Lock Down VHF NFD 2021

VHF NFD 2021 REPORT

Unfortunately, the Government COVID restrictions were not lifted in time for VHF NFD this year, which prevented a return to our usual sociable event at Maesbury Castle.  

A total of nine members felt safe to participate, forming 2 ‘bubbles’ in 2 separate tents in accordance with the Government COVID restrictions, and having first performed COVID lateral flow tests with negative results.  M0WYB, M0UAS, G0HAS, G0GRI, G0VFS and M0IMS in a tent with the 2m, 4m & 6m stations and 2E0NEY, M0GHZ and G0HEL in the other tent with the 70cm and 23cm stations.  G4SPE kindly assisted by towing the generator to and from the site.

We operated in the Restricted section (100W to a single aerial at a maximum height of 10m) on 2m, 70cm and 23cm and Open section on 4m (160W) and 6m (400W), both to single yagis.

Despite the reduced size of the team, all the stations were successfully set up and working by Friday night, which was a first for us!

Conditions were generally fairly average with the exception of 6m which was fortunate to benefit from some sporadic E (Es).  Sadly we had no Es on 4m on the Sunday although some of our competitors were more fortunate, dwarfing our score.

Despite the unusual circumstances, average propagation and the mixed bag of weather, all those who attended had a thoroughly good time.  

Hopefully we will be able to return to a more sociable VHF NFD event at Maesbury in 2022 which we all miss.

The claimed scores can be viewed at https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/claim.pl?Contest=VHF%20NFD&year=2021