CQ WW SSB 2018 - GS7V          Sullom, Shetland    (EU-012)

The story of GS7V 2018 - as written by Keith GM4YXI / GM5X 

(Scroll down the page for photos and some comments from Chris GM3WOJ / GM2V)

‘You must be a masochist!’ So said Mike, G7TWC, to Chris during a QSO with M6T. Yes, we both are, if this last CQWWSSB is anything to go by.

Our plans for an exotic, warm DX location for a DXpedition and CQWW SSB contest this autumn (we were V6Z in 2016 and VK9CZ in 2017 WWSSBs) fell through due to Keith’s work schedule (again!) and a veritable traffic jam at likely locations over the last two months or so. So one of us, though neither will accept responsibility, suggested we instead made a short dash to Shetland for CQWWSSB. (For any newcomers to the CQ WW contests, the Shetland Islands count as a separate Multiplier) We are, like many, still irritated by the loss of the GZ prefix but instead, decided to use GS7V as the prefix variation allowed for our club SCC call GM7V. Rather like the idea of going to Shetland, this seemed like a good idea at the time. Not! This is a horrible callsign for SSB contesting – we are sure the ‘not in log’ and mis-logging stats will be spectacularly bad. Every rotten combination of phonetics was aired over the weekend with ‘golf sugar seven victor’ the least bad of the lot. So many stations tried to log us as ‘Gzero7V’.

Departure was on Wednesday evening from Aberdeen harbour with two cars loaded with stuff. Our attempts to get a hire van with a roof rack failed but actually, the two car solution was OK. The trip north was very rough (note this description for later) especially once we cleared Rattray Head about 50 miles north of Aberdeen and we were warned about the likely conditions on board. WOJ is not a happy sailor so medication was in order (it worked). The sea conditions set off many car alarms, including mine. It was very rough.

We arrived in Lerwick about Thursday 0700 and were off the boat in short order to find a monsoon of slanting rain and single digit temperatures (we had been warned). Food shopping, shopping for waterproof suit (I forgot to pack mine, duh!) and then a 45 min drive to Sullom, across the voe from the gas terminal. Good radio QTHs are not so easy to find on Shetland. Basically, no one in their right mind builds a property in a high/exposed spot with a good take off all round.  The lighthouse at Eshaness was booked and we struggled to find somewhere but eventually secured ‘Gaza’, a small cottage in a nice spot about 150m from the water on the West side of Sullom Voe. Such were our trials during the weekend, I was tempted to start signing E4/GM7V…………

The cottage seemed fit for purpose though the take off all points west was not great – rising ground – but we figured, rightly as it happened, that this event was likely to be a bit of a Eurofest. To the east it was good and excellent to JA, if only……………… Lots of wet, marshy ground around and no restrictions on use. We unloaded in rain and started working on antennas. It was wet all day and very windy from North West, then North. Forecast worse for Friday. After scoping out the land, checking rotor cable lengths etc  we put up our three 3el yagis for 20, 15 and 10m at 12m, 10m and 8m height respectively. The falling derrick system worked very well and is essential is such challenging conditions – high winds, driving rain, cold hands, very uneven terrain (grassy tussocks and peat bog). By dark all three we up and working. Shack work then sleep – we are very tired after little sleep on the ferry.

Wx on Friday WAS worse. Horizontal sleet blowing 40-50 mph greeted us, and we struggled to get the 12m Spiderbeam pole with the 40m vertical erect. This made us consider our options for the two 18m poles we had for 80m and 160m. We elected to modify 80 to a 15m T-loaded vertical and similarly shorten the 160m pole a bit. These Spiderbeam poles are excellent, very strong, but we did not want to take any risks. As it turned out, both these antennas went up relatively easily – actually they were blown up by the gale so the ‘back’ guys had to be spot on! It actually snowed during the final part of the 160m work on Friday PM. This lot took us most of the daylight available (not much up in Shetland) and a beverage was strung out in the semi-dark. By this time the pair of us were completely exhausted, cold and grateful for our waterproof gear! It was very, very windy.

Chris went for some more supplies to see us through the weekend, whilst Keith did some final checks in the shack. Hmmm, 80m SWR is way high. ####!! Outdoor gear on, torch – tramp down to find 80m vertical lying flat – nothing broken other than pride. Let’s just say the ‘you didn’t tighten the clamps enough vs you tightened the guys too much’ debate was well aired! To be honest, the wind was fierce so keeping anything up in the air was a challenge. Repair not a job for darkness and storms. Further checks in the shack revealed two further issues (1) high SWR on 20m and (2) S9 QRN. Back on with the outdoor gear – half the 20m driven element blown off – not broken. Repair not a job for darkness and storms.

Our mood and motivation were not at their best on Friday evening and we decided to get some sleep and start contesting about 0300z, on 160m and 40m. The wx was a little better on Saturday morning; still very windy, now from the North so really cold but fewer heavy showers. We fixed 20m and 80m and got QRV with six antennas about 1000z. Whatever we missed in the first 12 hours was missed. Chris managed to find some JA on 20m when he got going, 15m was pretty flat and patchy but stations could be worked. 40m was open but the QRN was really horrible. We tried all sorts of ploys to locate and eliminate but concluded it was coming from the power transformer immediately south of the cottage. We moved the beverage, which was a little help on 160 and 80m.

The rest of the contest is a bit of a blur. We were never going to be competitive and knew it would be a challenging environment but the noise was a real killer. On 20m, the yagi could null the noise a bit but the bearing was not helpful. On 15m it was maybe S7 instead of S9 but harder to null out. There was no DX to the east on 15m bar one YB and whilst a few US stations were workable on Saturday in extremely localised areas, by beaming due south. More US was workable on 20m but QRN and QRM limited the rate. 40m has S9+20 over QRN much of the time. The noise blanker on the 7300 was quite effective but ruined the front end performance so just made the splatter worse! 80m and 160m were least affected and on 80m at least we felt we were getting out quite well ……on Sat night/Sunday am at least.

With the ferry leaving at 1730 on Monday afternoon and more bad Wx forecast, we had to make a decision on taking down antennas during the contest. 10m was an easy choice – 4 ESP QSOs by Sunday 1200z. 160m or 15m? Rightly or wrongly we decided to sacrifice 160m as we were struggling to run on Sunday early am and there was little new to find. Of course, which ever one we chose, it would cost us QSOs and points. This took us out of the contest for a few more daylight hours before Sunday evening was on us. Wx Sunday was actually fine – it was cold but calm and the water in the voe was like a mirror. 15m actually made a better attempt to open to North America on Sunday and a few more were worked. Daytime and early evening on 40m went pretty well – there were times during Sunday morning when JA was actually stronger than EU on short path, but 20m was very difficult and 80m never really got going Sunday night. Maybe the 160m sacrifice was the right choice? We wondered if there had been some solar event. Even 40m died on us around 2200z

Tear down on Monday was interrupted by some really heavy downpours and a strong SE gale, but we managed everything down and packed up with the help of Hans, GM4SSA/GM5Y – thanks, Hans. We made it back to the ferry terminal and got checked in amid dire warnings about the rough weather ahead. The freight boat had been cancelled and all were packed onto the passenger ferry. It was very, very rough! More pills. They worked. We arrived back in Aberdeen Tuesday morning, pretty tired but still, it was kinda fun in a masochistic sort of way. As Pippa, Chris’ wife said ‘Trust you two to enjoy the adversity’

Click on any of the photos below for a full-size version (about 5.8MB each)

Chris GM3WOJ / GM2V waiting at Aberdeen harbour - Wednesday evening

Keith GM4YXI / GM5X waiting at Aberdeen harbour

   Spectacular sunset over the harbour

   GM3WOJ equipment set up at GS7V.  K3 + Alpha amp. etc... The radio and monitor positions were swapped before the contest started.

  Keith GM4YXI at his GS7V station - IC-7300 + Ameritron amp. etc...

  The GS7V QTH - a  rental cottage called 'Gaza', Sullom.

   Looking NW towards the QTH. 180m long Beverage supported on canes.

  Two old wooden boats at the pier to the SE of the cottage. We saw the wakes made by otters swimming here when the water was calm on Sunday morning.

   The disused 180m long pier. Built by a local businessman to ship stone from his quarry, transported to the pier by a large overhead conveyor belt system, which was not given planning permission.

  The crumbling end of the pier.

  Antennas (difficult to see) - left to right - 160m vertical, 3ele 20m yagi, 80m vertical, 15m 3ele yagi, 10m 3ele yagi.  (40m vertical just out of view to the right of the cottage)

   The 16m high top-loaded 80m vertical (with 2 elevated radials)

  Left to right - 17m high 160m top-loaded vertical, 20m yagi, 15m yagi, local QRN generator :-(

  10m yagi, 40m vertical.

Some comments from Chris GM3WOJ / GM2V :

My last visit to Shetland was in 2010, for CQ WW CW.  It snowed, but I worked ZL8X on 80m! I love the Shetland Islands - my Mother was born there - she did not see a tree until she was 12 years old, when the family moved to the Scottish mainland. This 2018 visit was my 4th visit for amateur radio - we started in the year 2000 with the new callsign/prefix GZ7V.  I am sure that the loss of the GZ prefix (a contest-specific identifier useful only on about 8 weekends per year, not an RSL) after 16 years is a direct result of the selfish, ill-considered, excessive pressure put on OFCOM by the GK/MK organisers. OFCOM are now very pedantic about the issue of UK amateur radio prefixes other than the 'normal' ones.

We knew before we left for Shetland that (a) the weather would be entertaining and (b) we would not be competitive.  But we enjoy contest DXpeditions and being a Multiplier is always extra fun, even if you know propagation will be against you.

I don't have much to add to Keith's story above - maybe just one comment about Spiderbeam poles. The two 18m poles we took are fairly new, so still had some of the slippy silicone-like material on the surface which is applied when they are manufactured. This makes guying them a difficult balancing act - we were using the Spiderbeam jubilee clips with rubber clamps at the base of each section - however you cannot tighten the jubilee clips too much or you will crack the fibreglass.

If the guys are too tight, the downforce produced, added to the weight of the sections and the downward component of the wind force on the pole can result in one or more of these clamps slipping, so the pole collapses.

So - tighten the clamps as much as is safe, but leave all the guys slightly loose!            73   Chris