[SFDXA] Fw: On the Bus with WRTC - #4 - 14 July 2002

[Bill Marx]

 On the Bus with WRTC - #4 - 14 July 2002
> 
> It's all over now! The IARU HF Championship is over as of a couple hours
> ago and the team and I are packing our things and  loading them into
> OH2BAH's car for the short ride back to Helsinki and the gathering gang
> at the Radisson hotel. And what a  contest it was.
> 
> As we pulled into OH2BAH's QTH, we were thrilled to see several large
> towers and most amazing of all, a homemade 10-meter  diameter dish for
> EME work. John has a couple of acres at his summer home on a lake about
> 40 miles from Helsinki. He shares  the antennas with his brother, OH2PO,
> the builder of the dish. One of the truly unique experiences of this
> WRTC were the pre- and  post-contest saunas (pronouced "SOW-nah").
> 
> I'm still feeling the warm glow that results from dashing out of the
> dark, dry heat of the wooden benches and diving off the dock  into the
> cool, clear water. I had to demonstrate the good, old American
> Cannonball and Can Opener, of course. There's nothing  like it.
> Returning to the contest, though, if you were following the Real-Time
> Scoreboard, I'm sure you got caught up in the horse  race that developed
> on Sunday. At the close of business, N6TJ and N6AA had managed to
> overtake last year's champs (and  odds-on favorites) N5TJ and K1TO for
> the gold medal. Jim and Dick also fended off a very close challenge from
> DL6FBL and DL2CC, who claimed the silver--also ahead of Jeff and Todd,
> who will be delighted to take the bronze. Saturday night had  N5TJ/K1TO
> in the lead by a substantial margin--I'm guessing due to their uncanny
> ability to mix mult-chasing with running. I was  expecting a three-peat,
> but Team Old Age and Treachery managed to close the gap and more.
> 
> I'm sure that Jim N6TJ will attribute it to "Guts", and he may be right.
> Conditions were really good. Our host, John OH2BAH, said that conditions
> were excellent for midsummer, with a minimum of static and absorption on
> the low bands. Ten was spotty  which was hardly a surprise with the
> solar flux at 136. But with the A and K indices low at 4 and 2,
> respectively, we were prepared  for that. There were no fades and the
> stations appeared from different parts of the world pretty much on cue.
> I hope you got a  chance to put a bunch of the OJ stations in your
> log--maybe enough for a prize or certificate. Listening as I did to the
> entire contest--I think I dozed for a total of about 45 minutes over the
> entire 24-hour run--this was an unusual contest.
> 
> Before the starting bell, we all had visions of what might become an "EU
> Sweepstakes". Not so. Because the weather cooperated, as well, there
> were no stations off the air at any time due to lightning. I guess with
> the sky staying light all the time, maybe you could use the excuse of
> the sun being in your eyes, but that's about all you have to try. 80
> meters was regional (what a surprise) but all the other bands were open
> for DX with plenty of stations. My team of UA2FZ and RW4WR placed close
> to the middle of the pack even with 2400+ QSOs.
> 
> They pushed the last-10-QSO rate meter into the high 200's many times,
> even on CW. I think the difference between the competitors is a very
> small one and is mainly of the fine points of squeezing every drop out
> of a pileup or flurry of callers. With low antennas (12-meters about
> ground) and equal locations, no one team had dominant propagation, so
> they had to maximize each chance to score. So it was over in seemingly
> an instant. I'll tell you that it was a tough chore to be so close--at
> the end of a headphone cable--and yet so far, not being able to
> participate in the rough and tumble of the contest. Referees just have
> to grit their teeth and watch and listen. However, it does strengthen
> one's resolve to get better and be worthy of one of the next WRTC
> chairs.  Speaking of which, will there be another WRTC? Almost
> certainly, but unlike the past two events, there is no announcement of a
> host organization yet. I'm sure that the enthusiasm generated by
> WRTC2002 will carry over to an organization stepping up and taking on
> the job.
> 
> Then we will all be figuring out how to be a captain...or be best
> friends with someone who is. And maybe just packing our bags and saving
> our frequent-flyer miles to participate in one of the best experiences
> in ham radio, the World Radiosport Team Championship.
> 
>  Nakemiin (Goodbye) from Finland!
> 
>  73, Ward N0AX/OH
> 
> --
> Bernie McClenny, W3UR
> 
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> 
>