Records Fall Around the World in 2009 WPX CW Contest Even With Limited Sunspots; EF8M Leads All

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net 
Posted June 8, 2009

Despite a year that has so far seen historically low levels of sunspot activity and continued depressed conditions on 10 and 15 meters, the CQ WPX CW contest record books could get a significant update after this year's final scores are tallied.

Several examples jump off the page:

Valery Komarov RD3AF raked in over 18 million points from EF8M in the Canary Islands, beating the existing WPX CW Single Op mark by well over one million points set by D4B (4L5A) in 2004.

Toni Linden OH2UA destroyed his own WPX CW record from the Azores at CU2X by claiming 11 million pionts this year, almost three million more than the existing European record.

In the US, three different operators eclipsed the SOAB HP mark set four years ago, as KC3R (LZ4AX), WC1M and record holder K5ZD all topped nine million points in claimed scores.

The Single Op record in Asia also was crushed, as Andy Kazantsev UU0JM went to 4L4WW in Georgia and finished with 13.8 million points, three million higher than the current Asia record.

In North America, there may be a new Single Op record as well, as Ken Widelitz K6LA piloted his VY2TT station to 13.5 million points, a million more than the NA record set back in 1999 at WP2Z. Widelitz claimed the highest number of prefixes of any single operator so far at 1,071.

For some ops,the reason scores may be higher is easy enough to figure out.

"It's really simple - more prefixes!" said WPX CW Contest Director Randy Thompson, who has earned praise from fellow competitors for his work to publicize the WPX tests.

"What was different this year was the number of mults," said Dick Green WC1M, who finished with 9.6 million points, from 997 prefixes.

"My sense is that participation has been increasing in WPX CW steadily for years," Green told radio-sport.net.

"Also, I think a wider array of US prefixes has been licensed over the years, and a lot of people with less common prefixes are participating in this contest because it's a treat to be sought after!"

"It also seemed like there were more US stations using WPX oriented calls." said Widelitz K6LA.

Across the Atlantic, Toni Linden OH2UA was on the same wavelength.

"Changes in callsign structure, especially in Europe have produced a lot more mults than earlier," said Linden.

"For example, just a couple of years ago you could know before the contest all the PA's you're going to work, but now you can work almost every Dutch prefix - PA0-9, PD0-9 and some of special prefixis like, PG9," said Linden.

The activity from Europe was certainly welcome on the other side of the Atlantic.

"The key for me was 40 meter European runs - six pointers and plenty of mults," said Widelitz K6LA/VY2TT.

"I think because 20 meters was open almost the entire contest, there wasn’t as much of a flood of stations when the band usually opens."

"WPX is still not that big an event in the States as it is in Europe," Linden said. "In EU I feel that it's the biggest contest after CQWW."

Part of that may also be the usual scheduling of WPX, which this year did not occur on the three day holiday weekend known as Memorial Day.

"I would imagine many hams are not able to participate to any great degree on a weekend that's traditionally spent with family," said Green WC1M.

Overall, 20 and 40 meters were the money bands, as contesters still wait for the high bands to return to the way they used to be on contest weekends.

"It sure was fun for a contest without 10 or 15 meters from PEI," said Widelitz.