For many years now I have operated VE7RAC from the home QTH. As many of us living in suburbia are aware the local noise level is slowly increasing, the regulatory authorities are not interested and if like me you are cursed with unpleasant neighbours there is little that can be done. Couple this with being in the solar cycle doldrums and to nothing of increasing years and one wonders if it’s worth the effort. This year I was going to hand over the VE7RAC call to Gabor VE7JH who suggested I operate from VE7UF’s super contest station.

This is what transpired and I invited Steve VA7KH and David VA7VK to share the load. Both very experienced and skilled CW ops. Far better than me I might add. For those who have never operated at a top contest station let me tell you that it’s an opportunity never to turn down.

VE7UF, Duane, can run six high power stations simultaneously with minimal inter-station QRM. Antennas for 10, 15, 20 are stacked TH6s (many of them!) on 150ft and 175ft towers which can be turned in different directions and operated individually or simultaneously. Yagis for 40m, slopers for 80m and a 160m inverted vee from the top of the 175ft tower. All great stuff with a zero noise level.

Then a ‘ grow up ‘ starts up not too far away and the noise level on 80m is S9+. As in the UK and other parts of the world the regulatory and other authorities have no interest whatsoever.

To overcome the problem some beverages were installed and one of them gives a low noise level. The noise may be low but it’s possible we’re not hearing too well either. Even so we had no problems working VK/ZL on 80 and although rather a struggle I managed a QSO with G4BUO plus some others. The 80m JA contest was a nuisance though. Somewhere around 330 bonus point Qs handed out to those we managed to work. A great experience and something we’ll probably repeat in 12 months time.

Thank you to those who worked VE7RAC!

73, Brian VE7JKZ, Steve VA7KH, David VA7VK.