Presenting PACC proof

A few weeks ago PD7YY and PG8M went to pick-up our PACC trophy. 

So we can now proudly present to you the proof of YNOMY's highest contest achievement so far:

We are still pondering over our next step. Are we going to beat the highest multi-multi achievement of CQWW or should we aim for WPX all-time high?

Winning PACC on third try

Looking at the winners of the PACC 2016, you might ask yourself "why not me"? And you are right of course. YNOMY captured first place in the multi operator single tx category, with most QSOs and most multipliers of all single tx contestants, using the call PA55A.

Last year we (PD7YY, PG8M and PH0NO) were very content with our second place. We started this year's contest knowing that it would be difficult to match that result.

For three times in a row we have entered this contest with a field day setup and matching spirit. On Friday we arrive on an empty campsite where we set up our wire antennas and hook up our radio. On Sunday afternoon we leave the campsite empty again. In between we give our best shot at logging as many contacts as possible using our band strategy as a guide and the conditions as we experience them to fine tune our operation.

Looking at our way of working there are I guess three important ingredients for success. The first is spirit: we enjoy what we do and we enjoy doing it well. The second is our eagerness to learn. We used our previous two experiences to understand which decisions worked and which did not. The third is our focus to log flawlessly. We again had a very low number of errors.  The experience we have gained in various expeditions helps us copy calls even in difficult circumstances.

Looking at the setup we used and the setup our competitors used, you can see one other thing typical of our way of operating: we value skill and dedication over "stuff".

All three times we participated we have been out in the field in the rain, snow and wind. Stuff broke, things didn't work, antennas had to be cut during the contest, etc.
This both gives us great campfire stories and makes the results even more satisfying.

Now.. on to the next challenge..

PACC 2016 results preview and PACC 2015 trophy

Things are looking good for our ranking in PACC 2016. The list of robot scores has been published. In 2015 we used the call PE55E, this year we participated with PA55A.

YNOMY participated with the call PA55A

Trying to learn all we could learn from our first two attempts (2014 and 2015) seems to have paid off. Now we will have to wait for all the log checks to find out how accurate we and our contacts have been. Last year our error% was very low.

This is a good time to look back at the award ceremony of PACC 2015. We came in second in the MOST category. PD7YY and PG8M went to the ceremony to claim our trophy. Below you can see both Marcel's looking proud (well, at least one Marcel is) showing off the huge trophy.

YNOMY active in PACC as PA55A

Watch out for us during the PA contest this weekend. We are working from the same campsite we used last year, using the special call PA55A.

Just like we have done during our first two years, we are building up a temporary station for this contest from which we will be able to work all contest bands 160-10m. A field day operation in winter. Luckily weather conditions seem acceptable.

Low band wire antennas installed

Last year we reached second place in the multi operator single radio category. We hope we will be able to get into the top 3 again.

If you hear us, give us a shout. We need a report + serial number and we will give you a report and "GD" for Gelderland (our province).

PG8M and PD7YY installing the hexbeam