Fixed stations can enter the RSGB Field Day contest as "Sweepers", this means operating search and pounce with no CQ calls. It is an interesting challenge to try and work as many of the UK portable stations as possible, plus some DX.

70MHz gave good results, with good signals from EI/GI/GM/GW. A few portable stations seemed to be loath to call CQ, they were heard working others but never on their own frequency. 9H was heard on Es, but again, in QSO and not CQing.

432MHz provided some good aircraft scatter DX at times, and benefited from some tropo overnight and into Sunday morning. Activity from Germany seemed lower than usual this time.

1.3GHz was similar to 432MHz as far as propagation was concerned, and relatively low numbers of UK portable stations taking part limited the score.

2.3GHz and 3.4GHz had no UK activity, so a few PA/DL QSOs were all that were made on these bands.

5.7GHz and 10GHz benefitted from rainscatter. I was at the western edge of the opening, with the rain moving away from me, so the numbers of contacts made were not great, but I was pleased to work DL0GTH on both bands. I exchanged signals with OK2A on 10GHz, but they could not copy my serial number so it was NC. DK2ZF/P was a nice 10GHz tropo QSO on Sunday morning at just over 600km, OZ1ALS was detectable on tropo but not strong enough for a QSO.

73

John G3XDY

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