CQWW EUROPE: CU2A STAKES CLAIM TO REPEAT SSB VICTORY

By Jamie Dupree NS3T, radio-sport.net 

Aiming for both a repeat of last year's top European score and the first step towards a CQWW SSB-CW double, Toni Linden CU2A/OH2UA leads the European single operator ranks, with a claimed score of over eight million points.

Linden's score was 1.1 million more than his claimed score of 2006, which gave him the top spot in Europe. Afterward though, the Finnish contester still felt he should have done even better.

"There's always room for improvement," said Linden. "I felt that this time I could have been using the second radio more efficiently. Also, I'm not that satisfied with my multiplier total, even if it is something like 50 mults more than a year ago."

Linden's totals though are pretty solid - 6,550 QSO's, 133 zones and 507 DXCC.

"I felt that conditions were really odd this year," said Linden.

"On Sunday I could not get any stateside runs going on 15 or 20 until the last couple of hours of the contest."

While others were taking advantage of good conditions on 10 meters, Linden said those signals were shooting over his post on the Azores.

"I heard EU stations working each other but from CU the skip was quite local and it didn't make sense to run 300 DL stations on 10 when 15 meters was producing some DX contacts at the same time."

For now, here is the European top five:

1. CU2A (OH2UA) - 8,213,760

2. M6T (G4PIQ) - 6,673,593

3. 4O3A - 6,208,470

4. ES5TV - 5,942,199

5. S50A - 5,500,000

The second place claimed score for now is owned by Andy Cook G4PIQ, who piloted M6T to over five thousand contacts and 6.67 million points.

Like Linden CU2A, Cook felt like he could have produced even more points.

"Why didn't I move some more mults on Saturday, why didn't I push myself harder on the second radio, why did I forget to check for South American mults on 10 meters on Saturady after dusk," were the questions Cook was asking himself.

While Cook made almost 1100 contacts on 80 meters, he struggled on 40 meters, with only 565.

"40 meters was the big shock," said Cook. "Like many others, I really couldn't make headway there. Also northerly paths, especially Japan, were even poorer than I feared.

Cook said he felt his general strategy was okay, but that he needs to be "better organized and rested" before the contest starts.

"I'm rarely good at doing that and now having to try and fit radio round a young family makes it harder than ever!"

In fourth with 5,942,199 points is Tonno Vahk ES5TV, who says he knew his fate fairly quickly because of propagation.

"Band conditions were horrible to the US and that pretty much determines the chances to put a competitive score in Europe," said Vahk. "I had the worst US propagation ever on all bands I guess."

It wasn't that Vahk was lacking for contacts, as he made 5,800 QSO's and improved upon his claimed score from last year by 10 percent.

"I guess I did the best that the propagation and station allowed," said Vahk. "On the high bands I had some interference and also missed some mults."

Like many Vahk, will be back in a few short weeks to try again in the CQWW CW contest.

"I have to make improvements to the station in terms of interference and reliability," said Vahk. "The key is to be very flexible and gather info with the second radio."

Other top scores include 4.2 million from Steve Cole GW4BLE in Wales.

"This is no big deal compared to some of the posted scores, but given the conditions I gave it my best shot," said Cole.

"What I am very pleased with however is my high points/QSO ratio, this is something I particularly worked at and looks to be higher than many of my contemporaries."

Cole enjoyed some of the shifting propagation on 10 meters, "I was able to grab a few zone 5 and zone 4 on 10 metres which was fun."

Now it's time to figure out what to do differently next time. COle says for him it might start close to home.

"I guess I should have run more Europeans to get the QSO total up and then moved some of those ‘easy’ Eu mults to different bands."