8P5A LEADS CQWW SSB AT LOG DEADLINE; P40A BIDS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT LOW POWER WIN

By Jamie Dupree NS3T, radio-sport.net 

Barring major log checking troubles or an unknown top score, Tom Georgens 8P5A (W2SC) seems headed for his third single operator victory at the log deadline for the CQWW SSB Contest.

Georgens tallied 12.6 million points from his DX perch on Barbados, overcoming a weekend of severe QRM in the Caribbean due to then Tropical Storm Noelle.

"Multipliers seemed to come easier than normal," said Georgens, who also won the high power category in 2005 and 2001.

Georgens hit the CQWW SSB log deadline with a commanding lead of 2.5 million points over Jeff Briggs VY2ZM/K1ZM, who surprised many with a strong second place effort.

"I am generally pleased with my results - as it is a personal best," said Briggs. "The conditions were quite good I thought."

Briggs is one of three Zone 5 competitors in the top ten claimed scores, not exactly what many might have predicted.

In third in the SSB leg is the defending 2006 champ John Crovelli, who for now has the #2 claimed score in this year's CQWW CW.

Crovelli also had to battle difficult conditions from the Caribbean on 80 and 160 meters.

"I expected low band operation to be a challenge and it certainly turned out that way," said Crovelli.

Crovelli's CQWW SSB featured an unfortunate Saturday night, where he slept for six and a half hours, five of which were "unscheduled."

Crovelli told radio-sport.net that he fixed that for the CQWW CW weekend.

"The "super loud" alarm clock purchased since CQWW SSB performed perfectly! I didn't oversleep during the scheduled 2.5 hour off time on Sunday morning taken just before sunrise."

The top five for now has 8P5A in first, VY2ZM in second, P40W third, Toni Linden CU2A (OH2UA) fourth and John Sluymer VC3J (VE3EJ) is in fifth.

"I felt that conditions were really odd this year," said Linden CU2A, who also leads the European single op claimed scores with over eight million points.

"On Sunday I could not get any stateside runs on 15 or 20 meters until the last couple hours of the contest," reported the Finnish ham. "I think that I have to pay more attention to points/hour rate instead of QSO/hour rate."

The big change as the log deadline arrived came in the low power category, where defending champ John Bayne P40A (KK9A) submitted a claimed score of 8,070,000 points, blowing away his LP competition.

Bayne came close to doubling up Teddy Jimenez HI3T (HI3TEJ) who has 4.4 million points. In third is Alex Panoiu A45WD (YO9HP) with 3.4 million. ZP0R (ZP5AZL) and 5B/HA5PP round out the world low power top five.

In the assisted category, Phillipe Lutty LX7I (LX2A) leads with 7.8 million points. In second is ER0WW (UT5UDX) is at 7.2 million. UT5UDX is also in second right now in the Assisted claimed scores in CQWW CW.

Moving over to the multi-op ranks, Team AO8A heads the Multi-two category with 31.2 million points over C50C with 29.5 million; CN3A has the multi-single lead by a million points over FY5KE.

As for the Multi-Multi competition, Team V26B on Antigua has the lead with 21.8 million points.