Location
Introduction
This years VHF Field Day occurred in the midst of one of the most prolonged hot and dry spells the country has seen. We were not, therefore, overly concerned about adverse conditions but should, perhaps, have been a little more cognisant of the suns path through the day!
We had checked that our regular spot would be available to us, however the night before we were due to deploy our host asked us to move into the next door field. This was because the prolonged hot and dry weather had drastically impacted on the availability of good grazing for the cattle and our regular field was one of the few locations that retained some reasonable grazing.
The move into the adjacent field was not a problem, even the access point was the same as we regularly used so everyone (well almost everyone) knew where to find us.
We planned to start the set-up around 11:00 as we were reasonably confident about the equipment, its setup and operation and the location and had pared our operation down to not quite the pure essentials but to something that had little or no excess or superfluous equipment.
Around 09:00 Andy G7KNA met up with the owner of the horsebox that was to be our base of operations for the weekend. This wagon was in better condition than it had been the previous year as the kitchen had been refitted following repairs to address internal water damage that had rotted the floor out before the current owner bought the vehicle.
The wagon was on site by 10:00 and the owner transferred back home allowing Andy G7KNA to get back to site just before the agreed 11:00 rendez-vous and was soon joined by (in no particular order) Mark M0SKV, Stephen (Foundation trainee), Julian M0JCE, Joe 2E0EIC, Paul 2E0GHT and Fred G7LPP although the positioning of the vehicle was to prove to be one of the few significant errors of the weekend.
The setup went more or less to plan and we were ready well before the 14:00 UTC start time. The period between setup being completed and the start of the contest was filled with consumption of hot dogs from the newly refurbished kitchen deftly managed by Paul 2E0GHT who put in sterling service over both days as our on site Catering Manager and with some tuning around and informal contact with other stations that were also in the process of setting up and testing their stations. We were surprised how few stations were in operation an hour or so before contest start when CQ call after call went unanswered. In fact we had to resort to holding a QSO with ourselves passing the microphone between two of us to generate some interest and activity but once we made contact other stations quickly came out of the woodwork.
The start of the contest seemed to be a little less frenetic than in previous years. It’s not really a scientific comparison but our QSO rate in the first couple of hours was only around 17 – 18 QSO per hour compared to 25 – 26 QSO per hour last year. We are reliably informed that this year there was a small sporting event taking place at 15:00 when England were playing Sweden in something called the “World Cup” so perhaps those who came late to the contest can be forgiven especially as England won. We knew the result because, we are slightly ashamed to admit, we deployed a small portable TV in the living area of the horsebox to keep us abreast of the score-line. We don’t anticipate this problem recurring for another 4 years!
As the day wore on we became aware of a tactical error in our site arrangement. The horsebox was a good vehicle for this operation and despite being a large metal box (with ply lining to the living accommodation) did not get overly hot or bright thanks to the large tailgate that was left open throughout the weekend allowing a good air circulation. However the wagon was parked facing East South-East and as the day wore on the sun moved round and was finally shining directly into the rear of the wagon causing unbalanced sun tans for the operators and loggers reminiscent of scenes from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and some less comfortable conditions. The problem was resolved when a makeshift curtain was added to the rear opening but next year we’ll face south which should completely avoid this problem.
We were quickly off the blocks when the contest started with a short contact into Wales followed by a series of English contacts. We were north of the border inside 30 minutes and also bagged a Channel Island contact in to Guernsey giving us a good start on our recurring ambition of collecting all of the RSLs in a single event. Obviously we needed Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Jersey at this point to complete the set but to be half way there at less than 30 minutes into the contest was a very good start.
We secured Northern Ireland just before 19:00 UTC but had to wait until the Sunday to work the Isle of Man. Sadly we failed to make any contacts into Jersey so once again we will have to wait for that clean sweep of RSLs. Contacts into the South West seemed to be more readily available than in previous years, when we worked a station on The Lizard a Club member who was on holiday in Cornwall could hear both sides of the QSO but was unable to make a direct contact with us.
Results
The results presented below have been determined following analysis of the un-adjudicated log, and will not be updated once results are known.
Number of QSOs
Table 1, below, presents the disposition of QSOs across the operating period and calculates both the average QSO/Hour and by how much each hour deviates from the average. This table when tracked over a number of years can provide an insight into the best times to operate.
Table 1 – QSOs Recorded
| Day | Time (UTC) | Hour | QSOs | %age of QSOs | Deviation from Average QSOs/Hour | Cumulative QSOs | Cumulative %age of QSOs | Cumulative QSOs/Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
S a t u r d a y |
14:00 – 15:00 | 1 | 18 | 13.74% | 133.59% | 18 | 13.74% | 18.00 |
| 15:00 – 16:00 | 2 | 17 | 12.98% | 120.61% | 35 | 26.72% | 17.50 | |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | 3 | 7 | 5.34% | -9.16% | 42 | 32.06% | 14.00 | |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | 4 | 9 | 6.87% | 16.79% | 51 | 38.93% | 12.75 | |
| 18:00 – 19:00 | 5 | 11 | 8.40% | 42.75% | 62 | 47.33% | 12.40 | |
| 19:00 – 20:00 | 6 | 6 | 4.58% | -22.14% | 68 | 51.91% | 11.33 | |
| 20:00 – 21:00 | 7 | 6 | 4.58% | -22.14% | 74 | 56.49% | 10.57 | |
| 21:00 – 22:00 | 8 | 3 | 2.29% | -61.07% | 77 | 58.78% | 9.63 | |
| 22:00 – 23:00 | 9 | 1 | 0.76% | -87.02% | 78 | 59.54% | 8.67 | |
| 23:00 – 00:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 78 | 59.54% | 8.67 | |
|
S u n d a y |
00:00 – 01:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 78 | 59.54% | 8.67 |
| 01:00 – 02:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 78 | 59.54% | 8.67 | |
| 02:00 – 03:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 78 | 59.54% | 8.67 | |
| 03:00 – 04:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 78 | 59.54% | 8.67 | |
| 04:00 – 05:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 78 | 59.54% | 8.67 | |
| 05:00 – 06:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 78 | 59.54% | 8.67 | |
| 06:00 – 07:00 | 10 | 2 | 1.53% | -74.05% | 80 | 61.07% | 8.00 | |
| 07:00 – 08:00 | 11 | 3 | 2.29% | -61.07% | 83 | 63.36% | 7.55 | |
| 08:00 – 09:00 | 12 | 6 | 4.58% | -22.14% | 89 | 67.94% | 7.42 | |
| 09:00 – 10:00 | 13 | 8 | 6.11% | 3.82% | 97 | 74.05% | 7.46 | |
| 10:00 – 11:00 | 14 | 5 | 3.82% | -35.11% | 102 | 77.86% | 7.29 | |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | 15 | 9 | 6.87% | 16.79% | 111 | 84.73% | 7.40 | |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | 16 | 6 | 4.58% | -22.14% | 117 | 89.31% | 7.31 | |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | 17 | 14 | 10.69% | 81.68% | 131 | 100.00% | 7.71 | |
| TOTALS | 131 | 100.00% | ||||||
The basic patterns from previous years are seen to recur. Predictably the “hit rate” is highest in the early hours of the contest. This year, however the first 2 hours only accounted for 25% of the total QSOs and the first 3 hours only accounted for around one third of the total QSOs. In previous years this period has normally accounted for closer to 50% of the total QSOs in the weekend. It was a pleasant surprise, therefore to see early predictions of a sub 100 QSO log being well exceeded. This difference from previous years might have had something to do with a small football match that was going on on the Saturday afternoon.
The was a small “blip” in the hit rate on Saturday evening between 18:00 UTC – 19:00 UTC which is not apparent every year but has been observed before.
Sunday started slower than usual although this might be because our rotator had slipped overnight and was not pointing in the direction the controller said it was! There was reasonable activity all through Sunday morning with the usual flurry of contacts in the closing hour of the contest.
Our average QSO rate was 7.71 QSO/hour but the range was from as high as 18 QSO/hour (1/3.33 minutes) to a low of 1 QSO/hour late on Saturday evening.
The late shift on Saturday had a hard time scaring up some contacts calling CQ although stations on the east coast were reporting significant activity in Europe during these late hours. This clearly demonstrates the benefit of being situated on the east of the country with easy access to continental Europe as well as a reasonable spread of land to the west as well.
Points Scored
Table 2, below, presents the disposition of points scored across the operating period and calculates both the average points/QSO and by how much each hour deviates from the average. This table when read in conjunction with the QSO rate above can provide an insight into the best times to operate, as it is not always the most frenetic periods that yield the best distances.
Table 2 – Points Scored
| Day | Time (UTC) | Hour | Points | Average Points/QSO | %age of Total Points | Deviation From Average Points/QSO | Cumulative Points | Cumulative Percentage of Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
S a t u r d a y |
14:00 – 15:00 | 1 | 2595 | 144.17 | 9.89% | -28.05% | 2595 | 9.89% |
| 15:00 – 16:00 | 2 | 2286 | 134.47 | 8.71% | -32.89% | 4881 | 18.60% | |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | 3 | 1959 | 279.86 | 7.46% | 39.67% | 6840 | 26.06% | |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | 4 | 1991 | 221.22 | 7.59% | 10.41% | 8831 | 33.64% | |
| 18:00 – 19:00 | 5 | 1373 | 124.82 | 5.23% | -37.71% | 10204 | 38.88% | |
| 19:00 – 20:00 | 6 | 1466 | 244.33 | 5.59% | 21.94% | 11670 | 44.46% | |
| 20:00 – 21:00 | 7 | 1881 | 313.50 | 7.17% | 56.46% | 13551 | 51.63% | |
| 21:00 – 22:00 | 8 | 1311 | 437.00 | 4.99% | 118.10% | 14862 | 56.62% | |
| 22:00 – 23:00 | 9 | 251 | 251.00 | 0.96% | 25.27% | 15113 | 57.58% | |
| 23:00 – 00:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 15113 | 57.58% | |
|
S u n d a y |
00:00 – 01:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 15113 | 57.58% |
| 01:00 – 02:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 15113 | 57.58% | |
| 02:00 – 03:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 15113 | 57.58% | |
| 03:00 – 04:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 15113 | 57.58% | |
| 04:00 – 05:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 15113 | 57.58% | |
| 05:00 – 06:00 | Shutdown | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00% | -100.00% | 15113 | 57.58% | |
| 06:00 – 07:00 | 10 | 641 | 320.50 | 2.44% | 59.96% | 15754 | 60.02% | |
| 07:00 – 08:00 | 11 | 613 | 204.33 | 2.34% | 1.98% | 16367 | 62.36% | |
| 08:00 – 09:00 | 12 | 1747 | 291.17 | 6.66% | 45.32% | 18114 | 69.01% | |
| 09:00 – 10:00 | 13 | 1967 | 245.88 | 7.49% | 22.71% | 20081 | 76.50% | |
| 10:00 – 11:00 | 14 | 1284 | 256.80 | 4.89% | 28.17% | 21365 | 81.40% | |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | 15 | 1136 | 126.22 | 4.33% | -37.00% | 22501 | 85.72% | |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | 16 | 1202 | 200.33 | 4.58% | -0.02% | 23703 | 90.30% | |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | 17 | 2545 | 181.79 | 9.70% | -9.27% | 26248 | 100.00% | |
| TOTALS | 26248 | 200.37 | 100.00% | |||||
As in previous years the early more frenetic hours at the start of the contest do not yield the best points haul. Hours 1 and 2 of the contest account for nearly 27% of the total QSOs recorded and yet only provide 19% of the total points scored. By contrast 08:00 UTC – 10:00 UTC on Sunday provides just over 14% of the total points scored but accounts for only around 10% of the total contacts.
Overall we managed an average 200 points (or kilometres) per QSO about 10% up on 2017, although year on year comparisons can be misleading as a result of differing conditions. 3 good contacts on Saturday evening between 21:00 UTC and 22:00 UTC gave around 437 points (or kilometres) per QSO which is very good, on a par with Loch Fynes overall average in 2017. The lowest period was 18:00 UTC – 19:00 UTC on Saturday when despite working 11 stations the average score was only 125 points (or kilometres) per QSO.
Distances Worked
Tables 3 and 4, below, present a summary of the distances worked. The best DX was DA0FF at 887km
Table 3 – Distances Worked
| Distance | Number of Stations Worked | Percentage of Stations Worked |
|---|---|---|
| Dist <= 1km | 2 | 1.53% |
| 1km < Dist <= 5km | 0 | 0.00% |
| 5km < Dist <= 10km | 0 | 0.00% |
| 10km < Dist <= 20km | 6 | 4.58% |
| 20km < Dist <= 50km | 16 | 12.21% |
| 50km < Dist <= 100km | 26 | 19.85% |
| 100km < Dist <= 200km | 30 | 22.90% |
| 200km < Dist <= 350km | 28 | 21.37% |
| 350km < Dist <= 500km | 13 | 9.92% |
| 500km < Dist <= 750km | 9 | 6.87% |
| 750km < Dist <= 1000km | 1 | 0.76% |
| 1000km < Dist <= 1500km | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1500km < Dist <= 2000km | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2000km < Dist | 0 | 0.00% |
| TOTALS | 131 | 100.00% |
Table 4 – Statistical Analysis of Distances Worked
| Quantity | Value | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Mean Distance (km) | 200 | |
| Median Distance (km) | 157 | |
| Mode (km) | 47 | 3 |
| 1 Standard Deviation | 171.19 | 79.39% |
| 2 Standard Deviation | 342.39 | 95.42% |
| 3 Standard Deviation | 513.58 | 99.24% |
The distribution of distances worked is similar to previous years. There is a broadly normal distribution with around 44% of all QSOs in the 100km – 350km range with essentially a 50/50 split between 100km – 200km and 200km – 350km. Taking the 50km – 100km range into account brings the total to 64%.
The mean is above the median indicating a bias towards longer distance QSOs which would be expected in a contest where long distances are rewarded. The most common distance worked was 47km which was the result of 3 contacts into the same grid square!
If an effective reliable operating range of 350km is assumed then from our location we could reliably expect to be able to work to the French coast at Calais and Brest, the east coast of Eire and north to the Lake District. There is significant unpopulated areas of ocean off the North Devon, and North Cornish coasts within our effective range reducing the potential number of target stations. By contrast a station on the east coast, and we worked several, is blessed with much more populated land mass within 350km including most of southern England out to mid-Wales and into continental Europe with the Netherlands, parts of Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and a large tract of France being easily accessible.
Countries Worked
The tables below show the number of stations from each country with a specific breakdown for UK stations. The tables are generic allowing flexibility in the website code rather than aspirational in terms of the countries we expect to contact.
Table 5A – UK Stations Worked
| Country | Callsign Groups | Number of Stations Worked | Percentage of Total QSO |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | G, GX, 2E, M, MX | 88 | 67.18% |
| Special Events | GB | 0 | 0.00% |
| Isle of Man | GD, GT, 2D, MD, MT | 1 | 0.76% |
| Northern Irelend | GI, GN, 2I, MI, MN | 1 | 0.76% |
| Jersey | GJ, GH, 2J, MJ, MH | 0 | 0.00% |
| Scotland | GM, GS, 2M, MM, MS | 4 | 3.05% |
| Gurnsey | GU, GP, 2U, MU, MP | 1 | 0.76% |
| RSGB 2013 Centenary Stations | GV, 2V, MV | 0 | 0.00% |
| Wales | GW, GC, 2W, MW, MC | 15 | 11.45% |
| Club Stations (included above) | GX, MX, GT, MT, GN, MN, GH, MH, GS, MS, GP, MP, GC, MC | 1 | 0.76% |
| SUB-TOTAL | United Kingdom Stations | 110 | 83.97% |
Table 5B – Non UK Stations Worked
| Country | Callsign Groups | Number of Stations Worked | Percentage of Total QSO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andorra | C3 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Austria | OE | 0 | 0.00% |
| Belgium | ON, OO, OP, OQ, OR, OS, OT | 2 | 1.53% |
| Cyprus | 5B, C4 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Czech Republic | OK, OL | 0 | 0.00% |
| Denmark | 5P, OZ | 0 | 0.00% |
| Eire | EI, EJ | 3 | 2.29% |
| France (inc Overseas Territories) | F, TM, TO, TX | 13 | 9.92% |
| Germany | DA, DB, DC, DD, DF, DG, DH, DJ, DK, DL, DP, DR | 2 | 1.53% |
| Gibralter | ZB, ZG | 0 | 0.00% |
| Greece | J4, SV | 0 | 0.00% |
| Hungary | HA, HG | 0 | 0.00% |
| Italy | I, IA, IB, IC, ID, IE, IF, IG, IH, IK, IL, IN, IP, IR, IT, IV, IW, IX | 0 | 0.00% |
| Liechtenstein | HB0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Luxembourg | LX | 0 | 0.00% |
| Monaco | 3A | 0 | 0.00% |
| Netherlands (inc Antilles) | PA, PB, PD, PE, PI, PJ | 1 | 0.76% |
| Norway | LA, LB, LC, LG, LI, LJ, LN | 0 | 0.00% |
| Poland | HF, SN, SO, SP, SQ, SR | 0 | 0.00% |
| Portugul (inc Azores) | CT, CU | 0 | 0.00% |
| San Marino | T7 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Sardinia | IM, IS | 0 | 0.00% |
| Slovak Republic | OM | 0 | 0.00% |
| Slovenia | 7S | 0 | 0.00% |
| Spain (inc Overseas Islands, Territories, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla) | AM, AN, AO, EA, EB, EC, ED, EF, EG, EH | 0 | 0.00% |
| Sweden | 8S, S5, SH, SI, SJ, SL, SM | 0 | 0.00% |
| Switzerland | HB, HE | 0 | 0.00% |
| Vatican City | HV | 0 | 0.00% |
| SUB-TOTAL | Non United Kingdom Stations | 21 | 16.03% |
Table 5C – Summary of Stations Worked
| Country | Callsign Groups | Number of Stations Worked | Percentage of Total QSO |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUB-TOTAL | United Kingdom Stations | 110 | 83.97% |
| SUB-TOTAL | Non United Kingdom Stations | 21 | 16.03% |
| TOTAL MATCHED | All UK and Non UK Stations | 131 | 100.00% |
| Unmatched Callsigns | Possible Log Errors or Foreign Special Event or similar Stations | 0 | 0.00% |
| FINAL TOTAL | All Stations inc Unmatched Callsigns | 131 | 100.00% |
We almost managed a clean sweep of the United Kingdom Regional Secondary Locators, something that has not been achieved to date on any contest or Special Event operation that we have participated in. Missing stations in Jersey was the only reason that we failed to collect all RSLs.
16% European contacts is on a par with 2017 and higher than we have achieved in many previous years.
Location of Stations Worked
Submitted Log
Below is the full log submitted following participation in this years event. If any information is received post submission updates will appear in the “Notes” column.
We normally get round to uploading our Field Day contest logs to eQSL.cc, but otherwise do not exchange QSL cards in this event. If you wish to QSL traditionally please send information via the RSGB Bureau.
VHF National Field Day 2018 Log
| Date (UTC) | Time (UTC) | Station Worked | Band | Mode | Sent | Received | Locator | Distance (km) |
Notes | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RST | Serial | RST | Serial | |||||||||
| 07/07/18 | 14:01 | GW0GHF | 2m | SSB | 59 | 1 | 57 | 1 | IO81JK | 41 | 41 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:03 | G4ATH/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 2 | 59 | 2 | IO83NU | 274 | 274 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:05 | G4GTH/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 3 | 57 | 1 | IO90DW | 82 | 82 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:06 | M0XMX/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 4 | 59 | 1 | IO81PH | 11 | 11 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:07 | M0OMB | 2m | SSB | 59 | 5 | 59 | 3 | IO83PO | 246 | 246 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:10 | M1KDJ/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 6 | 59 | 2 | IO81XP | 49 | 49 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:13 | G4IOQ | 2m | SSB | 59 | 7 | 55 | 4 | IO82KT | 161 | 161 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:16 | GM4YEQ/P | 2m | SSB | 55 | 8 | 55 | 3 | IO85MM | 459 | 459 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:18 | GW3SRT/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 9 | 59 | 12 | IO82LQ | 146 | 146 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:21 | MU0WLV | 2m | SSB | 59 | 10 | 59 | 1 | IN89RK | 218 | Correct Callsign MU0WLV/P | 0 |
| 07/07/18 | 14:25 | G3RCW/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 11 | 55 | 10 | IO93ED | 206 | 206 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:28 | G3VLG/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 12 | 59 | 11 | IO92GE | 119 | 119 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:35 | GW4HDF | 2m | SSB | 59 | 13 | 59 | 6 | IO81JO | 47 | 47 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:44 | 2E0PTZ | 2m | SSB | 59 | 14 | 53 | 3 | IO91FE | 79 | 79 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:46 | G3TCR/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 15 | 59 | 10 | IO91JG | 99 | 99 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:48 | G5RS | 2m | SSB | 59 | 16 | 59 | 11 | IO91RF | 146 | 146 | |
| 07/07/18 | 14:50 | M0RDK | 2m | SSB | 59 | 17 | 59 | 16 | IO91PD | 136 | Correct Callsign M0RDK/P | 0 |
| 07/07/18 | 14:58 | G3SNO/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 18 | 57 | 3 | IO91BV | 76 | 76 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:07 | G8LNR/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 19 | 59 | 2 | IO81UR | 44 | 44 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:10 | G3YGG/P | 2m | SSB | 54 | 20 | 55 | 4 | IO91VH | 168 | 168 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:16 | 2E0JWJ | 2m | SSB | 59 | 21 | 59 | 2 | IO81VG | 32 | 32 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:17 | 2E0WSR | 2m | SSB | 59 | 22 | 59 | 3 | IO81GE | 62 | 62 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:19 | G3VEF/P | 2m | SSB | 54 | 23 | 58 | 22 | IO91JA | 107 | 107 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:19 | F1CBC | 2m | SSB | 55 | 24 | 55 | 17 | JN09BO | 278 | 278 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:27 | G3CNO | 2m | SSB | 55 | 25 | 59 | 24 | IO90LU | 126 | 126 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:28 | M0BAA/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 26 | 59 | 94 | JO01KJ | 243 | 243 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:31 | GW1OZW | 2m | SSB | 57 | 27 | 52 | 3 | IO81IL | 47 | 47 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:33 | GW0HOL | 2m | SSB | 59 | 28 | 59 | 4 | IO81JO | 47 | 47 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:40 | G4HQX | 2m | SSB | 54 | 29 | 57 | 1 | IO81SQ | 34 | 34 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:46 | F8DBF | 2m | SSB | 57 | 30 | 59 | 6 | IN78RI | 365 | 365 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:49 | F4VPL/P | 2m | SSB | 57 | 31 | 55 | 11 | IN87VS | 404 | 404 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:53 | G4RFR/P | 2m | SSB | 58 | 32 | 59 | 41 | IO80ST | 66 | 66 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:55 | M0ABR | 2m | SSB | 59 | 33 | 57 | 2 | IO80HV | 76 | 76 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:58 | G3LVP | 2m | SSB | 59 | 34 | 58 | 4 | IO81WV | 65 | 65 | |
| 07/07/18 | 15:59 | M0MCG/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 35 | 59 | 7 | IO80AQ | 122 | 122 | |
| 07/07/18 | 16:01 | G4ALY | 2m | SSB | 55 | 36 | 57 | 11 | IO70VL | 151 | 151 | |
| 07/07/18 | 16:06 | M0TFO | 2m | SSB | 59 | 37 | 59 | 2 | IO81TI | 18 | 18 | |
| 07/07/18 | 16:29 | EI9E/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 38 | 59 | 90 | IO62OM | 312 | 312 | |
| 07/07/18 | 16:37 | G4ZAP/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 39 | 59 | 120 | JO01PU | 275 | 275 | |
| 07/07/18 | 16:39 | G0SAC/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 40 | 57 | 61 | IO91XG | 180 | 180 | |
| 07/07/18 | 16:44 | PA1T | 2m | SSB | 59 | 41 | 59 | 168 | JO33JF | 671 | 671 | |
| 07/07/18 | 16:56 | M0NFD/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 42 | 59 | 46 | IO94MJ | 352 | 352 | |
| 07/07/18 | 17:04 | F5SGT/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 43 | 59 | 98 | IN88KD | 363 | 363 | |
| 07/07/18 | 17:12 | G3PYE/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 44 | 59 | 82 | JO02CE | 214 | 214 | |
| 07/07/18 | 17:16 | G5LK/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 45 | 59 | 175 | JO01QD | 280 | 280 | |
| 07/07/18 | 17:21 | ON4PRA/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 46 | 59 | 39 | JO20DW | 485 | 485 | |
| 07/07/18 | 17:24 | G2BQY/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 47 | 59 | 50 | IO81SH | 15 | Correct Locator IO81RF | 0 |
| 07/07/18 | 17:28 | G6IPU/P | 2m | SSB | 57 | 48 | 56 | 47 | JO02QV | 320 | 320 | |
| 07/07/18 | 17:33 | G0ARC/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 49 | 59 | 84 | IO91EH | 70 | 70 | |
| 07/07/18 | 17:40 | G3SVJ/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 50 | 59 | 45 | IO91SX | 163 | 163 | |
| 07/07/18 | 17:51 | M0HRF/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 51 | 59 | 171 | IO91GI | 81 | 81 | |
| 07/07/18 | 18:05 | G3ZME/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 52 | 58 | 90 | IO82NN | 131 | 131 | |
| 07/07/18 | 18:08 | G0IVR/P | 2m | SSB | 55 | 53 | 57 | 60 | IO91HB | 95 | 95 | |
| 07/07/18 | 18:13 | M0MPM/P | 2m | SSB | 55 | 54 | 55 | 14 | IO91GI | 81 | 81 | |
| 07/07/18 | 18:25 | M0TDW | 2m | SSB | 59 | 55 | 59 | 1 | IO91FI | 75 | 75 | |
| 07/07/18 | 18:30 | G3PIA/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 56 | 59 | 60 | IO91IN | 94 | Correct RS(T) 559 Allegedly | 0 |
| 07/07/18 | 18:35 | G4PDS | 2m | SSB | 59 | 57 | 57 | 22 | IO80LR | 80 | 80 | |
| 07/07/18 | 18:44 | GW3TKH | 2m | SSB | 59 | 58 | 59 | 4 | IO81JN | 44 | 44 | |
| 07/07/18 | 18:53 | G8CMU | 2m | SSB | 59 | 59 | 59 | 16 | IO81RW | 61 | 61 | |
| 07/07/18 | 18:55 | GI4GTY/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 60 | 59 | 36 | IO74AI | 398 | 398 | |
| 07/07/18 | 18:56 | M0SDL | 2m | SSB | 59 | 61 | 59 | 13 | IO80JT | 77 | 77 | |
| 07/07/18 | 18:57 | 2E0VPX | 2m | SSB | 59 | 62 | 53 | 25 | IO92UX | 237 | 237 | |
| 07/07/18 | 19:06 | G8YJM | 2m | SSB | 59 | 63 | 59 | 10 | IO81RR | 38 | 38 | |
| 07/07/18 | 19:07 | G3NPI | 2m | SSB | 59 | 64 | 59 | 45 | IO92MA | 134 | 134 | |
| 07/07/18 | 19:14 | TM6T | 2m | SSB | 59 | 65 | 59 | 21 | JN18GF | 511 | 511 | |
| 07/07/18 | 19:16 | G8YED | 2m | SSB | 59 | 66 | 57 | 9 | IO81RB | 38 | Broken Callsign – Adjudicated Invalid | 0 |
| 07/07/18 | 19:20 | MW0AEL | 2m | SSB | 59 | 67 | 53 | 3 | IO81EM | 71 | 71 | |
| 07/07/18 | 19:30 | F5OOM/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 68 | 59 | 77 | JN28VP | 674 | 674 | |
| 07/07/18 | 20:00 | F6FGQ | 2m | SSB | 59 | 69 | 52 | 9 | IN78QJ | 363 | 363 | |
| 07/07/18 | 20:08 | GW6TEO | 2m | SSB | 59 | 70 | 56 | 16 | IO71LP | 170 | 170 | |
| 07/07/18 | 20:30 | G2XV/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 71 | 59 | 36 | JO02AD | 202 | 202 | |
| 07/07/18 | 20:32 | F6KCP/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 72 | 59 | 101 | JN18OU | 503 | 503 | |
| 07/07/18 | 20:39 | G7RAU | 2m | SSB | 59 | 73 | 57 | 4 | IN79JX | 241 | 241 | |
| 07/07/18 | 20:45 | GM3HAM/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 74 | 59 | 133 | IO74WV | 402 | 402 | |
| 07/07/18 | 21:12 | DA0FF | 2m | SSB | 59 | 75 | 59 | 534 | JO40XL | 887 | 887 | |
| 07/07/18 | 21:20 | G3WM/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 76 | 59 | 84 | JO01LH | 249 | 249 | |
| 07/07/18 | 21:28 | GW3ZTT/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 77 | 57 | 126 | IO82KW | 175 | 175 | |
| 07/07/18 | 22:09 | G0FBB/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 78 | 59 | 228 | JO01LD | 251 | 251 | |
| 08/07/18 | 06:19 | F5BEG | 2m | SSB | 59 | 79 | 59 | 4 | JN07EW | 441 | 441 | |
| 08/07/18 | 06:36 | G3CKR/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 80 | 59 | 147 | IO93AD | 200 | 200 | |
| 08/07/18 | 07:06 | M1MHZ | 2m | SSB | 59 | 81 | 59 | 39 | IO92WV | 239 | 239 | |
| 08/07/18 | 07:34 | G0OLE/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 82 | 59 | 194 | IO93PX | 315 | 315 | |
| 08/07/18 | 07:36 | G8SRC/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 83 | 59 | 99 | IO91CL | 59 | 59 | |
| 08/07/18 | 08:04 | M0IPU | 2m | SSB | 59 | 84 | 59 | 3 | JO01AP | 187 | 187 | |
| 08/07/18 | 08:14 | GW4HXO | 2m | SSB | 59 | 85 | 59 | 5 | IO71JV | 187 | 187 | |
| 08/07/18 | 08:17 | EI4EY | 2m | SSB | 59 | 86 | 55 | 3 | IO52QP | 433 | 433 | |
| 08/07/18 | 08:19 | G3XDY | 2m | SSB | 59 | 87 | 53 | 69 | JO02OB | 274 | 274 | |
| 08/07/18 | 08:25 | G4UEL | 2m | SSB | 59 | 88 | 55 | 6 | IO91OF | 129 | 129 | |
| 08/07/18 | 08:47 | F6JMT/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 89 | 59 | 265 | JN18OI | 537 | 537 | |
| 08/07/18 | 09:11 | G0JLF | 2m | SSB | 59 | 90 | 59 | 2 | IO81SG | 12 | Correct Locator IO81OJ | 0 |
| 08/07/18 | 09:14 | MW0UAA | 2m | SSB | 59 | 91 | 59 | 9 | IO81HW | 79 | 79 | |
| 08/07/18 | 09:26 | GW8NZN/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 92 | 41 | 3 | IO83FE | 209 | 209 | |
| 08/07/18 | 09:28 | G4DQB/M | 2m | SSB | 59 | 93 | 59 | 19 | IO82SU | 163 | 163 | |
| 08/07/18 | 09:30 | EI7HT/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 94 | 55 | 11 | IO63XI | 318 | 318 | |
| 08/07/18 | 09:38 | G4XPE | 2m | SSB | 59 | 95 | 59 | 23 | IO92GU | 181 | 181 | |
| 08/07/18 | 09:39 | GM4PPT | 2m | SSB | 59 | 96 | 55 | 20 | IO75SK | 466 | 466 | |
| 08/07/18 | 09:57 | 2M0EWY/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 97 | 55 | 32 | IO86JF | 539 | 539 | |
| 08/07/18 | 10:03 | G3TZO | 2m | SSB | 59 | 98 | 59 | 23 | IO83NA | 182 | 182 | |
| 08/07/18 | 10:16 | M0INY | 2m | SSB | 59 | 99 | 59 | 9 | IO83WC | 193 | 193 | |
| 08/07/18 | 10:20 | G4HZG | 2m | SSB | 59 | 100 | 54 | 12 | IO93HE | 217 | 217 | |
| 08/07/18 | 10:30 | M0VNP | 2m | SSB | 59 | 101 | 59 | 1 | IO81RL | 11 | 11 | |
| 08/07/18 | 10:54 | F8KID | 2m | SSB | 59 | 102 | 51 | 481 | JN38AT | 681 | 681 | |
| 08/07/18 | 11:05 | G6ASC | 2m | SSB | 59 | 103 | 55 | 2 | IO81EA | 81 | Correct Callsign G6ASK | 0 |
| 08/07/18 | 11:12 | G3VXM | 2m | SSB | 59 | 104 | 59 | 17 | IO90LT | 128 | 128 | |
| 08/07/18 | 11:14 | F1GKS/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 105 | 59 | 36 | JN09BN | 282 | 282 | |
| 08/07/18 | 11:17 | G8NT | 2m | SSB | 59 | 106 | 59 | 1 | IO81SG | 18 | 18 | |
| 08/07/18 | 11:19 | G4GFI/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 107 | 59 | 9 | IO80QR | 74 | 74 | |
| 08/07/18 | 11:24 | F5KDY/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 108 | 59 | 70 | JN08PB | 465 | 465 | |
| 08/07/18 | 11:28 | G0UUU/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 109 | 59 | 1 | IO94SG | 351 | Broken – RX SN mis-sequenced Adjudicated Invalid | 0 |
| 08/07/18 | 11:29 | G4PBY | 2m | SSB | 59 | 110 | 59 | 10 | IO81XV | 86 | 86 | |
| 08/07/18 | 11:30 | G8GRS | 2m | SSB | 59 | 111 | 59 | 30 | IO81QJ | 1 | 1 | |
| 08/07/18 | 12:11 | M0BAO/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 112 | 59 | 22 | IO80LV | 63 | 63 | |
| 08/07/18 | 12:21 | MW0HTB | 2m | SSB | 59 | 113 | 59 | 1 | IO81MS | 48 | 48 | |
| 08/07/18 | 12:22 | GW0ECM | 2m | SSB | 59 | 114 | 59 | 1 | IO81MS | 48 | 48 | |
| 08/07/18 | 12:25 | GW0UQT | 2m | SSB | 59 | 115 | 59 | 1 | IO81MS | 48 | 48 | |
| 08/07/18 | 12:38 | MD0MAN/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 116 | 57 | 27 | IO74SF | 338 | 338 | |
| 08/07/18 | 12:55 | DL0GL | 2m | SSB | 59 | 117 | 59 | 351 | JO31KP | 657 | 657 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:22 | ON8CF/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 118 | 59 | 352 | JO20SS | 574 | 574 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:26 | G4DMC | 2m | SSB | 59 | 119 | 59 | 4 | IO81WI | 35 | 35 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:29 | G8BGV/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 120 | 59 | 66 | JO01HP | 227 | 227 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:34 | G7VHJ | 2m | SSB | 59 | 121 | 59 | 1 | IO81RR | 38 | 38 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:37 | G3LSR/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 122 | 59 | 23 | IO91TN | 157 | Correct Callsign G3ASR/P | 0 |
| 08/07/18 | 13:49 | M0JCQ/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 123 | 59 | 30 | IO91RU | 153 | 153 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:51 | G3ZNU | 2m | SSB | 59 | 124 | 58 | 17 | IO91PQ | 136 | 136 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:52 | M0SNB/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 125 | 57 | 66 | JO01DQ | 204 | 204 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:52 | M0XAC | 2m | SSB | 59 | 126 | 59 | 16 | IO81VU | 59 | 59 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:54 | G4MKR | 2m | SSB | 59 | 127 | 55 | 22 | IO92VD | 186 | 186 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:56 | G8RCZ/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 128 | 59 | 22 | IO80ES | 99 | 99 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:58 | G3SQQ | 2m | SSB | 59 | 129 | 59 | 24 | IO93JC | 213 | 213 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:59 | MX0HFC/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 130 | 59 | 15 | IO93VR | 307 | 307 | |
| 08/07/18 | 13:59 | G3VER/P | 2m | SSB | 59 | 131 | 59 | 31 | IO91ST | 157 | Correct RX RST 54 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 131 | 26598 | 10 Contact(s) lost due to Log Errors | 25339 | ||||||||
| Best DX (Pre-Adjudication) | DA0FF | 887km | Error Rate = 7.63% | -4.73% | ||||||||
| Best DX (Post-Adjudication) | DA0FF | 887km | ||||||||||
We made 10 errors according to the adjudication process, an error rate of 7.63% compared to an average error rate for the contest as a whole of 5.72%. Our error rate is higher than 2017, and whilst this is less than desirable the following points should be noted:
- 5.72% would equate to 7 errors compared to our 10 so in real terms (as opposed to percentages) we are not far off the norm. A GEH statistic might be more meaningful here;
- 2 of the errors were simply adjudicated as invalid without evidence as to what or where the error was;
- The RX RST error noted at 18:30 on 07/07/2018 does not seem to be our error. In the first place the RST given by the other station is recorded in their log as 559, this might be the case were we operating CW when it would be usual to record not only readability and signal strength but also tone, however we were working SSB so a 2 digit RS report would be expected. It is felt that there are potentially 2 possible explanations for this error:
- The RS report sent by the other station was 55 and we incorrectly recorded 59; or more likely
- The RS report sent by the other station was 59 which we correctly recorded; either way when the other station entered the signal report in their log a keyboard error double keying or a keyboard bounce double entered the first 5 resulting in a report of 559 logged when 59 was sent and correctly recorded, the 559 was clearly not spotted when entering or checking the log at the other end.
- Whether or not the 559 error was ours or the other stations fault would not have any impact on our final results
- This year there were no “Reverse Errors” meaning that everyone who worked us received 100% correct information from our operators
Submitted Logs
The closing date for log submission was 15/07/2018. By this time some 88 individuals and organisations had submitted logs in the various classes on 2m. Comparing those who took part with our log reveals:
Table 6 – Participating Stations Worked
| Class | Number of Submitted Logs | Worked | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage | ||
| Open (O) | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Restricted (R) | 18 | 11 | 61.11% |
| Low Power (L) | 9 | 4 | 44.44% |
| Mix and Match (M) | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Single Transmitter (MS) | 7 | 3 | 42.86% |
| Fixed Station Sweepers: Open (FSO) | 7 | 3 | 42.86% |
| Fixed Station Sweepers: Restricted (FSR) | 34 | 9 | 26.47% |
| Checklogs | 13 | 3 | 23.08% |
| TOTAL | 88 | 33 | 37.50% |
The headline analysis of this information is as follows:
- We worked 33 or 38% of the stations taking part or submitting checklogs
- 98 or 75% of the stations we worked did not submit a log
- Our best proportion worked was the Restricted (R) category where we worked 61% of the participating stations
- Our lowest proportion worked was the Open (O) category where we worked 0% of the participating stations
Some of the participating or checklog stations submitted logs with relatively few contacts in them. On this occasion 15 stations (17%) submitted logs with less than 10 contacts. These stations may have only been operational for a short period of time and therefore the probability of running across them or of them running across us is reduced.
We worked 1 of these sub 10 QSO operations.
Table 7 – Participating Stations with 10 or More QSOs Worked
| Class | Number of Submitted Logs | Worked | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage | ||
| Open (O) | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Restricted (R) | 17 | 11 | 64.71% |
| Low Power (L) | 9 | 4 | 44.44% |
| Mix and Match (M) | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Single Transmitter (MS) | 6 | 3 | 50.00% |
| Fixed Station Sweepers: Open (FSO) | 6 | 3 | 50.00% |
| Fixed Station Sweepers: Restricted (FSR) | 29 | 9 | 31.03% |
| Checklogs | 6 | 2 | 33.33% |
| TOTAL | 73 | 32 | 43.84% |
Ignoring our 1 contacts and the 15 sub 10 QSO operations our “hit rate” becomes 32 out of 73 or 44%.
Results
Overall Results Section Low Power
| Club | 50MHz | 70MHz | 144MHz | 432MHz | 1.2GHz | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warrington CG | G3CKR/P | 1000 | G3CKR/P | 1000 | G3CKR/P | 1000 | 3000 | ||||
| MM0BQI | MM0BQI/P | 1000 | MM0BQI/P | 52 | 1052 | ||||||
| Oxford & DARS | G8IB/P | 803 | G8IB/P | 84 | G8IB/P | 58 | 945 | ||||
| Tamworth ARS | G4FWC/P | 287 | G8TRS/P | 87 | G8TRS/P | 65 | 439 | ||||
| Fareham & DARC | G3VEF/P | 163 | G3VEF/P | 176 | 339 | ||||||
| South Bristol ARC | G4WAW/P | 335 | 335 | ||||||||
| Wrexham ARS | GW4WXM/P | 47 | GW4WXM/P | 43 | GW4WXM/P | 42 | 132 | ||||
| Humber Fortress DX ARC | MX0HFC/P | 35 | 35 | ||||||||
| Northampton RC ‘B’ | M0KEA/P | 28 | 28 | ||||||||
| Swindon & DARC ‘B’ | M1KDJ/P | 12 | 12 | ||||||||
A single band entry is naturally compromised when competing with a multi-band entry so our mid table showing here should not be regarded as a poor performance, we were the highest placed single band entry, finishing ahead of Wrexham ARS who had a multi-band entry.
An additional 5 normalised points would have allowed us to leap frog Fareham and District ARC. However 5 normalised points this year would have required a score increase of 380 points which equates to about 2 more valid QSOs. As our errors cost us 1259 points perhaps we are masters of our own destiny.
Of more interest is that there was no Low Power entry in the 4m class. This means that tactically had we mounted a 4m Low Power entry alongside our normal 2m Low power entry we wold automatically have been the highest scoring entry in class and therefore even 1 confirmed QSO would have netted us 1000 normalised points making our total 1335 moving us into second place overall! That’s the madness of normalised scores for you.
Results Section L 144MHz
| Group | Callsign | Locator | QSOs | Score | Best DX | Points/QSO | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | Normalised | Station | km | |||||
| Warrington CG | G3CKR/P | IO93AD | 256 | 75743 | 1000 | DR1H | 992 | 295.87 |
| South Bristol ARC | G4WAW/P | IO81QJ | 121 | 25373 | 335 | DA0FF | 887 | 209.69 |
| Fareham & DARC | G3VEF/P | IO91JA | 63 | 13306 | 176 | DA0FF | 788 | 211.21 |
| Worksop ARS | G3RCW/P | IO93ED | 57 | 12279 | 162 | OZ1ALS | 782 | 215.42 |
| Tamworth ARS | G8TRS/P | IO92EP | 31 | 6570 | 87 | DF0DA | 642 | 211.94 |
| Oxford & DARS | G8IB/P | IO91KR | 34 | 6338 | 84 | DA0FF | 786 | 186.41 |
| Wrexham ARS | GW4WXM/P | IO82LT | 18 | 3274 | 43 | G5LK/P | 355 | 181.89 |
| Humber Fortress DX ARC | MX0HFC/P | IO93VR | 12 | 2662 | 35 | EI9E/P | 460 | 221.83 |
| Northampton RC ‘B’ | M0KEA/P | IO92LI | 18 | 2129 | 28 | EI9E/P | 391 | 118.28 |
| Swindon & DARC ‘B’ | M1KDJ/P | IO81XP | 7 | 874 | 12 | EI9E/P | 339 | 124.86 |
Our Best DX (by Mark M0SKV) into Germany is a good result and on a par with Warrington Contest Groups best performance.
In terms of average points per QSO Warrington managed nearly 300km/QSO well above anyone else in the class and part of the reason their position at the top of the table remains secure year on year. The next 5 entries are all in the range 209km – 222km and 3rd – 6th place being covered by a mere 5km.