Contest News – 30 August 2015

Sunday, the 30th, the UK Microwave Group contest runs from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using all modes on the 5.7 and 10GHz band the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The IRTS 2m Counties Contest also takes place on Sunday, the 30th, from 1300 to 1500UTC. Using SSB and FM only, the exchange is signal report and serial number, with EI and GI stations also giving their county.

The Romanian Amateur Radio Federation is running the YO DX HF Contest that ends its 24 hour session at 1159UTC Sunday, the 30th. Foreign stations will transmit signal report and serial number. Romanian stations will transmit a signal report plus the abbreviation of the county or BU for stations from Bucharest. Logs must be submitted within 30 days after the contest. Rules can be found at www.yodx.ro/rules.

The second series of UKEICC 80m contests starts on 2 September on SSB running between 2000 and 2100UTC. The frequency range is 3.7 to 3.775MHz and the exchange is just your four character locator. There is now a team competition too. Entries are adjudicated electronically and the results are online shortly after 2200UTC on the evening of the contest. Details at www.ukeicc.com.

The first VHF contest of the month is the 2m UK Activity Contest on 1 September. Running from 1900 to 2130UTC, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

We stay with 2m for the 144MHz Trophy Contest, which takes place for 24 hours on the 5th and 6th, 1400 to 1400UTC. This one is hotly contested in the open category, but there are four other categories and three of them are for single ops, so there are opportunities for all to strive to do well. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Overlapping the last three hours of the 144MHz Trophy Contest and then continuing for one hour on its own, the fifth and final 144MHz Backpacker contest takes place on Sunday the 6th, from 1100 to 1500UTC. In the Backpackers contest there are two permitted power levels, 3W and 10W, and the exchange is the usual signal report, serial number and locator. Please be aware that a WAB 2m contest overlaps this and WABers will ask for your Worked All Britain square.

For 24 hours over the same weekend the IARU 144MHz Contest takes place. It coincides exactly with the RSGB 144MHz Trophy contest. For those taking part in the former there’s no need to enter the latter, because your entry will be automatically submitted for you unless you specify that you don’t want to enter the IARU event.

SSB Field Day takes place for 24 hours over the weekend of the 5th and 6th. Like its CW counterpart this contest has open and restricted sections, but please note that the antenna limitations are different, so check the rules. Running from 1300 to 1300UTC, the bands used are 3.5 to 28MHz and the exchange is signal report and serial number.

The CWops CW Open takes place from 0000 to 2359UTC on Saturday the 5th. Using CW only on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands, the exchange is serial number and name.

The All Asian DX Contest takes place for the whole 48 hours of the weekend of the 5th and 6th. UK stations taking part in SSB Field Day sometimes find that All Asian stations don’t want to have QSOs with them, because All Asian stations want to be sent the operator’s age, not a serial number, so it can be helpful to have a suitable number to give them.

The Worked All Britain 144MHz QRO Phone Contest takes place next Sunday, 6 September, from 1000 to 1400UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and WAB square. Entries need to be with the contest manager by 27 September. Full details of the rules and log sheets may be obtained from the WAB website.

Category: GB2RS Contest News