VY2ZM, K8FH Lead ARRL 160 at Log Deadline; W8JI Top Multi

By Jamie Dupree NS3T, radio-sport.net 

A year after winning the QRP category of the 2006 ARRL 160 Contest from his station in Prince Edward Island, Jeff Briggs VY2ZM/K1ZM has by far the highest score at the log submission deadline for the 2007 running of the ARRL topband test.

Briggs churned out almost 2,000 contacts for 801,090 points, almost 200k more than current second place holder Yuri Blanarovich K3BU, who operated N2EE from West Virginia to the top US score.

In third overall is VY2ZM's brother Peter Briggs K3ZM, who knocked out 466,180 points from 1547 contacts.

Instead of taking on Briggs the Elder this year, Tom Rauch W8JI switched categories for the multi-op ranks and delivered what might be a record setting performance there, a year after winning the high power title.

Rauch's team, which included K1ZZI and WA2MBP, tallied 1,912 contacts and 144 mults for 609,030 points, over a hundred thousand points ahead of the W9AZ group which operated at WB9Z.

"My conclusion, based on going back to 1998, is we just set a new all time USA high score for M/S in the ARRL," said Rauch.

While VY2ZM and W8JI seem headed for victories in different classes from a year earlier, the low power ranks might be seeing a true repeat, as Fred Helwig K8FH has kept his lead with 251,894 points.

"DX signals were strong and plentiful, probably the best all round 160 contest conditions I have experienced in my 12 years on Topband," said Helwig.

Helwig has a 23,000 point lead for now on Julius Fazekas N2WN. In third place in low power is Gene Shea KB7Q, who operated from his mountain retreat in Montana, using a balloon vertical (see photo at right.)

"Conditions were excellent Friday night from here. They were so good I was able to run 297 stations in one sitting, and had a best hour of 117Q's," said Shea.

"I even met one of my goals of being able to break through to Europe when GM3POI called in," said Shea.

The QRP ranks will get a new winner this year because of the category shift by VY2ZM, and for now, the leader is Dana Michael W3TS, the only five-watter to score more than 100,000 points.

In second is CM6RCR at 92k, third is N7IR at 74 thousand.