Tuesday 27 November 2012

Time to show and tell….



CQ-WW-CW contest 2012

I have been reading a few of the CQ-WW-CW reviews on the various blog sites and I was most impressed at their results they achieved.


I was pretty tied up with work at the moment and only a few hours on Sunday to take part.

The graph below says it all….. 

Even with this dismal attempt I managed to work 3 all time new DXCC entities and 5 new entities on 10m.

I am looking forward to putting in a serious effort next year. Not having great antennas I might have to limit myself to a single band yet again. I must ensure that I am ready with at least one half decent antenna for either 20, 15 or 10m.

There is something very special about CW contests……


This is the first opportunity to put my new Elecraft K3 and KPA-500 through their paces. I think I can honestly say the performance is simply amazing. It has exceeded all my expectations in every regard. The second receiver (Sub) is such a powerful tool. I hope to write something about that soon. It gives us such a huge advantage during split operation that I think once others realize it, it might get banned.

73, Pierre ZS6A

ZS6A CQ WW CW 2012

5 comments:

  1. John AE5X posted:

    John AE5X has left a new comment on your post "Time to show and tell….":

    Pierre, while I'm goofing around pretending to be a contester, KL8DX, OQ5M and many others are proving with their scores that they're the Real Deal.

    But I will admit to having fun beyond what my score would seem to indicate!

    Posted by John AE5X to ZS6A - Amateur Radio Blog at 27 November 2012 18:25

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi John,

    There are so many aspects to Radio Sport. There are those that have very capable stations and want to win at all costs and then there are others that cannot really compete seriously with the “big guns”, but they still have great fun.

    I have no illusions of my stations capabilities. It is a “tiny pistol” with very poor antennas. However during contests it still provides me with the opportunity to improve my contest skills and it also allows me to add new countries to my DXCC list.

    Getting back to the “Real Deal” IMHO someone that takes the time to reflect and share their experiences is the real deal. I find it interesting to read about these events as seen through the eyes of someone else.

    Keep up the good work.

    Pierre ZS6A

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pierre, very envious of your set up, K3 & KPA-500! I would love to upgrade to that same set-up someday! I would even more love to get you in the log on 10 meters! Now THAT would be a contest QSO!!

    I too am a small station with a single tower and a 4 element tri-bander at the average 40 or so feet above the ground. CW is a mode that I really enjoy but have yet to perfect. So many skilled operators out there and I'm just simply amazed at the 3830 posts and the scores that were achieved.

    I appreciate John, AE5X's comment and even though it's contesting, I'm out to have fun. It really pushes my comfort zone with operating radio, which is not a bad thing. I'm just thankful that many of the hams I work in contests are forgiving. I'm still learning as I really never got into contesting until moving here. Of course I never had to worry about pile-ups either :0)

    Very much enjoy your blog as well my friend. Wishing you the best of DX! 73 from Alaska! Phil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Phil,

      Wow - I am pleased to hear from you.

      South Africa also has a small group of very capable contesters: ZS4TX, ZS6EZ, ZSDL, ZS6RI, ZS1EL, ZS6CC, ZS6RJ to name a few, there are quite a few others that are not listed (before I get nailed).

      I sure would like to work you. I still don’t have Alaska worked or confirmed on any band, a 10m QSO would be great.

      I have been using good equipment up to now: The IC-756 Pro 3 is a most capable transceiver, I won’t get rid of it, but the K3 is just that little bit better especially when using the sub receiver and the ability to use stereo (L/R channels) to differentiate the indented target from the pile-up.

      The chances of success increase exponentially if the call is made where the DX station is actually listening.

      Hope to work you soon.

      73, Pierre ZS6A

      Delete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete