2009 inaugural HF DX Challenge

Official results

* Certificate winners: top 1+2+3 overall, winner per band, winner per DXCC entity.

# Special certificate of appreciation.

Results

The inaugural HF DX Challenge certainly lived up to its name with generally poor HF conditions throughout being a significant challenge.  The dearth of sunspots and negligible solar activity meant a mostly transparent ionosphere on the high HF bands and mostly white noise at the adjudicator’s QTH.  Nevertheless, competition was hot for the top places on the leaderboard and Alan 5B4AHJ’s outstanding effort  after a flying start in the All Asia contest on the first weekend of the month won the event with over 100 DXCC entities worked out of at least 157 available worldwide.  MW0CRI, MD0CCE and ZL1BYZ tried no less hard and thoroughly deserved their second, third and fourth spots, respectively.  M0URX and VK6IR proved that, with persistence, it is possible to make QSOs on 10m and 6m even when conditions are so dire that most hams consider the bands dead as a dodo - well done to both of them.  None of the entrants claimed even a single 4m QSO during September, however and, given the limited number of countries licensed to use the band, it may be dropped from future events ...

Congratulations to all the entrants, especially the leaders.  Thank you all for your kind words of support and encouragement.  I can’t remember a single detractor or adverse comment about the event (although the sun was given short shrift!) so the second HF DX Challenge will take place in September 2010 , most likely under the auspices of CDXC.

To close this event, I would like express gratitude on behalf of myself and the entrants to Michael G7VJR whose tireless efforts to build and improve Clublog (in conjunction with Alan and other CDXCers) provided the mechanism to track the scores of all bar one of the entrants this year.  Checking the Challenge table became a daily activity for some of us and I’m sure inspired many to at least listen hard on the high HF bands, even if there was evidently nothing to work.  I’ll leave the final comment to Bill, ZL3NB : “I would love to do something on 15 for the DX Challenge but first we need to hear something on it!  The band has been nothing sort of The Pits here in ZL3 land.”  Better luck next year, everyone!

 POSTSCRIPT: certificates will soon be sent to the deserving winners - I’m a bit busy right now renovating the lounge and getting ready for a trip to Europe and Africa , so I hope you’ll forgive me this short delay.  I haven’t forgotten!

Soapbox

de 5B4AHJ

Hi Gary

My apologies for not writing sooner, but I've been busy.

I want to say how much I enjoyed the HF Challenge, and hope that it will become an annual event.

Conditions were pretty poor in the first part of the month, although I managed quite a few HF Challenge points during the contest on the first weekend. My first QSO in the Challenge was with AH0BI! Later in the month there were a couple of sunspots, which livened up the higher bands considerably.

Like Bob MD0CCE, I wasn't able to spend as much time to the Challenge as I'd have liked, we had house guests for a week and went away for three of those days.

Nevertheless, the three weeks I was at home were great fun, especially towards the end. Updating Club Log daily (or more often) enhanced the fun substantially, and the competition with Bob MD0CCE and Dai MW0CRI was challenging. During the last few days they seemed to be everywhere, and I was sure that one or both of them would pass me.

Decent DX worked was FT5GA, KH2L, FP/G3ZAY, AH0BT, JT1DA. "Easy" ones missed were SV, SV5, SV9 (skip problems) and GJ.

Set up here is an FT1000MP, Quadra amplifier (switched to the "LOW" power setting) and Optibeam 11/5 16m AGL. The QTH is 430m ASL with an excellent take off in all directions except North/North West, where I have some close-in hills.

15M was obviously the main band, but it was good to find a few QSOs on 12m & 10m. It was interesting to note that I worked more DXCC entities in the CDXC LF Challenge, using low inverted vees, than I did in the HF Challenge using a decent antenna.That says something about HF conditions!

I was disappointed, as I am sure you were, in the fairly low level of participation.

Thanks again for organising the HF DX Challenge. I don't see why you should disqualify yourself as organiser, and hope that you will enter next year.

Thanks again.

73
Alan 5B4AHJ

[Thanks Alan.  Well done on an excellent performance - I’m impressed!  Of course I would have liked more participation but given the limited publicity for the inaugural event and poor HF conditions this year, I’m relieved to have had ANY entrants and ANY QSOs on the high bands!!  I will be announcing the winners very soon - just getting my act together and waiting for any stragglers to submit their entries via Clublog or by email direct to me.  73 Gary  ZL2iFB]

de ZL3NB

Gary I would love to do something on 15 for the DX Challenge but first we need to hear something on it! Hi

The band has been nothing sort of "The Pits" hr in ZL3 land. :-)

Kudo's to John 1BYZ for the huge effort on 15 this month....certainly much different propagation up North.

73
Bill ZL3NB

de MW0CRI

hi gary

what great fun.the bands shaped up very well considering the low sun spot count.worked all contients and pacific contacts where made also.the cq ww rtty contest helped a great deal on my final scores best dx in the test p29 on rtty  and also the ft5 guys,but all qso's were a pleasure.

this challenge was a lot more relaxed for me than the "lf challenge" as the bands were only open in daylight hours and helped me chill out after a hard days work (hi)so i did'nt have the xyl nagging me at nights.

anyway great fun.

working conditions.. ft 1000mp a 2 ele steppir and acom 1000 (50% of the time).

73 and congratulations to everyone!!

David MW0CRI

de MD0CCE

Hi Gary,

First, congratulations to Alan 5B4AHJ and Dai MW0CRI for their stellar performances in the HF Challenge.  They both set a blistering pace and demonstrated that the HF bands are alive and well, even in these days of few/zero sunspots!  Well done to both!

Second, congratulations to you on identifying a need and filling it when you conceived the HF Challenge.  While there weren't as many competitors as in this year's LF Challenge, the level of activity on the HF bands seemed significantly higher than last year in September - while conditions were arguably worse!  Coming back to 15, 12 and 10m regularly instead of just hanging out on 20 and 17m showed that there were stations about and there was DX to be worked.  Alan 5B4AHJ worked DXCC on 15m (!) and Dai MW0CRI came very close on the three bands, proving the point in itself - my personal experience was that I worked only 13 countries on 15m in September 2008 (with no focus on 15-12-10m), but 86 countries in the same period in 2009 with similar or worse band conditions.  Many of these QSOs were on quiet, apparently empty bands, but a little CQing alerted others that the band was open.

In late August, just before the HF Challenge started, I heard Ed, KH2L CQing on 15m.  I worked him and asked if he would QSY up to 12m, which he did and we had a solid 579 QSO.  We then QSYed to 10m, where we had a 559 QSO.  There were no other stations to be heard on either band.  He went back to 12m and developed a small EU pileup, and I stayed on 10m and worked a number of JAs with good signals, and then ran out of people to work - the conditions were still there but no one to take advantage of them!

I hope this becomes an annual event, and I'm sure it will grow in popularity and participation, which will in turn lead to higher scores.  Thanks again, and I hope to work you in the next one!

73,
Bob   MD0CCE

Hi Gary,

Thanks for the good idea of having an HF Challenge as a counterpoint to the LF Challenge!

Sadly, I won't be able to participate fully for the whole month due to work commitments (yes, actual work in the daytime when 15m is open!).  But  I have put in my first two days' activity to help "prime the pump" and add to the competition.  Given work commitments,  I don't expect to have a high score, but it will be fun finding as many on 15-12-10-6 openings as possible (my totals for the first two days are double my whole last year's September totals).

And your decision to exclude 17m was correct.

Thanks and hope to work you, at least on 15m (although after a good first day and second morning, it has shut down completely now for hours when it was open yesteray.....oh well......come on, sunspots!).

73
Bob   MD0CCE

de G4CMQ

Hi Gary

Sorry you feel you cannot join in this year. Thanks for setting it up.

I thought we were in for a good run after yesterday and I knew I was going to be in trouble when Bob/MD0CCE was spotted on 15m for the whole day. He was there again this morning before HF dried up.

For some reason my G5RV would not tune up on 15m so I was left with my new Hexbeam at 2m off the ground and lashed down pointing north because of the winds. I am still tuning it and have yet to get a rotator installed so I hope for some decent weather this month. Cannot see how I am going to compete otherwise in these prop conditions.

Kind regards
David/G4CMQ

...

Hi Gary

We really appreciate your getting the HF DX Challenge on the air this month. It has provided a welcome means of exploring the HF spectrum at a time when it is probably under-used. Am managing a little tussle with John for 4th spot, but jumped ahead today with 5 new spots. As I mentioned on your soapbox, my homebrew Hexbeam is only at 20ft until I fit the rotator which arrived yesterday, and I only operate CW. Saw John spotted late one evening here, but heard nothing. Still to work GM, GW, GI, GD or EI so theres plenty to go for. I do not think Alan can be caught after his flying start on the first week, but I suppose his chances are getting rarer as the numbers rise. 

Kind regards to all the guys (& gals?) there and hope to hear some of you in CQWW. Envy you the coming spring and all that it brings.

73
David/G4CMQ

de 5B4AIZ

Hi Gary.

We know that a band can be woken up if we get on and work it but we seldom do it.

Anyway I got on 15 for a couple of hours, dead as a dodo at first but finished with 52 q's and 14 countries, less than a dozen eu q's/4 countries, the remainder asian dx, mainly JA's. Propogation was in and out of course so contacts tend to come in bunches.

Anyway that's not why I am mailing.

Sometimes when getting on to work a dead band I self spot, just the once when I kick off, if it opens then others take care of the spots. Perhaps you can mention in your next cdxc post if this is permissable.

73  Brian 5B4AIZ.

[I doubt anyone would seriously object to occasional self-spots on a dead band Brian so long as it’s “reasonable”.  Nobody likes spammy spots and self-spots are discouraged if not prohibited in contests.  The HF DX Challenge is not a contest and is designed to encourage activity on the high bands, so they are OK, within reason.  That said, it’s always preferable to put out a good signal and be spotted by other DXers!  ZL2iFB]

Hi Gary,

Haven't sussed how to add my score to the cdxc list. Have never used clublog, I don't even keep log files collated anywhere! My stuff just goes off to my qsl mgr after each contest or monthly for general working, it doesn't matter when you don't collect awards.

Day 3 but only day 1 was any good, plenty of time to catch up for those not started yet. I need an opening to central/west eu, very few that way so far, mind you MD0CCE & EI9FBB were  both strong when I worked them.

100w does not kick up a lot of dust but will keep trying.

Total so far 15mtrs - 25.     10m - 1.   Total - dxcc 25, QSOs 102

73  Brian. 5B4AIZ.

[Hi there Brian. To add yourself to the leagues on Clublog, you'll first need to join clublog (it's free!)  then upload your ADIF file to Clublog as and when you like.  The keen ones upload daily, others every week or month, basically when they have a stack of new QSOs to report.  You're doing much better than me: I haven't had any QSOs for nearly a month thanks to equipment problems this end and being busy busy at the saltmine  :-(  Keep up the good work and I hope to catch you on the high bands, or indeed the low ones, soon.  ZL2iFB

PS  100W counts as QRO on JT65 or PSK31!!  Seriously, most people run just a few watts, maybe 50 at most, and work around the globe.]

Introduction

Every March, Chiltern DX Club runs its LF Challenge to encourage operation on the low bands.  The idea of the CDXC LF Challenge is for members to contact as many DXCC countries as possible on 40, 80 or 160m during March.  Each DXCC country counts only once, no matter which of those bands you used and regardless of the mode. 

The LF Challenge was conceived to encourage more activity on the low bands which tend to be sparsely populated when the sun is active and the high bands are open.  Right now of course, at the bottom of a sunspot minimum, we have the opposite situation: the low bands are quite busy but the high HF bands are very quiet.

So, I’ve stolen CDXC’s good idea and set up an HF DX Challenge to take place in September on the high HF bands i.e. 21MHz and up.  The CDXC Committee supports it and in fact there is a distinct possibility that the HF DX Challenge will become a CDXC-sponsored event from 2010 if the inaugural event is a success, so let’s try out the rules and prove, through entries and activity, that the HF DX Challenge justifies becoming an annual CDXC event.

Please help spread the word among the DX community about the HF DX Challenge.  The more DX stations active on the high HF bands this month, the more fun we’ll all have.

As this year’s self-appointed event adjudicator, I hereby disqualify myself from entering the 2009 HF DX Challenge but I look forward to working you all anyway.  Good luck!  Gary/ZL2iFB.

Official rules

Objective: the HF DX Challenge seeks to stimulate DXing on the high HF ham bands, from 15m to 4m inclusive (where permitted by local licensing laws).  This is an activity period, a friendly competition for DXers and not a contest as such. Please have normal DX QSOs, give authentic signal reports and enjoy yourself chatting with fellow HF DXers around the globe.  Make the most of good propagation and high activity while it lasts.  Improve your station and try new things.  By all means work the high bands in any contests during September - that’s fine too.  Don’t worry if you don’t have the capability to operate all of the permitted bands: even single-band specialists stand a good chance of collecting lots of DXCC countries and hence winning the Challenge.

Dates and times: September 1^st 00:00 UTC to September 30^th 23:59:59 UTC.  Weekends in September (especially the first weekend, September 5^th and 6^th UTC) are likely to be the busiest and most productive periods but remember that it is always sunny somewhere in the world while Sporadic E and meteor trails can occur at any time.

Bands: 15m, 12m, 10m, 6m and 4m amateur bands only (where permitted).

Modes: any two-way mode of transmission permitted by your license, including the more exotic data modes such as RTTY, PSK31, JT65 and WSJT.  Any mode of propagation you can exploit.

Power: do not exceed the maximum power permitted by your license.  Be reasonable.  If conditions permit, turn down the wick and reduce QRM to other DXers.  QRP operation is encouraged, especially if you have good DX antennas!

DXcluster, DX nets, moonbounce, meteor scatter etc. : these are all permitted, encouraged even within the spirit of the challenge.  All QSOs must however be made directly between ham stations using the high HF ham bands as indicated above.  QSOs completed by cellphone, SMS texts, emails, cluster comments, over-enthusiastic net controllers, satellites, repeaters, airmail, Interweb and carrier pigeons do not qualify.

Scoring: one single point per DXCC country contacted, regardless of band or mode.  Each DXCC country counts just once.   The latest available ARRL DXCC country list is definitive.  There are no multipliers or bonuses.

Logging and entry: the preferred way to enter is simply to upload your standard electronic log in ADIF format to Clublog.  To do this, you will first need to apply to join Clublog, if you are not already enlightened.  While Clublog itself is free to use, you are encouraged to join CDXC also.  Your membership fees will help fund DXpeditions and there are attractive CDXC member benefits for DXers, including a DX email reflector that carries news from the Challenge.  Please upload your log to Clublog whenever you have logged a few QSOs during September - every day if you like - as this will update the HF DX Challenge league, show us how you are doing and encourage more HF activity which of course is the whole point of the Challenge.

Please also email me (Gary@G4iFB.com) your soapbox comments including brief details of your station - particularly your power and antennas - plus notes about conditions, your “best DX”, any unusual QSOs or propagation during the Challenge, improvement suggestions for the Challenge and so forth.  I will collate and publish all presentable soapbox comments above as they arrive and the best will be included in an article for the CDXC website and newsletter.  [Thanks to Kai KE4PT for the suggestion.  We’re particularly interested to hear from QRP and barefoot using modest antennas (e.g. wire dipoles or verticals, indoor and stealth antennas) for DXing and there will be additional certificates of appreciation for you guys.]

DXers who do not log electronically and SWLs are welcome to enter too.  Please send me a summary showing the total number of DXCC countries you have worked or heard, plus ideally a breakdown showing the number contacted/heard on each band and mode.  You can email Gary@G4iFB.com or post your entry to: ZL2!FB, Castle Peak, 1262 Taihape Road, RD9 Hastings 4179, NEW ZEALAND.   Please do this as soon as possible after the end of September, particularly if you wish to be considered for the awards.  I will enjoy reading late entries but you may miss out on a certificate.

No QSLs are required.  However, I reserve the right to request further details of any entrant, not so much to validate your claim as to find out what you are using to work lots of juicy HF DX!  You may like to keep notes about what you are doing in the HF DX Challenge, the openings you have found etc. and share them with your DX friends during the month.  By all means email me your notes too.

Awards: a handsome certificate of distinction will be awarded to the overall winner who contacts the most DXCC countries in total.  Additional certificates of merit, although not quite so handsome, will be awarded to the winners on each band, and further certificates of appreciation (admittedly rather shabby and electronic at that) will be awarded at my discretion to DXers who have made a genuine effort to be as active as possible on the high HF bands during September and/or to encourage their peers to get on the air.  This includes those who promote the HF DX Challenge in print, on websites and on email DX reflectors, both before and during the event, submit improvement suggestions and share Good Ideas, and DXers who “have a life” (other than DXing) but are with us in spirit.  It also includes QRPers and Barefooters using modest antennas, novices and newcomers and anyone else who catches my imagination.  If you wish to nominate yourself or another ham for an award, please drop me an email during September or shortly thereafter.   Details of the entrants and winners will be published here and on the CDXC website, hopefully during October.

Postscript re the 17m band

A couple of DXers have suggested including 17m to the HF DX Challenge but personally I'm reluctant at this stage, for this first year anyway.  The key idea of the Challenge is to encourage DXers onto all the high HF bands.  While the cut-off point is arbitrary, most DXers would agree that 17m is towards the low end of highness (unless you're a seasoned VLF DXer or submariner maybe).  If we allow 17m too, given the amount of DX routinely available on the band, I think it will skew the whole Challenge by favouring those with good 17m antennas.  Without 17m, I believe ardent DXers with decent stations on any of the permitted bands stand a good chance of becoming the overall winner, with a slight bias towards those who are highly active and have good multi-band capabilities capable of hoovering up all available openings.

Hawke’s Bay
North Island
New Zealand

39^o 39’ South x 176^o 37½’ East

Locator RF80HL

260m ASL

IOTA OC-036

CQ zone 32

ITU zone 60

Member of:
ARRL
CDXC
G0FBB
G-QRP-C
M6T
NZART
ZL6QH
ZM2M