 2023

70cm activity contest

After copying no stations at all (!) I gave up. I expect the next 70cm FT8 activity contest will be much better!

10 Apr 2023

2m activty contest (UKAC) last week

 Last Tuesday was the activity contest organised by the RSGB. My incredible score (I am joking!!) has just been submitted as I almost forgot. Tomorrow evening is the 70cm activity contest.

The impression I am getting is interest in this contest is waning with the FT8 contest on the following evening doing better. This is pity as it is a very "un"contest contest with people happy to see the activity levels up. I have been taking part for several years.

The stations contacted are shown on the map.

10 Jan 2023

70cm activity contest (UKAC)

Tonight is the 70cm leg of the 70cm activity contest organised by the RSGB. It starts at 2000z.  I usually go on SSB for about 45 minutes with 10W to the 2m big-wheel omni antenna. As it sounds rough outside, I expect conditions to be flat. 

UPDATE 2038z:  Just one station worked! It is my view that there are now fewer stations on SSB. After about 15 minutes I gave up as there were so few stations active. Maybe tomorrow in the FT8 UKAC there will be more.

3 Jan 2023

2m activity contest this evening

Not sure about you, but I am all mixed up over the days of the week! I thought yesterday was Tuesday.  

Tonight is the first 2m activity contest organised by the RSGB. I usually stay on for less than an hour and enter the low power section with my ICOM IC-705 and big-wheel omni antenna.

See https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/contest_rules.pl?contest=2mukac .

24 Dec 2022

2m activity contest results

The results have just been published for the 2m UKAC contest. These results are for December and the overall scores for the year. Despite just one QSO in December, I managed to end up in 67th place in the low power section (I run 10W to my big-wheel omni antenna) out of 175 stations.  As my voice is poor these days, I find SSB contests hard work, so I usually stop on for 30-60 minutes only.

3 Aug 2022

2m activity contest

5W pep QRP 2m SSB
contacts last evening
Last evening was the 2m monthly activity contest (UKAC) organised by the RSGB. As usual, I went on for about an hour with my QRP and the big-wheel omni antenna. 8 contacts were made, but with my poor voice it was hard work. 

I think tonight is the FT8 activity contest. I sometimes go on, but rarely submit results.

UPDATE 1301z: My VHF power max was set to 5W, so last night all my QSOs were with 5W pep, not 10W!!

22 May 2022

70cm activity contest

Results for this activity contest organised by the RSGB have just been published.

See https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/vhfresults.pl?Contest=432MHz%20UKAC&year=2022 .


22 Feb 2022

70cm activity contest results

The RSGB has just published the latest update to the results of the 70cm activity contest (UKAC). Even though I only made a small handful of contacts, my position is up!

See https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/vhfresults.pl?Contest=432MHz%20UKAC&Date=&year=2022 .

4 Jan 2022

2m activity contest tonight?

Later I need to check, but usually the first Tuesday of the month is the 2m UKAC. If it is, I shall go on although because of my poor voice I rarely manage to stay on long. Most times I run low power and my big-wheel omni antenna. 

UPDATE 0906z:   The activity contest is on tonight.

5 Aug 2021

2m UKAC activity contest (Tuesday evening)

As usual I took part in the RSGB organised activity contest on Tuesday evening. Because of my poor voice I only stayed on for 46 minutes. With the IC-705 and the big-wheel omni antenna, 8 QSOs were made - see map.

Later I realised I was only on battery power with 5W QRP! So all the contacts were with 5W! JO03 square worked for the first time this year on 2m I think.

Considering the time on, the power, and the antenna I am quite pleased.

3 Aug 2021

2m activity contest this evening

All being well, I shall be on for about an hour at 1900z for the 2m activity contest  (UKAC) organised by the RSGB running 10W pep to the big-wheel omni antenna. ious

Normally, I can work out to about 200km.

UPDATE 2020z: I was puzzled why my Vd was low and also that the battery of the IC-705 was not charging. After I stopped, the reason why became very obvious. The wire from the PSU had been disconnected so I was using battery power at 5W all the time I was active! After I found the loose wire, the Vd was back to normal and the battery was on charge. Operating at 5W off the battery seemed to make little difference!

13 Jan 2021

432MHz activity contest

Every month the RSGB organises an activity contest on the second Tuesday of the month on 70cm. Better stations were working Germans. As usual I was on with my poor voice, 10W and 2m big-wheel omni antenna.  In 40 minutes I managed 4 SSB QSOs out to 105km. .Then I gave up!

6 Jan 2021

2m activity contest

The first UKAC 2m activity contest organised by the RSGB was last night. I was on for about 50 minutes with 10W and the big-wheel omni antenna. 

In my view, conditions were poor and activity low. There were no portables (presumably because of lockdown). My best DX (lost before we could complete) was G4RRA in Devon. Had we completed, this would have been a good contact. It is much easier on FT8!

25 Dec 2020

2m and 70cm activity contest results

Both the 2m and 70cm activity contest results, run every month on Tuesday evenings and organised by the RSGB, have been published. 

These show very credible scores in the low power (AL) sections, considering I usually stay on for under an hour and just use a 2m big-wheel omni antenna. No beams or rotators here!

See the RSGB contest website for details.