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3B8M Activation

Olof 3B8HA is back with the 3B8M team ready for the contest.

Team 3B8M are QRV for the CQ WW CW contest due on 27-28 November. Look out for them on the HF bands and if possible give them a CW QSO so that they can get multiplier points.

At the QTH in Roches Noires they will run 4 HF stations and they were busy this week preparing those stations and building pretty good antennas for all bands using simple telescopic GRP poles very similar to fishing poles. Three 18m poles support antennas for the 160, 80 and 40m bands, shorter poles support VDAs (vertical dipole arrays) for 20, 15 and 10 meters. These antennas are all in the lagoon or close to the lagoon to benefit from the very good low-angle radiation patterns that salt water can support.

The idea in this contest is to work as many stations as possible over the weekend. You get points for every station worked and then you multiply the sum of all those points with your multiplier which is the sum of all DXCC countries and CQ zones you have worked on all bands.

Olof says they would very much like to have a quick contest QSO on CW with “local” stations in Mauritius, Rodrigues and Reunion on all the 160-80-40-20-15-10 meter bands. Please look for 3B8M perhaps using the Reverse Beacon Network to find us – check http://www.reversebeacon.net/dxsd1/dxsd1.php?f=88204 . The exchange is simple, you give a signal report almost always as 599 followed by your CQ Zone number.

Ionospheric propagation on HF is very variable which makes it fun and interesting to communicate worldwide. Generally the team will be on the 20, 15 and 10m bands during the day until they go quiet in the evening and then move to 40, 80 and 160 during the night and so be back on 160, 80 and 40m bands until sunrise or just after. In 2014 when solar flux was very good they made many contacts on 10 while in 2019 at sunspot minimum, 10 was almost totally dead. The team is hoping that 10 will come back to life this year as the solar activity is increasing. Worldwide probably 20-30000 amateurs will take part in some way.

If interested in taking part in this contest view rules on this link (click here to view). CQ Zone for Mauritius: 39