The Contest

□ About the contest

The RSGB Affiliated Societies Super-League score is obtained from the leading club scores in a number of affiliated societies contests through the winter season.

In 2011-12, I operated as part of the Camb-Hams team, which was supported by Cambridge University Wireless Society. My write-ups can be found on individual pages for each of the six AFS contests that form part of the Super-League:

• 50MHz AFS - October 2011
• RSGB Club Calls (1.8MHz) - November 2011
• RSGB AFS 2m - December 2011
• RSGB AFS CW (80m) - January 2012
• RSGB AFS SSB (80m) - January 2012
• RSGB AFS 70cms - February 2012

This page will contain the Camb-Hams score and placing once it has been calculated. Details of our Super-League placing in the 2010-11 season are also available.

Summary

As I noted in my review of 2010, the completion of my PhD brought with it a resurgence in my activity in the hobby in the latter part of that year. That increased activity has continued into 2011:

January

My main activity in January was supporting the Camb-Hams in their entry in the RSGB Affiliated Societies (AFS) Super-League:
I operated in the 80m CW contest from Flossie as G3PYE/P. Together with G3ZAY (at G6UW), G7VJR and G4KNO, we came in 24th place of the 91 entrants.
A few weeks later, I operated as G6UW in 80m SSB. Together with M0VFC & M0TOC (at G3PYE/P), G3ZAY (at G3PJT) and G8TMV & M1BXF (at M1BXF), we came in 6th place.

February

February started with another entry with the Camb-Hams for AFS. I operated with G3ZAY at G6UW for the Camb-Hams Team B in the 70cms AFS. Together with G4ERO & M0VFC (at M0VFC) and G4BAO, the B-team came in 11th place. The Camb-Hams A-Team came in 7th place.
At the end of the month, I made 39 QSOs in the French Coupe du REF contest.

March

In March, I made 202 QSOs in the ARRL DX SSB contest. I came 10th of 23 English single operator stations, and also had a completely clean log (no points lost in adjudication) for the first time.

April

April started with a trip to the Lake District to activate some summits for SOTA with G3ZAY, M0TOC and M0YCS.
At the end of the month, I travelled to California for the Visalia DX Convention and to activate Santa Cruz and Santa Catalina islands for IOTA. The activation of Santa Cruz was a pretty major disaster, but I made 134 QSOs from Santa Catalina, which wasn't bad for just a few hours.

June

As every year, I helped run the communications centre for the Dartmoor Discovery Ultra-Marathon with the Dartmoor Radio Club, ensuring that approximately 160 runners got around the gruelling 32 mile course safely.
At the end of the month, I went on an IOTA DXpedition with G3ZAY and M0TOC to Inishmore and Inishbofin on the west coast of Ireland.

July

In July, I assisted the Camb-Hams operate as G6PYE/P in the VHF National Field Day. We came 7th of 17 entrants in the Open section.

August

In August, G3ZAY, M0TOC, M0SKI and I went to Snowdonia to operate from a couple of summits for SOTA.

September

The month started with Field Day at G3PYE and, a couple of weeks later, a visit to the Foire Radioamateur de La Louvière in Belgium; my first time at this interesting rally.
September also saw my main DXpedition of the year, to Saint Pierre et Miquelon (FP). Six of us made 17,500 QSOs in about 5 days, with 4 stations.

October

As every year, I visited the RSGB Convention in October, where I gave presentations on the things I'm working on for rsgbiota.org, and on the FP DXpedition.
At the end of the month, I again organised the entry in CQ WW SSB from M4A. This was very successful: results aren't out yet, but it looks like we have substantially beaten the English record that we set for our category last year.

November

In November, I made 100 QSOs in the RSGB Club Calls (1.8MHz) contest, which was the first AFS Super-League contest of the 2011-2012 season. This put me in 19th place of 128 entrants. When combined with the other Camb-Hams A-team scores (M1BXF & G8TMV & M0ZXA at GX3PYE, M0VFC at G8IDL and M1ACB), we came 3rd out of 59 clubs entering.
I attended the RSGB's EGM in Birmingham, where I was pleased to see that the resolution to create the Interim Board was passed.
I also made 10 QSOs in the CQ WW CW contest.

December

The 2nd AFS Super-League event was the 144MHz AFS contest at the start of December. I made 93 QSOs.
I also made 104 QSOs in the ARRL 10m contest.
This month I was also interviewed by Suzanne N1SUZ for the South Coast Amateur Radio Service training sessions. The 90 minute interview, about IOTA, was carried live on a number of repeaters across the US East Coast.
And, although I wasn't on the trip myself, I am acting as QSL Manager for the GJ6UW DXpedition to Jersey, which also took place in December.

Additionally, I have been doing a lot of work on the rsgbiota.org website for the Islands on the Air website during the year. The improvements should go live in spring 2012.

Looking forward to next year, I have planned trips to the VERON Dutch National Radio Flea Market in 's-Hertogenbosch (my first trip here) and to Freidrichshafen (my last time at Europe's biggest radio rally was in 2001, so a return visit is long overdue). The only DXpedition in the diary at present is the Camb-Hams trip to Mull at the end of April. I have also (finally) joined Raynet, so I expect to be doing a lot more radio for public service during the next 12 months.

QSO totals by band/mode

	---------------------  	-------
	    Raw Totals          Band %
	---------------------  	-------
BAND	CW	PH	DATA		
----	--	--	----
LF	0	0	0	0
160m	1	101	0	15.7
80m	2	1	0	0.5
40m	2	55	0	8.8
30m	2	0	0	0.3
20m	14	105	0	18.3
17m	3	1	0	0.6
15m	3	114	0	18
12m	2	1	0	0.5
10m	9	95	0	16
6m	0	1	0	0.2
VHF	1	136	0	21.1
	---------------------
Mode %:	6	94	0

DXCC totals by band/mode

BAND	CW	PH	DATA	TOTAL	
----	--	--	----	-----
LF	0	0	0	0
160m	1	6	0	7
80m	2	1	0	3
40m	2	13	0	15
30m	2	0	0	2
20m	13	14	0	27
17m	3	1	0	4
15m	3	6	0	9
12m	2	1	0	3
10m	3	3	0	6
6m	0	1	0	1
VHF	1	8	0	17

Top DXCC entities

1. USA (W): 262
2. ENGLAND (G): 216
3. FRANCE (F): 45
4. CANADA (VE): 44

All-time new DXCC Entities in 2011

The following stations were all-time new DXCCs for me:

• Swaziland (3DA): 3DA0TM
• Lesotho (7P): 7P8KDJ
• Bahrain (A9): A92GR
• Jan Mayen (JX): JX5O
• Cameroon (TJ): TJ9PF
• S Orkney Is. (VP8/O): VP8ORK

QSOs by Month for 2011

1. January: 3
2. February: 66
3. March: 207
4. April: 22
5. May: 1
6. June: 0
7. July: 22
8. August: 0
9. September: 0
10. October: 1
11. November: 110
12. December: 217

The Contest

□ About the contest

CQWW DX SSB is almost certainly the biggest amateur radio competition of the year. We have 48 hours (from midnight UTC on Saturday 29th October) in which to try to make amateur radio contacts with as many different radio stations as possible, in as many different countries as possible, on as many different frequencies as possible.

Last year, the Cambridge University Wireless Society team (callsign M4A) not only won our category in England, but also set a new English record in the process: a score of approximately 5 175 000 points, made up from over 4500 contacts. This year, we're not only aiming to defend our 1st place, but also to set the record score even higher.

In order to do this, we have 13 operators, the majority of whom are under 30 years old, who will be running 2 transmitters for the entire weekend.

A lot of effort goes into setting up the 'contest', with antennas built and erected, and computers networked, in temporary arrangements in the days leading up to the event.

Equipment

□ The Transceivers and Antennas used in the entry

Station 1:

• FT-1000MP
• Quadra linear

Station 2:

• FT-1000MP
• Quadra linear (loaned by M1BXF)

Antennas shared between both stations:

• 10m/28MHz 5 element yagi on a Clarke SCAM 12 mast at about 25ft
• 3 element Stepp-IR yagi (on 15m/21MHz) on the CUWS 60ft tower
• 20m/14MHz 5 element yagi on a 40ft trailer tower
• 40m/7MHz rotating dipole on the CUWS 60ft tower
• 40m/7MHz four-square
• 80m/3.7MHz pair of phased verticals
• 160m/1.8MHz dipole, mounted on Flossie's mast

Claimed score

□ The summary of points we've made during the contest

Contest         : CQ World Wide DX Contest
Callsign        : M4A
Mode            : PHONE
Category        : Multi Operator - Two Transmitter (M2)
Overlay         : ---
Band(s)         : All bands (AB)
Class           : High Power (HP)
Zone/State/...  : 14
Locator         : JO02AF
Operating time  : 48h00

 BAND   QSO  CQ DXC DUP  POINTS   AVG 
--------------------------------------
  160    79   5  34   3      84  1.06 
   80   414  18  75   2     554  1.34 
   40   871  28 100  11    1543  1.77 
   20   682  38 118   7    1535  2.25 
   15  1760  36 133  28    4140  2.35 
   10  1595  39 138  13    3949  2.48 
--------------------------------------
TOTAL  5401 164 598  64   11805  2.19 
======================================
       TOTAL SCORE : 8 995 410

Dupes are not ignored in QSO counts neither avg calculations

Operators       : G3ZAY, G4AXX, G4EAG, M0BLF, M0DEG, M0HSW, M0LRB, 
                  M0NCG, M0TOC, M0TRN, M0SCH, M0VFC, M0ZXA
Soapbox         : Fantastic conditions; great to hear 15 and 10m back 
                  in good shape again. 
                  Thanks all from all of the team at Cambridge University.


Powered by Win-Test 4.8.0        http://www.win-test.com

Write-Up

□ My comments about the contest

Wow, what a fantastic contest! Thanks to the solar cycle for making 15m and 10m so much better than in recent years, and to everyone who had QSOs with us. We set the English M/2 country record at 5.1M points just last year, and so it's especially great to be claiming such a substantially larger score in 2011.

On the other hand, we were a little disappointed with our performance on the low bands and we are already planning a four-square to replace the pair of phased verticals that we use on 80m.

As usual, we were pleased to welcome a number of new, young operators to the Cambridge University Wireless Society team. As I say each year, introducing new students to contesting is one of our primary objectives, so thanks to everyone who was patient with us if one of our ops was struggling to copy you.

The CUWS shack cannot be permanently set-up for contesting, and so most of our equipment and antennas are installed only a few hours before the contest. This takes quite a lot of organisation and additional thanks therefore go to everyone who helped us and lent us equipment for the weekend.

QSL Information

□ How to get a QSL-Card for a Contest QSO

QSL is OK direct or via the bureau to M0BLF. About M4A QSL Cards.

Previous Entry

□ My last entry in this contest

I last entered CQ WW DX SSB in 2010, when I was again at M4A.

General Information

• Dates: 2-3 April 2011
• Operators: M0BLF, M0TOC, M0YCS
• Callsigns: M0BLF/P, M0TOC/P, M0YCS/P
• Bands: 40m, 2m, 70cm
• Modes: SSB (HF), FM (V/UHF)
• Equipment: FT-817 (HF), FT-60 (V/UHF), 40m dipole on SOTA poles.
• QSL Information: via Homecalls, direct or bureau. Please check the operator's callsign, especially if we had recently changed operators, since you may not receive a reply if you send your card to the wrong person! QSL Information for M0BLF

We activated Seat Sandal (G/LD-022), Fairfield (G/LD-007) and Coniston Old Man (G/LD-013).

This activation is a Cambridge University Wireless Society DXpedition.

Photos

My photos from this operation are on Flickr.

The Contest

□ About the contest

This contest took place on Sunday, 6th February 2011. It was the fourth of four contests forming the AFS Super-League, which Cambridge University Wireless Society and the Camb-Hams (the social part of Cambridgeshire Repeater Group) entered jointly. See AFS 2m for more information on the Super-League entry.

I operated from the Cambridge University shack as G6UW for this event.

Equipment

□ The Rigs and Antennas used in the entry

I operated using an IC-706Mk2G with 20W to a 9-element yagi at about 25ft.

Adjudicated Score

□ The summary of points I made during the contest

I came 17th of 20 entrants in the Open section, with just 24 QSOs (because this was a supporting entry for Camb-Hams, as described in the write-up below). The score was 1963 points, with the best DX GI6ATZ at 466kms.

Write-up

□ My comments about the contest

This operation was mainly aimed at supporting the Camb-Hams entry, as three other stations are likely to count for the team score. We did not start erecting the aerial on the 40ft tower at G6UW until 8:30am, and so we did not get on-air until about 9:50am, fifty minutes after the contest had started. The contest was so slow, however, that we do not think that the delay cost us many points. It was good fun, however, with some nice DX including GI6ATZ and GD8EXI.

QSL Information

□ How to get a QSL-Card for a Contest QSO

QSL is OK direct or via the bureau to M0BLF. About G6UW QSL Cards.

Previous Entry

□ My last entry in this contest

I have never previously entered AFS 70cms.

QSO totals by band/mode

	---------------------  	-------
	    Raw Totals          Band %
	---------------------  	-------
BAND	CW	PH	DATA		
----	--	--	----
LF	0	0	0	0
160m	0	0	0	0
80m	0	35	0	68.6
40m	0	3	0	5.9
30m	0	0	0	0
20m	0	3	0	5.9
17m	1	0	0	2
15m	0	3	0	5.9
12m	0	1	0	2
10m	0	0	0	0
6m	0	0	0	0
VHF	0	5	0	9.8
	---------------------
Mode %:	2	98	0

QSOs by Month for 2010

1. January: 40
2. February: 0
3. March: 8
4. April: 0
5. May: 0
6. June: 0
7. July: 0
8. August: 0
9. September: 0
10. October: 1
11. November: 0
12. December: 2

The Contest

□ About the contest

This contest was the third of four contests forming the AFS Super-League, which Cambridge University Wireless Society and the Camb-Hams (the social part of Cambridgeshire Repeater Group) entered jointly. See AFS 2m for more information on the Super-League entry.

I operated from the Cambridge University shack as G6UW for this event.

Equipment

□ The Rigs and Antennas used in the entry

I operated using an FT-1000MP with 400W from a Quadra linear to an inverted-V dipole, with the centre point at about 30ft.

Adjudicated Score

□ The summary of points I made during the contest

After log checking, I had 2600 points (only 20 points fewer than claimed), which placed me 28th out of 236. Along with G3ZAY, G3PYE and M1BXF, my points counted for the Camb-Hams A entry, which came in 6th place (out of 85) in the team competition.

Write-up

□ My comments about the contest

Activity was very good to start with, and I was impressed to have a 120 QSO / hour rate in the first hour of a domestic contest. I very quickly found that I had worked most of the stations I could hear, however, and so the rate soon reduced.

QSL Information

□ How to get a QSL-Card for a Contest QSO

QSL is OK direct or via the bureau to M0BLF. About G6UW QSL Cards.

Previous Entry

□ My last entry in this contest

I last entered AFS SSB in 2010, when I operated from my parents' home in Devon with my own callsign.

The Contest

□ About the contest

This contest was the second of four contests forming the AFS Super-League, which Cambridge University Wireless Society and the Camb-Hams (the social part of Cambridgeshire Repeater Group) entered jointly. See AFS 2m for more information on the Super-League entry.

I operated from Flossie, the Cambridgeshire Repeater Group's communications van, as G3PYE for this event.

Equipment

□ The Rigs and Antennas used in the entry

Initially: FT-1000MP, TL-922 linear, dipole.
Later: IC-756ProIII, barefoot, dipole.

Adjudicated Score

□ The summary of points I made during the contest

After log-checking, our score was reduced by almost 16% from 1470 claimed to 1240 points. This put G3PYE in 153rd place out of 236, which was slightly disappointing but unsurprising given the problems we faced. As a group, Camb-Hams A came in 24th place (of 91 teams) with 6160 points, which was within the top 50% needed to compete in the Super-League. AFS CW 2011 official results

Write-up

□ My comments about the contest

This was a hard contest for a number of reasons. First, my lack of CW skill after nearly a year without practice was somewhat limited, so apologies and thanks to those of you who patiently put up with me! One of the items which we'd forgotten to pack into the van was a keyer so, about an hour into the contest, M0VFC and M1BXF left me to pick up M1BXF's Pro III, which has a built-in keyer.

While they were in M1BXF's shack, they noticed many people replying to my CQs whom I wasn't hearing. After a quick phone conversation, we realised that there was something wrong with the FT-1000MP's receiver. They returned with the Pro III, which we then ran barefoot as we had problems connecting it to the TL-922.

We never did find out what caused the receiver problems with the MP; all was fine when we took it back to G6UW later. Thwe changed rig did siognificantly improve our run-rate (possibly also affected by me getting used to CW again), from 20Q/hr in the first hour to around 55-60Qs/hr for the rest of the contest.

QSL Information

□ How to get a QSL-Card for a Contest QSO

QSL is OK direct to M0VFC or via the bureau to G3PYE. Please do not send me cards for this contest entry.