50MHz UK Activity Contest of 2005

A total of 18 different stations competed in the two sections of this contest. Conditions were very variable with little DX available even to the best-sited stations in some sessions. Predictably, the best propagation occurred during the summer months (June, July and August) when the leading stations managed to work DX at ranges of over 2000 km.

However, each QSO only scored 1 point in this contest with the final score calculated by multiplying the number of QSO by the number of different large QTH squares (IO91, JO01 etc). This means that working lots of DX stations in the same QTH square did not lead automatically to a winning score - different tactics are necessary in this type of contest!

As is usual in cumulative type contests, the normalised scores for each station's best sessions (six sessions in this case) were added together to arrive at an overall score.

Congratulations to Bryn Llewellyn, G4DEZ for gaining the maximum score of 6000 points and hence winning the Single Operator Fixed Station section of this contest. Roger Piper, G3MEH, was a close second accumulating 5284 points.

The South Birmingham Radio Society, G8OHM, operating from their fixed station site to the south west of Birmingham, dominated the Open section, winning every session they entered. A single operator station, Dave Hewitt, GW8ZRE/P was the runner-up in the Open section.

James D Beatwell, 2E1GUA, receives the Leading Intermediate Station award and Frank Laanen, PE1EWR, receives the Leading Overseas Station award.

Thank you to Jan van Belzen, PE1AXM, for his check log for the September session.

Ian Pawson, G0FCT