WAE SSB HIGHLIGHTS CONTEST WEEKEND AND WRTC BATTLE

By Jamie Dupree NS3T 

Europe will be the focus of the world as the Worked All Europe SSB contest is the major item on this weekend's contesting agenda.

The defending overall and European WAE SSB champ is Tonno Vahk ES5TV, who narrowly pulled off the double last year with a final score of over 2.1 million points. It featured over a thousand contacts on 20 meters.

"I was indeed really lucky with 20 meter propagation in 2006," said Vahk. "Worked more US/VE than I would have ever expected."

As for 2007, Vahk says "conditions are quite tough again these days but we might get lucky again. I hope the bands will not close too early in the evening to the US."

Vahk says a main strategy for him again this year will be to "aggressively move multiplier" - but as for QTC's, ES5TV admits he could do better.

"I am not a very good QTC collecter," says Vahk. "I hate to constantly beg for them and ask from every station. Still, I try to ask the ones who are likely to have them or to understand what a QTC is."

(If you don't really understand the QTC or maybe need a little pre-contest refresher, check our QTC article at radio-sport.net.)

Something that might make a different in activity levels worldwide is that the WAE SSB is part of the official qualifying process for the 2010 World Radiosport Team Championships in Russia.

"I definitely hope to make it to Russia," says Vahk. "I know I have to operate SOAB HP to really get good points."

Amateurs in North America will face an interesting choice at 0000z on Sunday, as the NA Sprint CW Contest begins a four hour run, offering even more WRTC points for North American contesters.

"This is a no brainer," says Randy Thompson K5ZD, who says US contesters interested in both should not ignore the four hour Sprint.

"The hours of the Sprint are not big hours for WAE (from North America) except for calling CQ on 75 meters or 40m. Ugh."

One US operator who hopes to do well in the WAE SSB is Guy Molinari N7ZG, who said the radio-sport.net rundown of WRTC rankings made him momentarily dream of Russia in 2010.

"It wasn't until I saw (radio-sport.net) that I even caught the vision that I might have a shot at qualifying," said Molinari.

"I managed to secure K1TTT's station," for the WAE SSB said Molinari. "Boy, I'm sure glad I did. Now the pressure is on to put an even greater effort in."

Molinari's WRTC wake-up call came from the 2006 contest, where he was the only single operator low power entry from all of W6 and W7. His miniscule score of 27 points ended up earning him 511 WRTC points.

I'm on a 80 x 60 foot lot in a CC&R neighborhood" says Molinari. "This is going to take quite a bit of doing. I'm a longshot at best."