My contest mob used KST for the first time I can remember on the last September 2m contest. The downside is we got a fair number of requests for skeds that were obviously not going to work as there was no tropo etc. about. We did get sked requests from near continent stations (PA, ON) that were feasible for the kind of stations involved. We had a single antenna about 7WL long and 400W and the skeds were with similar or bigger stations. I was surprised how many of the skeds were completed albeit all in CW. But the actual doing of sked when you have a marginal contact takes a long, long time that does worry you that you may be missing some more viable contact. We tended to find KST contacts were more worthwhile later in the evening when there were fewer random QSOs to be had and the people still playing were all ābigā contest stations. Normally if you are a bigger station you are better calling CQ TEST on one frequency and let the normal average home stations find you and call you.
ISTR KST is allowed for making a sked (we call you on xxx.xxx) but no info on locator etc. is passed so you do need to exchange an RST and LOC still. I would expect someone to be logging KST chat to ensure there were no illegal exchanges.
Overall we had QSOs we would not have had because of KST. But it requires someone to drive the KST computer in addition to the logger and operator and 3 operating in the tent was a bit cosy with all the gear. Need a bigger tent which means need a bigger crew which means need a biggerā¦ you get the idea.
Iām not sure whether KST on a UKAC is a good move. On the big contests I think itās fine.
No comments on number of contests or scoring method.
All the KST requests I get are generally completed by Aircraft Scatter - Tuesday night (2m UKAC) I received a request from a station in IO92 and we completed within 30 seconds (SSB); didnāt have time to respond to him on KST, just on-air. Other requests may have taken a minute or two while a plane aligned itself nicely for the two stations. KST is almost essential for a remote station like me especially on 23cm where search & pounce is not practical under normal conditions - YMMV
I am in IO87 and an expert at listening to white noise on VHF & UHF!!!
Also in Italy, the second Thursday there is a contest IAC (italian activity contest) on six meter.
I will try to activate a summit near my qth, working on 50mhz and 40-80mt.
Not as bad as here! I had two listening sessions on six and heard zilch, even the regular local contest stations were not to be heard. Roll on the Es season, let the magic sparkle again!
Hi Tom,
My son Philip and I were up on Irton Moor (1 mile west of Scarborough) last night giving out a few points. We both heard you calling in CW but sadly didnāt have a key available. Apologies! It was a good event however. Phil was using a Watson HB9CV and 100W.
I bet you were a bit cold on the cloud as it was a parky evening with some snow in our case. It came as a bit strange to me sitting in a car doing radio but it was the best place to be even with one door open for the Armstrong method. These Tuesday (and now Thursday) events can be very enjoyable. My lad is hooked and itās surprising how good the coverage can be. Another really good thing about it is the fact that we only have to drive a mile and a half from home.
Well done to you for turning them into SOTAās too. Phil regularly refers to IO83 as 'Tomās Square!'
73, John
ā¦
And around it comes again - the second Thursday of the month, so lots of 6m activity tonight.
As I write this I have absolutely no idea if there are any Sp. E events of which to avail oneself; Iām going out activating anyway, even if the band is as flat as a pancake!
But it canāt possibly be any worse the the 70cm evening two nights ago - can it?
Iāll probably kick off at the bottom of the band around the CW frequencies in case there is any early DX to be had, then Iāll work my way up the band alternating between running and S+P as usual. Iāll endeavour to point my SB6 in as many directions as possible!
Thanks for the QSO Tom. Conditions seemed reasonable early on, but nothing to write home about. We were on some high ground, just outside Scarborough. 100W to HB9CV.
Yeah good to catch you Phil. Think I had 3 into IO94 which is quite something.
It was a pretty lousy night for conditions again though. Just 51 QSOs and squares worked were limited to IO64, 74, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 86, 91, 92, 93 and 94. I didnāt get into the JO squares or outside of the UK. Just one GM QSO, which is a poor return for all the searching and caling while beaming that way, enticed by the big bonus squares in Scotland.
It was a difficult night with a lively breeze across the summit of G/SP-015, causing repeated difficulties with the guying and use of the mast.
Last night was the first time Iāve been portable in the 50MHz UKAC for quite a while so it was more practice of a quick set up & take down than anything else. One mistake I made was not taking a fleece as when when the sun went down the wind got quite cold.
Activity levels seemed quite low early on but it did improve as time went on. I packed up after 24 QSOās, the same number I made from home last month in 2.5 hours. Last night I managed that number in 90 minutes without really trying. The main advantage of going portable for me is being away from the terrible noise I get at home on 50MHz so that in itself made it quite enjoyable.
I managed one GM but heard several in QSO with with other stations which is a big improvement over not hearing any at all from home. I hope the weather (and my work commitments) allow me to go portable again next month, maybe a little bit better prepared.
Below is a photo of my station just before the start of the contest, the tablet is for monitoring 'KST although I didnāt bother with it last night. The dipole should have been quite a bit higher but I only realized when I checked my equipment this evening that I had used the wrong clip to mount it on the fishing pole Doh!
Saturday 13th May 2017 and I had the urge to vary the frequency and wavelength by a scale of magnitude from the previous activation. 5MHz is a band I had paid very little attention to, despite holding an NoV back to its early days.
Well I did a 5MHz activation on The Cloud G/SP-015, and very pleasant it was too. I started off on 5262kHz CW, working 5 chasers, then had a further 9 QSOs on 5403.5kHz USB. The last of these was a S2S with Barry MW0IML/P on Sugar Loaf GW/SW-011.
I then completed my activation with 7 QSOs on 2m FM using the HT.
Driving down the road I could hear Mike 2E0YYY/P calling from Walton Hill G/CE-002. I called a few times, but didnāt get through. So I drove up to Mow Cop, the Cheshire village that sits atop a submarilyn, with several different spots for great take-off in different directions. I chose the car park for the Mow Cop Inn, for best coverage to the south.
My 50 watts from the Yaesu FT-8800 mobile transceiver didnāt get a reaction from Mike, although Bert M0EOT, just along the same ridge from me got in no problem. A chaser in the West Midlands told me I was a 59 signal with him, as did another down in Herefordshire. Both stations, like Bert before, were heard telling Mike on-air that I was calling him, but Mike replied ācanāt hear himā to all three.
I tried a couple more times before I had to admit another failure and get back to Macclesfield. I needed to drop Liam off in Hurdsfield for a McDonalds outing with his mate. Meanwhile, Jimmy and I went for something a little more palatable at the superb new Sri Lankan cafe/restaurant in Macclesfield - āPortobello Maccā.
I was very pleased with 60m today, and think now that this will be the HF band of choice for the upcoming Northern Ireland and North Wales SOTA trips.
Tonight the activity shifts to 6m. Will there be any magic on the āMagic Bandā? Who knows, but there will be at least one SOTA activator on it! (Hopefuly more - who fancies it?)
The 2m, 70cm & 6m UKACs are predominantly SSB, but the 6m one does tend to have a bit more CW in it than the other two. So itās worth checking down around 50.090MHz as well as the more usual 50.130 - 50.350 area.
The good news is that it probably wonāt rain tonight.
The bad news is that Cloud summit is going to be hit with 30mph winds and 45 mph gusts.
The good news is that these are coming from the WSW, so the NE ledge should be feasibly sheltered.
The bad news is that my antenna will be lower than the clifftops on this ledge and therefore screened to the south and west.
The good news is that Iām still likely to head out and do a SOTA activation.
The bad news is that Iām unlikely to get a top ten finish in the QRP section of the activity contest.
The good news is that Iām going to be beaming at GM, any possible aurora and aircraft scatter possibilities from the start of the contest, which is good practice.
The bad news is that Iām not going to be beaming at rare bonus squares that you can usually pick up on the 6m nights, like IN79, IO70, IO80, IO71, IO72, IO62 etc. It will probably even be a struggle to eke out IO81, 91, 92 etc.
Never mind. Hopefully some chasers in IO83 at leastā¦
