The largest amateur radio contest in the world is arranged the last full weekend of October each year. This year the club participated with two separate entries. As our club location Studentersamfundet (the student society in Trondheim) had a regular opening weekend some of the members wanted to get away from the QRM and try to enter the contest from LB0VGs cabin at Kanestraum with the contest call LN1K. Meanwhile, the QSL manager set up a schedule for the participants staying in Trondheim using our regular call sign, LA1K. This resulted in an exciting internal competition within the club.

The two different factions both had some advantages and disadvantages. The cabin group had significantly less noise interfering with the equipment and the opportunity to work the station at all hours of the day, but also limited antennas and only a single power amplifier for the shack. Meanwhile, the clubhouse could use two stations with 1000 W at any of the six available bands: 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 MHz.

LB5EJ and Viljar gaining some points for LA1K.
Photo: LB5DH

At the cabin, LB0VG had a 20 m vertical antenna as well as a low hanging 80 m dipole. We also brought a 40 m portable vertical for more options, but not the best antennas for DXing. The shack was placed inside LB0VGs own cozy radio cabin separate from the main cabin. This was also the placement of his 20 m vertical, with the 80 m hanging just above.

The main cabin at the left, the shack cabin at the right, with the dipole hanging just above.

Given that the two groups chatted with each other during the contest, we kept an eye on the score as the contest went on. This also sparked a friendly rivalry between the two groups. At 16:00 on Saturday LB5DH announced that LA1K had rounded up 400 QSOs compared to LN1Ks 332. The next day started with a race on the 20 m band with some DXing on 10 and 15 m. LA1K reached 1000 QSOs at approximately 14:00 on Sunday with LN1K reaching the same milestone a few hours later.

With both of the groups various handicaps LA1K ended up with a total of 1100 QSOs resulting in a score of 325,105 points and LN1K with 1201 QSOs and 218,232 points. So both groups got a victory in their own way. Compared with other stations competing in the same category this was sub par, but compared with previous years entries from the club it was not that bad.