m3php.com

Although I didn’t set out to be over active in this contest this year due to pressures of university work, I decided that putting a few hours operating time wouldn’t cause too many problems.

Saturday I allowed dad (M3JFM0 to enjoy 20m in full swing, while I got other bits and bobs done which I needed to complete, at 6:00pm when dad came back inside the house I decided to take a bash at the contest for an hour or two before dinner.

As I wasn’t going in to seriously I wasn’t overly worried about the software application which I was going to use and because of this I decided to use my main digital program which is MixW after setting it up for the contest, I was ready to hit the bands.

First band I went to was 20m just out of pure interest to see if it had closed in the UK (well oxford anyways), I was surprised to hear a couple of loud Americans on the band so I quickly worked them and decided to move to 20m where I was going to stay for most of my operating time.

40m seemed much better using the Husler vertical than the 40m dipoles and I was able to work a good number of stations before dinner, around 8pm I returned back into the radio room for another bash on the bands, this time checking the lower part of 40m after I worked everyone I could hear doing S&P I decided to check out 80m.

Although 80m isnt my favourate band due to the fact I can hardly work anything on this band, which i think is more due to lack of patients on my side as I seem to need the adrenalin rush to keep going after checking 80m I worked around 2 stations and decided i’d had enough and went back to 40m.

9pm I closed the station down, and called it a day! I had a great time operating for the short period of time which I was on and was nice to find some time for radio insted of working on university projects and other jobs I needed to do.

Lets hope its an even better year than 2005!

Unlike pervious years where i’ve operated this contest from home using wires and low power at GB200T I was asked if i’d like to join the CVRS team operating M8C of course I jumped at the chance!

Few days before the contest I went and got my train ticket from Oxford to Dartford ready for leaving early saturday morning because I had lectures at university till late friday evening.

The week soon went and it was finaly time to leave for Dartford! getting on the 07:00 train to london, crossing london arriving in Dartford around 09:20, as I’ve never visited Dartford before from the train station I was completely lost at finding where abouts the contest station was thankfully technology pulled though and a quick phone call to Simon (m3cvn) so passed me on to Dave (G4BUO) to give me directions to the site.

After about a 3 mile walk i’d arrived and within no time at all operating the fantastic station.

Front: Me, M3PHP operating on 15m, Back: Bob M3RCV operating on 20m.

Both stations using FT1000MP’s and amps and the rx station also running a FT1000MP.

The Team:
M3RCV, G8CIU, G4BUO, G0VJG, G7GLW, M3CVN, 2E0ATY, M3PHP, M3JFM

Antenna Setup at M8C

Looking back at the weekend it was great fun, nice running decent power, antennas and being able to get a great rate! pile ups at times where complete madness and like normal usual lids trying to take freq’s just because there wasnt a gap!

If only I could have a big beam and a quad at home!

Its HFC 2005 time again where alot of wwyc-uk members meet up and go to lectures.. some reason that doesnt sound right perhaps where wwyc-uk members meet up and drink beer…

Although not as many turned up this year it was still good fun meeting face to face for a change insted of on IRC or Radio

Rob M0TTT - Is that morse in my ears?!

Tim - M0TDG and G3ZAY

Paul M3TZO/2E0TZO

Royce, M0RHI - Trying to look busy coding something…