The pleasure of working US and JA stations

Hi all CW practitioners,

Yesterday Luke VK3HJ and I VK2PN had three hours of bliss.  Working US and JA on 17.  Then the same on 30 next day.  The rates were around 100 per hour or so.  The callers responded our prompts and all was just SOOOOO EASY.

Thank you all who called on those bands.

This is the fun we are here for

73
Patrick

On DX expedition Norfolk Island as VI9NI

The beautiful Norfolk Island.

Chris VK3QB, Luke VK3HJ and David VK3BDX offered me a spot in the four members team.  I've accepted fast and gratefully.

After few days of operating and handling the pileups I have to release this:

-----o-----

Dear EU operators,

How come that I/we can work rates up 100 Q's per hour working US and JA stations? How come the rate drops below 50 Q's or as it was this morning to 25 Q's per hour?

Believe we try to work as many as possible, but you guys are making it just so hard. Please respond just with you call sign and try not to transmit over each other.

There is most obviously a new game in town. With the use of panadaptor (most radios have one) you can easily find where I/we are listening. Great feature. But why are you “dropping” on me/us before I/we complete the QSO. I can't hear the station I'm working and I can't hear you. Both signals are on top of each other. NO QSO then. Too many repeats and the rate is a quarter of what it was with the other continents.

Please wait for the QSO to finish and then call. I'm happy to hear you on the same frequency (saves me reaching for the tuning knob). BUT DON'T CALL ON TOP GOING QSO.

If I call with a part of your callsign I need your callsign only once.

I don't need the 5NN more than once. Actually I don't need the 5NN at all, but it is convention so send it only once.

With your panadaptor, please find a free slot and put your signal there I'll find it. It may take a minute, but I'll find it.

In the picture above there are approx 19 signals. Should be easy. It is not if you don't spread and if you don't keep dropping on going QSO.

Please reconsider. We are, all of us you and us the DX in it for the fun. The battle we are facing is NOT FUN.

Cheers

73

Patrick VK2PN your humble operator and the rest of the team.

RSGB Commonwealth contest aka BERU results are out.

Let's congratulate to team Australia One for winning the contest. The whole team performance was amazing. The boys from WA (killer Kevin 6LW and killer Steve 6VZ). Then John 4CT and the rest of them.All have done a great job. So congratulations to Australia One team.
 
Well done our Canadian friends too.

 Third place was the Australia Two:

 

Well done everybody and hope to see us in 2020
73
patrick

Commonwealth contest BERU 2019

One year older and we had another BERU contest.

Thanks everybody for your calls. Great fun to meet you again.  The result this year was better than last year. Not by much but significant because we are in the solar minimum. However I was amazed how strong some of the DX signals were. Just BIG that is mainly on 40 m.

Band	QSOs
80:	20
40:	149
20:	52
15:	3
10:	0
Total:	224	Total Score	3,560

Below is last year result

Band	QSOs
80:	22
40:	116
20:	48
15:	3
10:	0
Total:	189	Total Score	3,025

Both scores are very similar however one would expect this year should have been not as good.  We are deep in the minimum.

Steve VK6VZ did some hard work by organizing HQ stations from each state.  I believe that gave us all more points.

The 40 m band was the band.  As you can see it was almost busy.

73
Patrick