Propagation From Russian DX Much Like Other 2008 Tests

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Updated March 31, 2008

The postgame reviews of the 2008 Russian DX contest sound a lot like those of the recent ARRL DX and WPX SSB contests - lots of activity - but little action on the high bands, as propagation again held scores in check.

"Bad conditions on 10 and 15 meters indeed," said Ranko Boca 4O3A, who hosted a Multi-Single effort for Russian DX at his station in Montenegro and then went Single Operator All Band High Power in WPX SSB.

"With claimed 15.2 million points we won world wide, hopefully," Boca told radio-sport.net. (See photo of Team 4O3A at right.)

"Conditions were about as bad as one could expect," said WRTC veteran Dan Craig N6MJ, who scratched his way to 878,631 points from W6YI in California.

"There was basically no opening to European Russia on any band from here," Craig added. "If it wasn't for the fact that we could work US stations, it would have been a very long weekend."

"The key strategy is not to be seduced by the high USA QSO rates and to make yourself stop often and look for DX," said Richard King K5NA, who managed 893,089 points.

"Band conditions were not good," added King, "but if you picked the right time, you could work good DX multipliers and some Russian stations on 20M and 40M."

This year's Russian DX results will have a great bearing on the 2010 WRTC qualifying process, as the test ranks only second to CQWW DX in the number of WRTC points up for grabs.

Among the notable scores from Europe, Tonno Vahk ES5TV owns the best Mixed High Power score in EU #3, with 9.07 million.

In EU #2, DL6FBL has top honors for now at 7.4 million, while in Eu #1, IZ3EYZ is in a dead heat with G4PIQ for the top RDXC score.

Meanwhile, the top score in the EU #4 region probably won't count for WRTC, as UU0JM operated UU7J to 9.8 million points. That's because UU0JM was disqualified from the 2007 CQ WPX CW contest, making him ineligible for the 2010 WRTC.

Next up in the WRTC qualifying battle is CQ WPX SSB.

"I expect huge competition in SOAB category," said Boca 4O3A.

Over in North America, the RDXC brought out a number of top ops looking for WRTC points as well.

NA #1 leader Krassy Petrov may have locked up 910 points by going to the Carribean and winning the Central America region from 6Y1LZ.

That should keep him neck and neck with Randy Thompson K5ZD, who for now owns the top RDXC score from NA #1.

"I would have never operated more than 5-6 hours...if not for WRTC qualifying," said Thompson K5ZD, who instead put in 23 hours and grinded out 2.7 million points in Mixed High Power.

"It was a typical low sunspot DX contest," Thompson told radio-sport.net.

That meant not many DX contacts for those West of the Mississippi River in the US, as competitors struggled for both Russian Oblasts and European DX multipliers.

"For the guys out West, it was a USA QSO Party," added Thompson. "I was impressed by the contact totals N2IC, W6YI (N6MJ), W2SC were able to generate just by begging on 20 meter phone."

"Conditions were very difficult. I worked hard the entire 24 hours," said Jim George N3BB, who finished with 745,068 points. "Can't do much better."