1998 HF CW and Combined Results

SARL HF CW and Combined Contest Results: 1998

After constructing a database of around 400 QSOs was used to check all the leading logs against one another, Barry Brokensha ZS6AJY of Kempton Park emerged as the winner of the Silent Keys Memorial Trophy in this year’s CW contest. Barry’s single unmarked duplicate contact was his only error, demonstrating that high rates and lots of contacts do not have to lead to inaccurate operating.

A gnat’s whisker behind Barry was Vidi la Grange of Vaal Triangle. Both these operators have regularly operated in this contest since the Seventies.

The winner of the Phone contest, Hans Kappetijn ZS6KR of Pretoria, came in third. Hans had to withstand a stiff challenge from clubmate Henk Stuivenberg ZS6CS. Dave Jones ZS5DJ walked off with the Anon Trophy for the highest single band score of any entrant. As usual, the highest scores were produced on the 40 m band.

This year saw a claimant for the Akyab Trophy. This trophy is awarded to the best entrant in his or her first year of CW operating. Mohammed Dildar ZS5BBW of Durban demonstrated that Morse code is a long way from dead, by submitting a good quality log and a respectable score.

Combined modes

Several trophies are awarded on the basis of both the CW and Phone contest results.

Hans Kappetijn ZS6KR won the Phone contest and placed third in the CW contest. His cumulative score is well above any others, earning him the HOS Trough for the highest combined Phone/CW for the second successive year.

In the race for the Club Participation Award, Midlands managed a slim advantage in the CW contest. However, the substantial lead Pretoria carried over from the Phone contest won the day¾ Pretoria’s 2315 points provided a lead of more than 500.

The Fred Mills trophy goes to the highest scorer who’s never won an SARL HF Contest trophy. Marius Ferreira ZS6CAV of Pretoria collected this trophy with his 182 points on Phone.

Do you make the grade?

For the results to be meaningful, the contest committee must determine that the claimed scores accurately reflect the relative merits of entries. This mandate requires ruthless action against inaccurate logging and operating. Computer checking is making possible a level of scrutiny that could only be imagined a few years ago.

The rules also include a reference to unsportsmanlike conduct. The contest committee’s old fashioned sense of values places favouritism in this category. Should your friends work only you, without giving other participants a chance, you can expect those contacts to become casualties of the log checking process.

The bottom line: If you are not entirely certain of a callsign or an exchange, ask the other operator again. If you really, absolutely cannot copy everything without any shadow of a doubt, explain to the other station that you cannot complete the QSO and remove the contact from the log or claim no points for that contact.

Checklogs were received from ZS5ADX, ZS5RJ and ZS6AKF.