Result: Brian came 3rd in the 6-hour Open Section – Congratulations!
In the absence of an LRS GM3HAM/P entry in the 2m Trophy due to very adverse Wx forecasts, Brian GM4DIJ braved the weather including thunder & lightning and put on a single-op entry in the 6-hour section on the Sunday from Sandhead near Stranraer and made 93 QSOs including France, Belgium & Netherlands. Brian writes:
My static caravan is at Sandhead, which is on the beach at Luce Bay, 7 miles south of Stranraer . It’s about 45 mins drive from Gatehouse of Fleet.
The weather was rough on Friday and Saturday morning with heavy rain. I got soaked at the Stranraer parkrun. In the afternoon I visited John MM0CCC/P at our old site IO74NP 14k West of Scares. There was only him from the Cockenzie & Port Seton Club. He’d set up a decent high-power 2m station, sensibly in a rented van!
John MM0CCC/P (C&PSRC) operating from a van.
The weather was again rough on Saturday night. I had plans to go out to my site at Stoneykirk IO74MU, but at 8am it was looking bad, with wind and heavy rain. Then about 8.30 it all cleared, so I loaded the car and set off and got on the air by 9.30. It’s only 2 miles from my caravan so no big deal if had to abandon.
Station: Tx: IC9700 100W to a 9 element yagi at 5m agl and 89m asl.
I only had a low 9-ele at 5m agl and 100W, but I worked down into France, Belgium and the Netherlands, with 93 contacts in all. So I salvaged part of the weekend. I also spoke to Mike GM4IGS who’d gone up Dundonald Hill local to him to get his fix of radio.
The weather stayed warm and sunny all day. I got 5 1/2 hours operating out of the 6 hour section and managed 93 QSOs.
Conditions were good, but I think it favoured the East Coast.
Contest 144MHz Trophy
Section 6O (6 hours others)
IARU-Section 6H SINGLE
QSOs 93
Calculated QSO points 32174
ODX Call PA5Y
ODX Points 801
DXCCs 9
WWLs 27
UK WWLs 21
