Report on VHF National Field Day 2008
Our results in the 144MHz Low Power section placed us third again this year, with the following details:
Third Place G4WAW/P operating from IO81QJ
93 QSO
We actually logged 100 QSO on the days, but clearly 7 were disallowed due to logging inaccuracies either at our end or at the receiving end. Whilst losing 7 contacts is regrettable I think this indicates that our logging was reasonably accurate especially as we may have logged correctly but the confirming log entry at the other end could have been inconsistent. Nevertheless more accurate logging should be the aim for 2009.
As the second place operation scored 5644 points more than us, if the missing QSOs were averaging 806km each we could have made up a place through more accurate logging assuming all of the errors were ours.
Given that even the northern tip of Scotland is less than 800km from our site and that by far the vast majority of our contacts were with other G, M and 2 stations (i.e. UK stations) it is unlikely that 100% accuracy would have changed the outcome.
17,663 points
Confirmed and verified QSOs totalling 17,663 km, giving an average of 190km per contact. See Best DX below though.
Best DX
DL0V 687km. This is a German contest group, who will be operating as DF0MU in 2009. VHF-UHF-SHF Contest Group Mnsterland, Near Mnster, JO32PC, GERMANY. These guys are a serious VHF and up contest group by the looks of things, they are recorded as the best DX by 2 other operations in the 144MHz Low Power Section.
Results
Although there is quite a spread in both the number of confirmed QSOs and the points scored in the published results, the best DX distances are within quite a close grouping, barring a couple of outliers, which indicates that propagation was probably reasonably similar across the country. Anecdotal reports indicate that quite a number of stations suffered similar weather problems to us, so although we finished in the same place as last year, all be it with a lower score, it seems that everyone was similarly affected.
Here's hoping the conditions are better this year.
