Derek, G7LFC, today climbed in to the top 10% of amateur radio operators around the globe taking part in the ARRL’s International Grid Chase.
The chase has been taking place since since the 1st January and participants score points for every locator square (e.g. IO83) they work each month. Today Derek was placed 3,358th out of a total of 33,868 entrants putting him inside that top 10%.
Quite possibly to the dismay of his wife Alison (M6COV), hardly a day has gone by this year that Derek hasn’t been working stations all over the world using the latest ‘magic’ mode, FT-8; even when other operators using a variety of modes have been complaining that the bands are dead. Contacts of note include Japan and China.
G7LFC makes more than 2,000 contacts year-to-date
Derek has dedicated his achievement to-date to Joe Taylor (K1JT) and the team of developers responsible for the WSJT-X software that kick-started the FT-8 movement and Simon Poyser (MW1GSR) who developed and built an amazing range of budget HF antennas, under the guise of the Snowdonia Radio Company, which really do work very well – more than half Derek’s 2,000 contact this year have been made using one of them.
As well as the lofty position held in the international league, Derek’s also in the top 4% of British amateur radio operator taking part in the chase, being placed 35th.
You can keep track of G7LFC’s progress throughout the year by visiting the chase page and bookmarking this web site.