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CQ 160 CW Lights Up Topband as VY2ZM Looks to Take Back Single Op Title
By Jamie Dupree NS3T, radio-sport.net
With evidence that the next solar cycle may be just beginning, the 2008 running of the CQ160 CW contest arrives just in time this weekend, giving everyone a reason to go all out in 2008.
This year's edition has stations ready from all points on the globe, from CW0TOP in Uruguay, to ZD7X in St. Helena and more familiar topband heavyweights like Jeff Briggs VY2ZM/K1ZM who will be back on from his post on Prince Edward Island.
"Conditions don't seem wonderful on the band," Briggs told radio-sport.net, "but perhaps they will pick up this week."
After winning the single operator title in 2006, Briggs went multi-op last year, finishing third, behind a winning Team CN2A.
This year, it's back to basics, "single high power for sure," said Briggs.
Other defending champs from 2007 include Ville Hilesmaa OH2MM, who operated EA8EA to the high power victory, Ivan Payne VE3DO, who took low power and QRP champ Tony Ramos KP4KE.
In the USA, the high power slot is wide open, as defending champ Mark Beckwith N5OT won't be back at W8JI again this year.
"Unfortunately not," Beckwith told radio-sport.net last week.
"Tom (W8JI) has built his station to be a good multi-op station. The single op foray was not part of his plan. He invited me back to be part of the crew this time around but like I said, I am otherwise engaged unfortunately."
Beckwith's effort last year using the callsign W4AN, held by the late Bill Fisher, brought the single op record back to W4AN's call.
"No doubt we raised the bar a bit," said Beckwith, who ran up 838,118 points from 1,689 QSO's and 129 mults.
"I hope the new W4AN record stands for awhile, but I'm sure Bill would welcome some legitimate competition. Records are made to be broken, after all."
This story also means that Tom Rauch's W8JI superstation will be the favorite to win the USA multi-op title this year, after submitting the top claimed multi-op score last month in the ARRL 160 contest.