TransTasman Contest May, 2013

It has been many years since the Napier Amateur Radio Club has operated a contest from it’s Latham Street clubhouse. A year ago, the club committee decided to clean out the junk in the old radio room and rebuild the radio shack with an operational station which could be used by the members. The FT-840 and Emtron Antenna tuner with the newly erected 80/40M trap dipole does a credible job on the HF bands. VHF and UHF radios in the shack are also available for use. A few months ago, Mike ZL2VM asked to have the use of the shack for this year’s Trans Tasman Contest with help from Dave ZL2DW and Michael ZL2MY. The result was the team was up and running and the new shack was finally in use.

Dave ZL2DW Continues the story ……

FUN IN THE ZL – VK COMPETITION
Having had a taste of a few other similar events over recent years Mike (ZL2VM) raised the idea of doing the 80m Phone section from the Napier Br 25 Club Rooms, so the appointment was made and set for participation on 11 May 2013. Armed with tea, biscuits and sleeping bag etc Mike and I met at the Club Rooms about an hour before start time, (8pm NZT) and soon after were joined by Mike (ZL2MY). We had a “tactics talk” and pre brief of the event and off we went. The first hour was quiet with only 15 contacts, however the VK’s were there and workable. Mike and Mike and myself rostered our way through the night (the event finishing at 2am NZT).

While not the highest contact numbering station in ZL we believe we had a good selection of ZL 1 – 4 and VK1 – 9 stations to give a good score of multipliers. The Branch station (using a 40/80m trapped dipole) had a standing S6 noise level coming from suburbia but we could always achieve a contact with anyone we targeted. I believe this is the first time the Branch Club Rooms located station has been used in a competition, and the Br 25 ZL2GT call sign was put to good use.

Later in the evening Lee ZL2AL called in for a while with his camera and took pictures of proceedings. While leaving the operator uninterrupted in the “shack” the others quietly talked amongst themselves in the main hall, about all and sundry. 2am (NZT) came and the log stopped, with about 150 ish contacts, so it was “crash on the floor” time for Mike ZL2VM and myself, Mike 2MY having gone home an hour earlier at the end of his hour on.

So that puts aside this years 80m Phone section of the ZL- VK Competition, roll on the 160m Phone and 80m CW/Digital section in July at rural Moore Rd, Haumoana.
There is also a suggestion that a second station will be active then too, again from the Branch 25 Club Rooms.

A great time was had by all.
David Walker (ZL2DW) ( for the ZL2GT Team)