Your Holiday Break is Here With the 2007 Stew Perry 160 Contest

By Jamie Dupree NS3T, radio-sport.net 

The 2007 running of the Stew Perry 160 contest could be a wide open affair, as two of last year's single operator title holders aren't expected to make a run at the top spot and a third has been struggling with antenna repairs.

"I am in XE-land this year and will not be operating from home, much to my great disappointment," said defending high power champ Bob March N7UA. "However, I am looking around for an XE in central Mexico that can get on 160 and just maybe I can work something out. I am crossing my fingers."

For those unfamiliar with the Stew Perry, the scoring system of the contest is what makes it different from most HF contests.

The point value for each contact is based on distance - the longer the QSO, the more points. You also get extra points for working a QRP station, as that is factored in later when the logs are processed.

"The obvious strategy is to work as much long distance as possible," says March. "This involves a trade-off between working mostly US and VE stations and working Europe and JA at the opportune times."

"Often Europe hears W stations CQing away, but gets trounced by the much louder W stations on the band," March told radio-sport.net. "So it really helps to keep the NE and NW beverage antennas active, and spend time working DX."

Among those ready to get on the air for the contest is Merv Schweigert K9FD, who won the low power title in the 2006 Stew by making 247 net contacts from 133 grids worldwide from his home in Hawaii.

"I will be active if the high winds and storms stop here on Molokai so I can erect my new vertical antenna," Schweigert told radio-sport.net. "Time is getting short. I put it off earlier in the summer and am now regretting it."

Schweigert reports that propagation has been "fair" for him in recent weeks to the US and Europe.

"The morning path into Europe has been the best, but open only sporadically. US stations start to be heard just before my sunset, but most have the beverages to EU selected," said Schweigert.

"It's hard to make yourself heard at that time of evening."

Hoping to move up to #1 in low power is Gene Shea KB7Q, who has finished second the past two years. This year he will be guest operating along his vacation route to Mexico.

"W7GNP has graciously allowed me to use his excellent 160 station this coming weekend for another maximum Stew Perry TBC effort," Shea told radio-sport.net, "so we'll see what I can do from the Mogollon Rim here in Arizona."

One champ from 2006 won't be back on the air this year, as family obligations will keep Jeff Briggs K1ZM away from his rig. Last year, he activated Stew Perry's W1BB call and won the QRP section.

"I have authorized N2NT (Andy Blank) to put the W1BB callsign on the air if he so desires to do so," said Briggs, who has reeled off a series of strong contest performances in the last two months.

Last year Briggs easily outdistanced the field in the QRP battle, as he made 283 net contacts with 128 grids. In second place in 2006 was N8VW.

The Stew will again overlap with the Canadian RAC Winter contest for a few hours this year, and there will be operators dabbling in both.

One of those will be Yuri Onipko VE3DZ, who last year was the overall single op winner of the RAC Winter contest.

"It is unlikely that I will be doing serious effort in RAC Winter this year, since I want to concentrate on Stew Perry," said Onipko.

"My city QTH is very noisy which makes it almost impossible to operate seriously on the low bands, and VE3SY offered me to use his QTH for Stew Perry this year so I want to use this opportunity," Onipko added.

As for this year's pre-Stew contest in October, Stew organizer Larry Tyree N6TR was pleased with the turnout.

"It is always a little scary trying something like this," Tyree told radio-sport.net. "Hopefully it will pay off with increased activity in the "real" Stew."

"I think we will probably do the same thing next year," Tyree added. "It could be that with some better visibility, we could double the activity level from this year."

"I ended up receiving 121 logs, which is excellent."

The single operator winner of this year's Stew Perry Warm Up was Andy Kotovsky UU4JMG, who made 158 good QSO's in 113 grids. His best DX was VK3JM.

The multi-op champ was Team KH6LC in Hawaii, a victory that Schweigert K9FD would like to follow during the Christmas holiday break.

"My favorite band is 160 meters, and I am still learning about the propagation and conditions from out here in the Pacific," said Schweigert.

"It is different than the Illinois conditions I am used to. But it's still the same challenge and thrill to work DX on top band."