It has been a slow start to the 2014 UKAC season for me, due to “one thing and another”. In fact I wasn’t anticipating being able to take part in the 2m UKAC on Tuesday 4th March 2014 either, but things seemed to work in my favour later in the day.
I was buoyed also by the mild and calm pleasant late afternoon weather, which I am pleased to report continued throughout the evening. That certainly made a welcome change. It was with a little more optimism than usual then that I trudged up The Cloud G/SP-015 at 7.30pm.
I was very “last minute” and only set up and ready to go by 1958 UTC - just two minutes ahead of the contest start time. But I was soon underway and enjoying a very busy contest. By 10.30pm, I had logged 95 QSOs, mainly 2m SSB but with a couple of 2m CW contacts in their too. The multiplier count was healthy at 19. If IO71, IO73, IO87, IO90, JO00 or JO03 were on I certainly never heard them, but 19 was a pleasing total nonetheless. Best DX was into Belgium ON.
Last I looked, my claimed score was nestled in 3rd place, with Tristan M0VXX/P way out in front with a massive 150 contacts. It looks like Tristan is capably filling the void left by Carolyn G6WRW as the Travelling Wave group’s QRP specialist. The contest group I “play for” - Tall Trees - also had a good evening with a large turn out of members including our “big hitter” Nick M1DDD/P. Recent analysis showed that our member with the most regular participation record across all the UKACs and 80m CCs was actually Jimmy M0HGY - always from the home shack though.
Now that the new upgrade of DroidPSK is able to handle PSK63 as well as PSK31, I may try the next 80m CC Data event from The Cloud G/SP-015. It may well be the case that the congested band may be just too much for my FT-817, Wolphi-Link interface and phone app to handle, but I’ve kind of got to try it the once, at least!
Tom M1EYP