DK5OH
VHF Contest July 2017
After some previous contests with lower QSO numbers we finally managed to cross the 1000 QSOs barrier on 144Mhz again, counting 1025 QSO at an average of
381km and ending the contest with around 391.000 points.
We worked 117 locators and the ODX was LA0BY in JO59IX at some 1058km distance. Enhanced propagation towards Scandinavia made working Stefan easy on 144Mhz and 432Mhz during the night, even with
very low power.
The weather was fine on Friday and we finally erected four of five antenna systems on that day. After erecting the fith antenna system in horizontal rain on
Saturday we had to postpone our classy barbecue to Sunday beacause we were trapped in an ugly and never-ending rain cloud.
At the beginning of the contest the conditions were flat and we suffered from low QSO rates especially on 70cm. At midnight we had already worked 674QSOs on 2
meters and 220 QSOs on 70cm.
Top-10-ODX on 2m. Interestingly all contacts were made in SSB!
20:52 LA0BY JO59IX 1058
03:00 YU7ACO KN05RD 1042
08:14 YO5KAI/P KN16JS 1028
19:10 I6/OM1TF JN72BD 980
12:12 UW4U/P KN18JT 942
13:18 SM6BFE JO68DQ 925
18:03 G4KUX IO94BP 923
08:09 UR7DWW KN18EO 919
17:59 G3ZME/P IO82NN 917
21:22 9A0V JN95PE 911
QSOs per distance:
27 x 800-900 km
45 x 700-800 km
111 x 600-700 km
120 x 500-600 km
countries worked: 16x 9A, 480x DL, 61x F, 42x G, 12x HA, 25x HB9, 57x I, 1x LA,
1x LX, 26x OE, 145x OK, 28x OM, 22x ON, 21x OZ, 29x PA, 18x S5, 5x SM,
29x SP, 1x UA2, 2x UR, 1x YO, 3x YU.
The percentage of reached non-DL stations (545) totals to 53%.
Due to a lack of operators we missed some operating hours on 70cm on Sunday morning,
resulting in 289 QSOs and 98.000 points at an average of 341km. We finally worked 67 locators.
But now back to our rain clouds. They mysteriously disappeared on Sunday morning and early afternoon just to come back right in time one minute after the end of the contest. But we were not
really surprised or impressed because we have already become experts on rain clouds and horizontal never- ending rain on the summit of the Wasserkuppe (watery peak).
Even if the QSO numbers look promising we will probably end second on 144Mhz and 432Mhz.
Lets do it again in September…we will be back !
73 de
DL6FBL, DK5MX, DK5OH, DL2ZXA, DL4XX
