I have held for some time that this contest is significantly more fun from outside the UK than from the UK, and have had reasonable success in the past from 9G, VP9 and C5. This year I decided on 5X, having been there four times in the past two years so knowing the situation quite well, and having a licence that was still valid (having renewed it last year for CQWW CW). C5 is a much better location propagation-wise but my licence has expired and Dom M1KTA was planning to be there in any case (and, as it turns out, he failed to get his licence renewed in time which could have been my fate too).

My plan was to operate from an apartment block in Kampala where both Alan G3XAQ and I had stayed previously. Top floor apartment and a flat roof but not huge. So I decided, for simplicity, to put up a doublet which I would tune with my KAT500 tuner.

The plan was high power as 5X is a long way from the main centres of BERU activity (VP9 was spot on in that respect). Sadly, my KPA500 died on me the day after I got here – hopefully nothing serious but nothing I could solve while ‘in the field’. So it was a case of 100W and, as it turns out, lousy propagation.

And, as Don G3BJ mentioned, I seemed not to be hearing too well – my doublet was definitely a compromise antenna – lesson learned for the future. I worked most of the African stations although Andy 5Z4VJ was too close for 10 and 15m – easy on 40. 7Q9JM was by far the strongest on several bands – perfect distance I guess. Nigel was, of course, reliable from 3B8. But the UK proved tough and several stations I was hearing called CQ in my face, sadly including my good friend Bob operating GB5CC. The GM stations seemed to be loudest here – GM6XX, GM4YXI, etc. 40 was odd – I recall listening to Andy 5Z4VJ running the UK on 40 while I could hear very little, but there were two or three VE stations that were in for several hours on the band – CF3A in particular.

Anyway, the long and short was 70 QSOs, fortunately the bulk of them multipliers, so it’s a 12 hour, low power, unassisted entry and not a lot of use to the Team World Travellers, who I think had bagged me as a team member. Maybe I’ll get that promised bonus for being near the equator (I read something in the rules but have no idea how it works!).

Oh well, there’s always another year.

IC-7300, Winkey, KAT500, DX Log.

73 Don G3XTT / 5X1DF