CQWW CW EUROPE: OH2UA LOOKS TO REPEAT 2006 DOUBLE

By Jamie Dupree NS3T, radio-sport.net 

After posting the highest score from Europe and 4th highest in the world in the CQWW SSB contest, Toni Linden OH2UA will be back in the Azores as CU2A to defend his European single operator title from 2006 in the CQWW CW contest.

"I hope I can," said Linden, who has won two straight European CW titles. "If I do not face unexpected problems I hope to claim a score like 8 million points again this year."

"It should be enough to win Europe, but you never know."

Last year's second place European finisher Iliya Getzov LZ4UU won't be back at the LZ9W contest station in Bulgaria, as LZ9W will again be in the multi-op category this year.

Also moving over to multi-op was last year's third place finisher David Lawley G4BUO, who had a strong score in as a low power entry in the CQWW SSB contest a few weeks back.

"Mainly because of some work issues, but also because of the impossibility of beating CU2A, I will be joining the G5W multi-single team," said Lawley.

"G is really in northern Europe," said Lawley. "The Azores are a good ways towards America and frankly unless the guy piloting the station has major problems, there's not much you can do to beat him."

With Lawley in another category, Andy Cook G4PIQ is ready to make a solid run at the European title, as he did in the CQWW SSB contest as M6T, where he ran up over 6.6 million points, second best in Europe and the #7 claimed score in the world.

"(I) certainly plan for the top ten box," Cook told radio-sport.net.

"The station (M6T) is at a new permanent location and is being re-built to be ready for multi-multi again next year," says Cook, "but most of the antennas have to be re-installed each contest."

The tower and low band wires work takes a full day according to Cook, which last time left him a bit too tired for the CQWW SSB.

"I do hope to get some sleep before the contest this time," said Cook, "didn't happen for SSB, so I had 2.25 hours sleep in 68 hours up."

Meanwhile in the low power category, Filipe Lopes CT1ILT will move back from Assisted and see if he can find the winning formula for 2007.

"I tried Assisted last year with SO2R and it wasn't worth it," said Lopes, who spent CQWW SSB in Jamaica operating at 6Y1V.

Like Linden CU2A, Lopes has no dreams of winning the world low power title, as the goal is simply being #1 in Europe.

"I am not going to change my strategy," said Lopes, "I just have to improve my low band antennas in order to get the maximum number of mults. It is a very hard job on 160 and 80 meters in low power."

As for the impact of current solar conditions, Linden CU2A said he hopes the CW leg is not a repeat of CQWW SSB in some respects.

"In SSB I had a surprisingly low DX percentage," said Linden, who added that he missed some of the ten meter openings that others had on the European continent.

"I hope that we will return to 'normal' when the best 10 meter openings in Europe are from the Azores," Linden said.

When asked about others who might challenge him, Linden told radio-sport.net that he focuses on himself, not others.

"There's many stations and skillful operators who can win Europe," said Linden, "so it will once again be a big weekend."

"I'll set my goal purely based on my own target," said Linden, who plans to go the full 48 hours in CQWW CW. "If someone else makes a bigger score, he deserves to be first in Europe."