Hi Bob
The Latitude Factor for 2018 is 1.92, higher than in the previous year (1.78). This appeared counter-intuitive as Team VK1 were just able to beat the top VE’s in 2017 and I spent some time checking for calculation errors. However, because the factor depends upon real as opposed to corrected team scores, it became clearer, because conditions in the southern hemisphere have continued poor and team VK1 only won as a result of three successive years with increasing factors.
I have yet to get on the air from my new QTH and so have little first hand idea how conditions are playing of late but reports on both LF and HF seem to suggest little change from 2017.
The upcoming Gozo trip is proving something of a challenge, however on inspection it appears that EJ are now able to accommodate vault poles up to 4.6m in length in the hold and that there is no published weight limit on cabin baggage . . .
73, Peter G3LET
Hi Peter G3LET
It was interesting to ready your post on ‘Latitude Factors’ in the team contest.
As a participant in the Commonwealth Contest for about two solar cycles, I and other members of the Australian and New Zealand teams dread the drop away of long distance propagation on 20, 15 and 10m and the subsequent struggle to make competitive scores from the southern hemisphere. This means that every year we have to work harder and harder to improve our stations, antennas and operating in order to remain competitive.
The one ray of sunshine in all this is the fact that the Latitude Factor increases, as the numbers of sunspots fall away.
I feel saying that “team VK1 only won as a result of three successive years with increasing factors” could be seen as somewhat damning their efforts with faint praise. It may be true that Team VK 1 won because the increasing latitude factors helped their score, but it seems to me was far from the only reason.
Vy 73
Steve, VK6VZ (VK Team 2 in 2017)
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Steve
Mea Culpa as I posted without realising Peters note was for me to consider not simply to post without comment
73 Bob
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