[NLRS] [BC'ers] activity

[Zack Widup]

I was not active in the 2010 September contest but I was in 2009 as well as
2011. My score this year was slightly lower than in 2009.

Looking over my logs, I made more microwave QSO's this year but less QSO's
total. I saw quite a few callsigns in the 2009 log that I did not even hear
this year.

K9JK/R started down south and came up north during the contest. He was
probably more difficult to work for people up north. WB8BZK was the driver,
so that's another Rover whose call was not present in the contest.

I noticed the same in the August UHF contest. Participation seemed down, but
conditions on 222 and 432 were really poor that weekend. 902 and 1296 were
much better and the microwave bnds were even better in August.

Just my observations.

73, Zack W9SZ


On Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 8:48 AM, Ken Boston <kboston at lsr.com> wrote:

>
>
> Hi all;
>
> I thought I would throw my 2 cents worth in here.......
>
> I ran most of the contest this last weekend, and became quite disenchanted
> with the general low turnout.  Almost none of the Milwaukee regulars were
> anywhere near their radio's.  The Chicago contingent was way down as well.
>  I usually have nearly 150-200 QSOs in the log by the time I shut down on
> Saturday night, and generally double that by the end of Sunday night for the
> end of the test.  I know, I have not done the email 'blast' to the badger
> list as I have done in the past, mostly because of the excellent effort put
> forth in that department by Todd, KC9BQA.  This year, I had not even reached
> 100 Q's by 11:00 PM on Saturday, and had such a slow rate on Sunday, I
> basically quit to watch football and do yardwork by midday on Sunday.  I did
> get back on Sunday evening for about 3 hours, and found activity levels
> 'better'.
>
> I ended with about 165 QSO's, and a ~25 K score.  (details in a future
> post) Usual for sept is ~400 Q's and 70-100K.
>
> Conditions were average to below, which is unusual by Sept standards, and I
> missed the short AU, due to the wife's  leverage to run out to our favorite
> restaurant. (right smack when the AU happened)  But, I still have to credit
> the low turnout for a poor score.  I also observed a low number of rover's
> this year
>
> I must admit, I have been 'running out of gas' the last few years.  I am
> now in my 60's, working in a company full of 30-somethings, who love the
> 50-60 hour workweek.  I usually come home, and take a quick nap!!  I have
> never been able to be truly competitive from my hilltop, which I initially
> judged to be a great VHF QTH.  The 2 major development with that QTH has
> been the large increase in noise in this neighborhood, thanks to Plazma TVs
> and HV power line noise, plus other consumer electronics; and the growth of
> my large hardwood trees, which have hampered my microwave efforts.  Because
> of this, I have given up totally on 2.3 gig and up.
>
> Like Gregg, I have been drifting back onto HF, where I have been casually
> chasing DX on 40-30-20-17 meter CW with a stinkin little trap vertical!
>
> It seems strange, because the FCC has been seeing 20-30K new hams every
> year, so there must be other factors.  Operator's age's may be one, which
> keeps some of us in the easy chair a little more in the evenings, or the
> heightened noise floors in much of the countryside and urban areas, which
> frustrate us to no end.  I hear many of the FM and repeater guys noting
> lower activity levels, so it is still hard to gauge cause and effect.
>
> Ennyway, I keep playing radio, and look forward to some of the ol-timers
> like Gregg, Duane N9DG and others playing on the bands.
>
>