LF: G3XIZ - 1000 th MF QSO

[Chris Osborn <g3xiz@yahoo.co.uk>]

LF

It was a red-letter day today as I achieved my 1000th QSO using 600m.
This includes 72 cross-band contacts, virtually all of which were 600m / 80m.

Rog GW3UEP was my 1000 th QSO with runners up G3XPU - No. 999 and EI0CF - No. 998.

QSO break-down according to mode:     928 CW,  34 RTTY  and   5 QRSS

600m STATIONS

My personal 600m (EU) spreadsheet lists a total of 59 stations and many of these go back to the start of the UK  600m allocation in March 2007.
Of these I have worked or heard only 15 in the past month (excluding beacons).
Many stations on my list came up only briefly and were never heard of again:  G3KZU, G3YHV . . .
Others were once very active but have subsequently gone QRT:  G3UNT, G3VTT, G4GDR. . .

MOST FREQUENTLY WORKED

With so few active operators it is obvious that one will work the same stations many times and the top 10 stations account for 70% of my total contacts.
My most frequently worked stations are:

GW3UEP - 120     G3KEV - 102      M0FMT - 90     G3ZWH  -  80  (alas now SK)
G3DXZ    -   67     G4GDR -   60      EI0CF/ GI4DPE  -  51   M0JXM - 48
G3UNT    -   45     G3VTT  -   38

CROSS-BAND AND EU STATIONS

There are a few 'regular' stations who listen to 600m and enjoy a cross-band QSO:
DK6NI, F6CNI, F6ACU, OH1LSQ, PA0LCE, G3TVF . . .

and our few EU MF friends are still active:
ON4KTJ, OR7T and OZ8NJ. . .

WSPR ON 600m

I personally find it sad that the present level of enthusiasm for the WSPR mode was never achieved for  hand sent Morse (CW), which after all is the mode which I call to mind when thinking of the old MF marine band.
If the WSPR 'enthusiasm' phase lasts, with more and stronger stations operating 24/7 in the narrow 3 kHz segment which is the 600m band then I guess it may be time for me to QSY.

73 Chris G3XIZ