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The Results in Full: Wythall Radio Club Xmas Contest 2023

January 19, 2024 By: john daws Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

Contest Organiser Lee presents Martin M7XFD with his certificate as Leading Foundation Member in the Xmas Contest.

David G7IBO, a veteran of many Wythall Radio Club Contests, receives his certificate from Lee

Wythall Radio Club Xmas Contest 2023 Presentation Evening

January 18, 2024 By: john daws Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

G7OJO All Band and 2E0BLP 2m/70cm FM Christmas Contest 

 

Wythall Radio  Club held their 2023 Xmas Contest Awards evening recently , hosted as ever by Lee G0MTN. The event was well supported with some 24 members attending through Zoom and in person.

The aim of the Contest is quite simply to have fun and boost band activity amongst members (and has absolutely nothing to do with getting away from family for a while during the stressful festive period.)

Anyway the above aims were achieved with most activity taking place on the Club frequency 145.225 and using GB3WL.

HF activity was evident with SSB, FT8 and even CW QSO’s recorded.

Lee also reported an increase in digital voice activity but the seasonal bad weather meant little portable and mobile activity!

Bravery Awarded -2E0NCO out in the Lickey Hill during the 2023 Xmas Contest!

Kevin 2E0NCO did however brave the elements (and was rewarded for his efforts).

Other highlights included the bonus multipliers provided by Allen M0PPX, Dave GM3YXM on 1942kHz (160m) and the very welcome involvement of our two newest members Martin M7FXD and John G7PIR.

Log checking was occasionally  a challenge (guilty as charged) as a few failed to cope with the electronic logging system kindly provided by organiser Lee , but neatly written copies are always welcome. (2E0XET should take note in the future!)

AND SO TO THE RESULTS: 

THE 2E0BLP 2M/70CM TROPHY

           CONGRATULATIONS TO KEVIN 2E0NCO    HONOURING    A LONGSTANDING FAMILY TRADITION

 

The leading Foundation member award went to Martin M7XFD

 

The All Modes SectionTHE G7OJO TROPHY:

 CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRIS G3YHF

       John G7PIR received the Newcomer’s Award

 

 

                    (The full result board will be published here in the coming week)

Lee was thanked for his fantastic work in organising and running  the event and we now look forward to Neil’s G1TZC  Satellite Presentation on Tuesday February 6th in the Darts Room at Wythall House (8.30 p.m.)

 

 

 

 

So close but just pipped at the post! G4WAC/P (GoMTN) runner up in the NFD CW QRP Class

June 24, 2023 By: john daws Category: Club, Contest, News

Was the break for sustenance (a sausage roll?) the crucial lost few minutes  the moment that Lee (G0MTN) just lost out to M0RYB/P  (Loxlot Club) in the QRP Unassisted Portable Station Section in the recent National Field Day Contest??

Lee endured extremes of heat and cold in his one man 24 hour operation

Lee writes:

“NFD results are out and  G4WAC/P *almost* won the QRP shield… I came second. I had more QSOs than the second placed entrant (and previous winner) but couldn’t find / work enough multipliers.  All the Russians that called are worth zero points too currently. Have a look at the attached chart to show how close the race was. It does show there’s no time for sleeping!  

 

 

I submitted the log to the German DARC society for their (and the IARU) Field Day – let’s see if it’s the same result there.

https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/hfresults.pl?Contest=NFD&year=2023

A magnificent performance  and please see the previous report on Lee’s extraordinary marathon

The G0ICJ Shield : Chris G0EYO Triumphs Again!

May 26, 2023 By: john daws Category: Club, Contest, Fun

Chris G0EYO has participated in every Easter Wythall Radio Club Contest since its inception 25 years ago but this is the first time he has won the All Bands section and is the happy recipient of the G0ICJ shield (see pic).

This contest, and its older companion, the WRC Christmas contest (37 years old as of 2022) is a great way of getting members on the air over a holiday period and getting points for working each other.

Winning often takes stamina, determination and ingenuity, none of which Chris possesses, so he puts his success purely down to luck!

Although this year’s contest had its sadness due to the passing of its most successful participant; Jim 2E0BLP a short while after the contest finished, it was inspiring that despite his deteriorating health condition, Jim actually won the FM section for the 7 th time.

Chris says he was “honoured to share the winner’s platform with the manwho was known to all as the “Voice of the Midlands”

 

Coming soon ..

the sun is out .. the sky is blue and is that the sound of  young  birds twittering in the  green foliage?.. no .. it’s members of Wythall  Radio Club warming up for the national CW Field day on the Weekend  of June 3rd-4th. 

Watch this space!

 

An Emotional Event: Wythall Radio Club Easter 2023 Results and Awards’ Evening

May 10, 2023 By: john daws Category: Club, Contest, News

Wythall Radio Club Easter Contest 2023: Tears and Fond Memories

The Award ceremony was held recently for the 2023 Easter contest .

This annual  competition , held to simply stimulate Club activity on the bands , ran from Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday and is always fiercely contested!

There were a few tears and some lovely memories  shared as Lee G0MTN  presented the results  and , to no one’s surprise,  Jim 2E0BLP,  comfortably won the G6ZDQ Shield for the 2m/70cm  Contest 

 In a moving tribute Kevin 2E0NCO,  revealed  that despite Jim’s failing health,  how determined  his dad had been to take part and succeed in this Easter competition.

Maz , M6NKO, had been on hand to help Jim record his many contacts (see photo left) but sadly this was to be Jim’s final  competition for he died a few days later.

Jim’s record over the years in the Christmas and Easter competitions is simply astonishing with 12 wins: he can truly be hailed as Wythall Radio Club’s ‘Greatest of All Time’ 

Les  2E0LRV was second with 130 points and third place was held by Ian M0IDR with 80 points.

 

 

 

In the HF All Bands section  for The G0ICJ trophy,  Chris G0EYO  (pictured below) was a comfortable winner  followed by Chairman Chris G3YHF and Ian M0LQY.

Although numbers participating were smaller this year many other members submitted check logs  and there was certainly a flurry of activity over the Easter weekend

Our many thanks go to Lee G0MTN for yet again organising the Competition.

Future events won’t seem  quite the same without the much loved Voice of the Midlands.

Xmas Radio Fun at Wythall

January 25, 2023 By: Chris G3YHF Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

PHOTO: https://www.pauloxmanpublishing.com/On-The-Antenna-Again,12804.html

Twenty-four members were active during Wythall Radio Club’s 7-day Christmas Contest.

Our members operated on all bands from 160m to 23cms, from home, mobile and portable.

We used SSB, CW, FM, FT8, Zello and digital voice modes, including the Club’s GB3WL repeater when necessary.

Martin G8VXX/M made lots of QSOs from his canal barge moored at Wootton Wawen, while Clive M7OCB was active /P while walking his dogs.

Ian M0IDR won the Jim 2E0BLP ‘Voice of the Midlands’ Trophy for his top score in the 2m/70cm FM section.  Great work from his QTH near Evesham – not an easy path to Club members who are mostly located in Redditch and south Birmingham.

However, he alone worked Simon G4TVR/P who was on his handheld in Ross-on-Wye, and Kev G4XLO/P on his day-trip to south Worcestershire.

Miles 2E0YZW and Sylwia M3SSP came second and third in the 2m/70cm section, and Sylwia was also the leading Foundation licencee is this category!

In the all-modes and bands section, Don G0NES retained the Reg Brown G7OBO Trophy helped by picking up all the band, operating and mode bonus points (left, receiving trophy from Mike G4VPD, Club President). 

As happened last year, Don G0NES made a special trip by car to make his 23cms FM contact for those extra 50 bonus points!

Chris G3YHF and David G7IBO were second and third, separated by only 5 points!

The leading Foundation licencee in this category was Clive M7OCB, who came fifth – an excellent result with his 10 watts and limited antenna.

The Club’s DX members were also active during the contest.  Kev G4XLO in Torquay provided valuable points on 40m FT8.  Dave GM3YXM was worked on Top Band SSB by several members.

50% of the Club’s members made Contest QSOs – 2E0BLP 2E0EGP 2E0LRV 2E0NCO 2E0XET 2E0YZW G0EYO G0HVN G0MTN G0NES G3YHF G(M)3YXM G4TVR G4VPD G4XLO G7IBO G8VXX M0IDR M0IFT M0LQY M0PPX M3SSP M6OTN M7OCB

Click here for the full results.

At G5AT – a view of mission control!

December 12, 2022 By: Chris G3YHF Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

A cold misty mid-December afternoon.. an undisclosed destination on the fringes of South Birmingham (a safe house?).  Three mature males from Wythall Radio Club stagger their arrivals (to avoid suspicion?) and are ushered into a radio operating room the likes of which this scribe (John M6KET) has never experienced before. **

After the understated 40-watt light bulb atmosphere of last week’s QRP operation, here we are confronted with a console of modern DX and contesting equipment: Yaesu FTDX5000, keyboards, morse keys, headsets, linear amplifiers, Optibeam OB6-3M antenna rotator, computer screens showing automatic logging programmes, the global grey line and much else besides.

Yes, it was the second day of the ARRL 10m SSB/ CW contest and Lee G0MTN had kindly invited Chris G3YHF, Clive M7OCB and John M6KET into his beautifully designed ‘shack’ to operate the specially allocated call G5AT, celebrating the first European Amateur contact with the USA back in 1922.

No such challenge with contacts this afternoon as on a busy band QSO’s with our USA cousins flowed.  DX contacts included Chris making an effortless contact with Aruba and John had no trouble in reeling in Halesowen!

Clive was soon into the action with SSB and when both John and Clive faltered in the white hot heat of contest pressure Lee was on hand to keyboard us out of panic from a back seat!!

On one occasion scrambling for his usual pencil and paper on the desk in front of him, John was surprised and spooked to hear his contest CW QSO completed with his hands nowhere near the key- magic indeed.

Watching the skill with which Lee worked was an education in itself as he reeled off a string of points and contacts at astonishing speeds and I believe by the end of the afternoon some 150 contacts had been made.

The beam and power obviously helped but the legerdemain of the operator’s fingers on the keyboard is impressive (particularly if you are a one finger keyboard typist!).  One can only imagine the levels of concentration and endurance required when operating a full contest over 36/48 hours.

Our thanks to Lee and family for their hospitality, mince pies and coffee and this much appreciated opportunity to dip  into the contesting world on one of the major weekends of the season.

** Apologies this week to John le Carre

 

Lee G0MTN talk on HF antennas at RSGB Convention

November 03, 2022 By: Chris G3YHF Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

How can you put out the best signal on HF? And make a good score in HF contests? 

This was the theme for Wythall Radio Club member Lee G0MTN’s talk at the RSGB Convention 2022 and at an evening session for Club members.

What can we do with a modest sized garden?  

Is it only possible to achieve a good contest score with multiple multi-element beams? 

How can antenna theory help us? 

Lee covers these questions and more.

You can watch his talk by clicking on the picture.  

Field-day Fun at Wythall Club

July 17, 2022 By: Chris G3YHF Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

Warm weather, good company and lots of RF were on hand for Wythall Radio Club’s ‘Plug and Play’ field day last Saturday.

The advance party of Phil 2E0WTH and Kev 2E0NCO collected the pop-up gazebos from the club room at 8.30am, Martin G8VXX delivered his generator, and Ian M0LQY had the first station on the air by 9.15. 

12 members and Brambles the spaniel joined in the fun. 

 

 

We had 6 stations on the air on HF and VHF, using SSB, CW and FT8

Antennas included long wires, a delta loop, multi-band dipoles, a Moxon, vehicle-mounted HF and VHF verticals, and colinears for 2m.  Unfortunately, the wind was too light for the 5/8ths on 80m kite vertical.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We used a large field in Wythall Park, where our Club is located.  There was considerable debate about the best method to get cord over the oak tree branches to support the long wires. 

We used a fishing catapault and reel as well as a weight, both being successful (see photo)

We chose this Saturday to coincide with the IARU HF Contest so there would be lots of activity on SSB and CW, although we weren’t entering the contest and had lots of time to chat with stations on 2 meters FM and non-contest stations on HF

Lee G0MTN had several spells working contest stations on both modes.  He made over 100 qsos despite Brambles wanted him to throw a stick!(see photo).

Meanwhile, Ian M0LQY was busy on FT8 – especially on 20m and 17m – with DX highpoints working VP2EIH in Anquilla and Club member Chris G0EYO in nearby Redditch! 

He was using the new Xiegu600 – reviewed in a recent RadCom by Wythall Club’s own Dave G(M)3YXM – with a Xiegu linear and 124.5′ long wire with a 17′ counterpoise

PSK spots show he was getting worldwide coverage – nice!!

 

We were delighted to be joined by Jim 2E0BLP, and were able to present him with the Colin Baker G6ZDQ Easter Contest VHF/UHF Shield for winning this section in our Easter contest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All field days rely on a good supply of nourishment, and some members brewed-up and cooked bacon and eggs.  Our fun day together ended with a fish and chip supper.

We packed up and left the field about 12 hours after we arrived – having had lots of fun with RF!

Besides those mentioned above, the Club’s field day also attracted:  Les 2E0LRV, Warwick G4WMH, Stu M0NYP, Milo 2E0YZW, Chris G3YHF and visitors Mike 2E0ILX and spaniel Brambles.

MORE PHOTOS

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Easter Contest Fun at Wythall Club

May 11, 2022 By: Chris G3YHF Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

Wythall Radio Club’s eagerly awaited Easter Contest Results are out!!

Keeping up his excellent track record, Jim 2E0BLP is the winner of the 2m / 70cm FM Section and the G6ZDQ Shield with 800 points, well clear of Simon G4TVR in second place. 

Clive M7OCB was the leading Foundation operator in the 2m/70cm section, and third equal with Pete M5DUO.

In the All Bands/Modes section, Chris G3YHF is the winner of the G0ICJ Shield with 364 points.  Ian M0LQY was second (only 12 points short!) and Chris G0EYO in third place.

During the contest, Stuart M0SRZ, Clive M7OCB and Chris G3YHF scaled Walton Hill – a local highpoint – and activated it for SOTA (Summits on the Air) points.  

It was a lot warmer than their previous activation, and contacts were made with Club members as well as other stations.

The picture shows Clive on 2m FM using his wire J-pole slung from a 7m SOTA mast, and Chris trying to get some cw qsos on 40m using an FT817 and 40m inverted V dipole from an 8m SOTA mast.

Sadly, Jim 2E0BLP has announced that he is going to retire from serious club contest efforts.

We thank Jim for his enthusiasm over many years. 

Jim has won the Easter contest more than any other member, is a joint leader of the Christmas Contests with Kev 2E0NCO, and overall has won more club contests (11) than any other member – ever!!

The photo shows Jim receiving the Trophy for winning the Christmas Contest 2m/70cm section from Kev.

We hope Jim will continue to be on the air during future contests with his reliable signal, even if he’s not making a serious entry!