2008 CQ WPX CW Top Scores Go To D4C, VE3DZ; CT9M Tops Multis As Conditions Improve

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Posted June 2, 2008

North Africa may have been the perfect location for the 2008 CQ WPX CW contest, as D4C (LY2CY) tops the Single Operator battle and CT9M leads this year's multi-operators.

The lucky numbers from the Cape Verde Islands for D4C were 3600 QSO's, 982 prefixes and 13.2 million points for Jurgis Ignotas LY2CY, as he leads that SO High Power category by close to 900,000 points.

"Good multipliers thanks to a lot of Europeans and good openings to USA," Ignotas told radio-sport.net, who said he made 861 QSO's on 40 meters, even with a temporary antenna due to recent damage at the D4C site.

"Strong winds did not let me hang it so high as I wanted," said Ignotas, who had 60% of his QSO's with Europe and 32% with North America.

In second place is Andy Kotovsky UU4JMG, who trekked from his home in Ukraine to Georgia, where he ran 4L0A to 12.3 million points at the station of Gia Gvaldze 4L4WW.

"Propogation on my side was great, exception was 80 meters," Kotovsky said in an email to radio-sport.net. "Condition to NA on 40m both nights was really good."

"It seems to me, that I'm ready for WRTC 2010!"

"Andy (UU4JMG) did an excellent job from my station breaking the Asian record," Gvaladze 4L4WW told radio-sport.net.

After finishing second in 2007 from HC8N, Steve Merchant K6AW was unable to repeat that performance, but for now is in the top three, with 11.5 million points.

Only one other operator has claimed more than 10 million points, that being John Barcroft ZF2AM (K6AM) who ended up with 10.7 million, the top score for now in North America as well.

Here is the WPX CW top five in Single Operator High Power:

1. D4C (LY2CY) - 13,237,360
2. 4L0A (UU4JMG)- 12,301,015
3. HC8N (K6AW) - 11,541,588
4. ZF2AM (K6AM) - 10,750,176
5. PJ2T (WI9WI) - 9,962,657

In the Low Power category, the winning spot may have been the island of Bermuda, as Yuri Onipko VE3DZ traveled to the station of VP9GE for the first time and stitched together what may be the winning score of 6.1 million points off of 2600 QSO's.

"Only 100 watts, tribander and wires, but sometimes I had a feeling that I was real LOUD! Must be something miraculous about this location," Onipko told radio-sport.net, adding it could have been better.

"we also had about an hour and a half power outage on Saturday morning (the truck hit the pole down the street and damaged the wires), but all in all I am really happy about my score," Onipko said.

Here is the top five in the World in Single Operator Low Power:

1. VE3DZ/VP9 - 6,278,727
2. WP3C - 4,117,230
3. H7/K9GY - 3,784,590
4. NV1N (N1UR) - 3,704,525
5. VE1OP - 3,478,860

In the World Assisted category, the leader is Mladen Bogdanov YU7NU, who operated YT5A to over 7 million points. LU5DX was second from LR4E at 5.6 million. In third is the top US Assisted score from Chas Fulp K3WW at 5.5 million.

K1ZM, K1TO DUEL IN US; N1UR LOW POWER LEADER

Street cranked out over 3,000 QSO's as NE4AA to get 8.1 million points, but Briggs was up to the task, also crossing the 3k barrier from his contest station out on Cape Cod, which gave him a European advantage.

"We just don't get the solid 80 meter opening down (in Florida) and I heard Jeff CQing there and working Europe for those crucial 6-pointers, something I was unable to do, or even consider doing," Street told radio-sport.net.

Both men are locked in a duel for one of the three qualifying spots for the US East Coast in the 2010 World Radiosport Team Championships.

"I tried really hard, hit the second radio as hard as I could and enjoyed much of it," Street said.

Rounding out the top five High Power in the US are Dick Green WC1M, Howie Hoyt N4AF who operated with his NY4A call, and Kam Sirageldin N3KS, who was using WM3T.

"It was nice to finally have a contest this year where the bands were good!" said new WPX Contest Director Randy Thompson K5ZD, who "played around" and still claimed 5.4 million points.

While there may be a new victor this year in the US High Power battle, in Low Power, a familiar winner may repeat, as Ed Sawyer N1UR is again the clubhouse leader in the US at 3.7 million claimed, operating as NV1N.

"Another fun WPX contest," Sawyer wrote on 3830.

Sawyer's big band was 20 meters, where he almost netted 984 contacts. But he also worked hard on 40 meters, at one point running down near 7001 on Saturday night with only his 100 watts.

"Conditions were "okay". Not good, but not as bad as last year in my opinion," Sawyer said.

Sawyer was pressed only by Willie Baber WJ9B, who was the only other low power op in the US to claim over 3 million points.

While WJ9B had only 13 fewer QSO's than NV1N, he trails by 630,000 points, which means Sawyer was able to easily out work him for European six pointers.

(IR4X) IZ3EYZ LEADS IN EUROPE

"Based on a few previous WPX experiences I decided to change off times strategy this time and it probably paid off," Marzilli told radio-sport.net.

"I learned in WPX (unless conditions are really bad) it pays to operate as much as possible the 1st day and take most of the off time the 2nd one," the Italian added.

Marzilli is about 300,000 points ahead of a closely packed group, Anti Hudanik HA3OV at 7.48, Ranko Boca 4O3A claimed 7.45, Rastislav Hrnko OM3BH is at 7.44 million and Tine Brajnik S50A is at 7.3 million.

"My contest score was worse than I predicted by some 10%," said Boca 4O3A, who told radio-sport.net that he started out fine on 40 meters, but it slowed from there.

"Not enough USA takers on 20 meters, and good openings on 10/15M were not enough good for DX run. Just short skip," added Boca.

"This year I was lucky because of short skip and I could keep up with 4O3A's skip advantage," said Marzilli, who said it likely helped "OM3BH and HA3OV as well."

"I see scores growing year by year, even in WPX SSB 4O3A-M6T-OK5R got vy close to the Eu record," said Marzilli, " I feel the 8M mark can be easily broken from here in the following years just because of 3/6 pointers."

In the low power competition from Europe, right now it is in the hands of the log checkers. Manuel Abian EA7RM leads with 2.92 million, just 20k ahead of Milan YU8A. Back in third is Franc Gricar S51F with 2.6 million.

The European low power scores were nowhere near VE3DZ's top score of over six million points and were also less than the DX LP efforts of WP3C (4.1 million) and H7/K9GY (3.7m.)