IARU UHF- / SHF-Contest October 2024

06. October 2024 | HamRadio, Contest

In the October Contest 2024, the focus was on all bands from 70cm and up. For me, this meant 70cm and 23cm, as I (still) don't have any higher bands. My goal was to achieve more than 100 QSOs and 20,000 points on 70cm and 30 QSOs and 10,000 points on 23cm.

The propagation conditions were initially okay. This was my first contest using the 70cm amplifier "LINEARamp Gemini 70," which provided stable output of over 300 watts peak in my setup. At its peak, my output reached 350 watts. As much as I enjoy working with low power on the VHF bands, contesting is much more fun when I can work the stations I hear. Upgrading all bands with the Gemini amplifiers from LINEARamp was an absolute enhancement and significantly increased the fun factor for me.

In the first two hours, I logged 31 QSOs with stations from Germany (DL), Belgium (ON), England (G), Switzerland (HB9), and the Netherlands (PA). The farthest connection during this time was with HB9XC at 451 km.

The 23cm QSOs were mostly arranged in the ON4KST chat. Things went quite well here too, with stations from DL, PA, G, and the Czech Republic (OK) making it into the log.

Unfortunately, I had recurring problems with my coaxial cable to the antenna. These issues have plagued me in the last two contests as well. Sporadically, the SWR on 70cm would spike to 3, causing the Wavenode WN-2D protection circuit to shut down the Gemini 70. This problem stems from poor strain relief. At the mast, I have only secured the antenna cable with a few zip ties to counteract the pull from the cable's own weight. The weight of the hanging cable slowly pulls back the coaxial cable in the solderless N-connector, creating a transition resistance over time.

I had to lower the antenna five or six times, open the N-connector each time, and reassemble it with the coaxial cable pushed firmly back in. For the next contest, I urgently need a different solution. I already have an idea for this, but more on that in another blog post.

On the afternoon of the second day, there was an opening on 70cm, and many great QSOs made it into the log. In contrast, 23cm felt completely dead for me.

In the end, I exceeded my self-set target on 70cm with 136 QSOs and almost 29,000 points. On 23cm, I narrowly missed my goal with just under 8,000 points from 32 QSOs but was still very satisfied with the result.

At the end, I achieved 30th place out of 397 participants in the single-operator category on 70cm. On 23cm, I placed 16th out of 169 participants.

Here is an overview of all 70cm (432 MHz) connections:

Here is an overview of all 23cm (1.296 MHz) connections:

IARU Marconi Memorial Contest VHF 2024

November 06, 2024 | Amateurfunk, Contest

My first "CW-Only" contest - Wow, that was exhausting! But it was also incredibly fun! Initially, I had planned to make 60 QSOs within a range of 200-300 km during the 24 hours to gain my first experience in a pure telegraphy contest. But who could have guessed that the conditions would turn out to be so good?
More...