Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: IARU HF Contest the weekend 9 July  (Read 277 times)

K3TN

  • Member
  • Posts: 1014
    • My Blog
IARU HF Contest the weekend 9 July
« on: July 06, 2022, 04:35:40 AM »

The IARU HF World Championship contest starts Saturday 9 July at 1200Z. HF conditions usually aren't great for this one but lots of activity both SSB and CW. The exchange for most is RS(T) and ITU Zone, not CQ Zone - look here for your ITU zone.

Another fun twist in this one: IARU HQ stations will send their HQ abbreviation, like ARRL or RSGB, instead of ITU zone and count for extra points and as multipliers.

Full rules here.

73 John K3TN
Logged
John K3TN

VE6SH

  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: IARU HF Contest the weekend 9 July
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2022, 06:16:10 AM »

and don't forget the IARU officials who will send either AC, R1, R2 or R3.

Tim VE6SH(/7 for the contest)
Logged

AF5CC

  • Posts: 1664
    • HomeURL
Re: IARU HF Contest the weekend 9 July
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2022, 07:29:47 PM »

This is always one of my favorite contests of the year.  Even ran it mobile one year returning home from a friend's funeral.  The HQ stations and IARU officials do count for extra multipliers, but not for extra points.  They are all 1 point QSOs, like a station in your own ITU zone, even if they are half the world away.

73 John AF5CC
Logged

K3TN

  • Member
  • Posts: 1014
    • My Blog
Re: IARU HF Contest the weekend 9 July
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2022, 03:52:40 AM »

If you sent your logs in on Sunday, the log received robot had a problem. Even if you got a confirm email, logs uploaded in the first 20 hours did not get stored.

You can check at here to see if your log is there.

I got caught in that, re-uploaded this morning and worked fine.

73 K3TN
Logged
John K3TN

KH6AQ

  • Member
  • Posts: 9292
Re: IARU HF Contest the weekend 9 July
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2022, 05:25:00 AM »

Thank you so much for posting about the contest log robot. I checked and the log I submitted on Sunday is not listed so I resubmitted it today.
Logged

K3TN

  • Member
  • Posts: 1014
    • My Blog
Re: IARU HF Contest the weekend 9 July
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2022, 03:31:19 AM »

I got on at the start as it was raining here and a good morning to contest. Conditions on 20 were pretty sucky and my OCF dipole is not a band opener on 15m or 10m. So spent more time on 40M until 20 perked up.

I don't use history files, so I always like this one for having to copy the HQ stations' exchange, and the occasional AC from officials - not to mention they are multipliers!

I also ran across the bands to work W1AW/3 which was a distributed operation managed by fellow Potomac Valley Radio Club member Frank W3LPL. The CW stations and ops were all PVRC, the SSB were Frankford Radio Club PA members - I think Tim K3LR, owner of DX Engineering, managed the SSB side.

Missed most of evening since I was down at my daughter's house (where my wife has been for a week) visiting the new granddaughter and getting a free dinner. When I got back 20 was in phenomenal shape and 15 was still open.

I made about 642 Qs, spent about 7 hours and had a blast.

73 John K3TN
Logged
John K3TN

KH6AQ

  • Member
  • Posts: 9292
Re: IARU HF Contest the weekend 9 July
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2022, 09:04:56 AM »

Excellent and for just 7 hours. Yes, condx were good here in KH land too with 15m open until the end of the 'test at 2AM local time. 10m opened nicely to Asia around 6PM local time plus 40 and 20 meters provided many Qs. Four of us on Hawaii island (the Big island with the small population) put in serious efforts in four different CW categories. Operating times were 24, 24, 22 and 17 hours.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2022, 09:09:46 AM by KH6AQ »
Logged

AF5CC

  • Posts: 1664
    • HomeURL
Re: IARU HF Contest the weekend 9 July
« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2022, 08:02:47 AM »

Conditions were strange for this contest.  EU was booming in on 20 late into the evening, as would be expected, but where was Asia and the Pacific?  I only worked one JA the entire contest-on 15 meters.  Worked a few KH6 stations and heard 3D2AG on, but never heard any VKs or ZLs and I was up and operating until 2am local time.  Might be the first time I never worked either of those in the IARU contest.  Didn't hear Siberia on at all either. Usually this is a good contest to work UA9 and UA0 with the north polar in 24 hour sunlight. 

80 meters was almost completely dead also.  Worked a couple of stations there but heard very little activity.  Didn't even get a Zone 6 from the west coast?? 

One of the more unusual IARU contests propagationwise.  Did anyone else notice this?

Still, it was a lot of fun and I think I did my second best score ever, partially due to a lot of BIC time.

73 John AF5CC
Logged

K3TN

  • Member
  • Posts: 1014
    • My Blog
Re: IARU HF Contest the weekend 9 July
« Reply #8 on: July 16, 2022, 05:12:32 AM »

From here (east coast), JAs were booming in Saturday morning on 20M. On Sundays there are always fewer since it is Monday there but the big guns were still coming through.

I didn't get on for the late afternoon (east coast)/evening AS opening, but locals with beams said they were working JA/BY/YB. etc and having a blast. I did get on at about 0600z and 20 was wide open to EU and locals on 15m were working JAs I could barely here on my Windom/OCF dipole at 45'.
Logged
John K3TN

PD2R

  • Member
  • Posts: 168
Re: IARU HF Contest the weekend 9 July
« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2022, 02:49:01 AM »

I participated as one of the ops at the PA6HQ 15 meter CW station. We choose this band specifically because it usually closes during the night. This means we can have a BBQ at night and maybe drink a beer or two. For us the social aspect is just as important as getting a good score. The funny thing was that this year, the band never really did close down at night. QSO rates droped as low as 20 Q's an hour between 0400h and 0500h local time but they were almost all 5 point Q's with station from NA. We only worked one JA and VK, both when I was beaming 300 degrees towards NA. I believe I made both Q's when it was about an hour past our midnight. I tried long path and short path beamheadings towards JA and VK but to no avail. I probably should have tried beaming over the pole instead.

So yes, conditions did seem very strange in this years edition of IARU HF Championships. It was a lot of fun though  ;)
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up