CQ WW CW 2008 Puts Focus On WRTC; Two Qualifying Events Remain For 2010 Russia WRTC

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Posted November 21, 2008

With only two events left in qualifying for the 2010 World Radiosport Team Championships in Russia, the 2008 CQ WW CW contest gives operators one last chance at a possible 950 WRTC points, the most offered in WRTC qualifying.

"I need those WRTC points!" says WRTC veteran Dan Craig N6MJ, who is chasing K7RL and K6XX in the NA #4 qualifying region.

Craig will be making a rare Single Op effort in CQ WW CW to try to make up some ground.

"It will be my first ever SOAB in WW CW this year from W6YI," said Craig.

"I'm going to have to get full points in the CQ WW CW and Russian DX to have a good chance at getting one of the WRTC spots," says Kevin Stockton N5DX, who has knocked out a series of good finishes in recetn months.

"The WRTC race is really close for the second operator spot in the W5 W0 region," said Stockton, who is currently in 19th place in NA #3.

"It has been fun to be a part of the regional competition and to be competitive with the likes of N2IC, N3BB, K5NA, K5TR and KU1CW."

Trying his best to hang on in second place in NA #3 is Richard King K5NA.

"At my age, WRTC 2010 is my last gasp at doing serious contesting and I don't expect to ever go through this again," King said recently. "So there may be more multi-ops and single band entries in my future."

The leader in NA #3 is Steve London N2IC, who may have helped his cause with a top finish in the November Sweepstakes CW contest, which was worth 700 WRTC points.

Over in NA #1 on the East Coast, WRTC leader Randy Thompson K5ZD will could solidify his spot in the 2010 WRTC with another 950 point outing in CQ WW CW.

"I needed WRTC points as motivation for Phone, but not for CW," Thompson told radio-sport.net.

In second place in NA #1 is Andy Blank N2NT, who will be back at V47NT in Zone 8 for CQ WW CW this year. The past two years, Blank has won the full 950 points from there, giving him a good chance to qualify again.

"I don't have any new goals, just to try to make a bigger score than last year," Blank told radio-sport.net. N2NT finished third in the World in SOAB HP in 2007.

Also on the road will be Yuri Onipko VE3DZ, who will operate from Suriname.

"I don't have competitive station up here Canada at the moment," said Onipko "so it is going to be a good opportunity to gain some extra and much needed points for me towards WRTC-2010."

This year's WRTC qualifying may also affect who has a chance to win that Single Operator competition in CQ WW CW, as defending champ Hrane Milosevic YT1AD is may run the contest from his home region in EU #4.

"Maybe for WRTC points is interesting operating from YU as YT5A, but 3V8BB is also good option," said Milosevic, who is currently in 4th place in his division. The top five qualify as a team leader in the 2010 WRTC.

If YT1AD stays home, it will make EU #4 even more competitive in CQ WW CW, with full efforts expected from 4O3A, S50A and DL6FBL, who will be at SV9CVY again.

"The last shot will be RDXC 2009," says Bernd Och DL6FBL, who won 950 points from the EU #4 region in the 2007 CQ WW CW test.

"There is still some potential to kill some of those boring 650 point multi-op scores," he told radio-sport.net.

Och is currently in second place in his home region of EU #2, trailing OM2VL.

Check out all the WRTC qualifying scores at wrtc.radio-sport.net