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RAC Winter contest was a bust!!
20 December 2025 | by 
I was very disappointed, but I wanted to err on the side of caution. This weekend was the running of the RAC Winter contest, which is very well attended. I get a lot of practice running in this contest, and it is a great help in my contesting journey. Unfortunately, the weather forecast put a damper on the weekend contest. For our area, high winds were forecast up to 100 km/h along with rain that could turn into freezing rain. My antenna, the Hustler 4BTV, according to DX Engineering, is rated for winds up to 88 km/h. At the best of times, I don’t like to venture even close to that number with my antenna. This weekend it “could” reach 100 km/h, and then add to that the possibility of freezing rain. This weather event was to start on Friday and run until Saturday evening.
I have the ability to tilt the antenna down and secure it, which is what I did. Being retired now and on a fixed income, to replace the antenna would be about $600.00 with tax and shipping. I am not in a position to drop that kind of money because I decided to leave the antenna up and see what happens. Eventually, I would like to get the Butternut HF6V, as it can withstand winds up to 130 km/h. For the most part, other than a hurricane, I could leave it up without worry. At this point in time, that antenna is way out of our budget for a hobby.
The antenna will go back vertical on Sunday, and it lives for another day on the air, pushing out CW. It did give me more time on the weekend to spend working on my python coding projects for ham radio.
As a side note my participation in the contest would not had been as heavy as like in days gone by. We found out 2 weeks ago that my wife Julie has cancer. Things worked out great in that all with in a 2 week period she was able to see a specialist and then see a cancer surgeon and then have surgery as well. She had her operation on Wednesday and is now at home. We shall now see what the next steps are, but for now we are just enjoying Christmas.
8 Responses to “RAC Winter contest was a bust!!”
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RAC Winter contest was a bust!!
I was very disappointed, but I wanted to err on the side of caution. This weekend was the running of the RAC Winter contest, which is very well attended. I get a lot of practice running in this contest, and it is a great help in my contesting journey. Unfortunately, the weather forecast put a damper on the weekend contest. For our area, high winds were forecast up to 100 km/h along with rain that could turn into freezing rain. My antenna, the Hustler 4BTV, according to DX Engineering, is rated for winds up to 88 km/h. At the best of times, I don’t like to venture even close to that number with my antenna. This weekend it “could” reach 100 km/h, and then add to that the possibility of freezing rain. This weather event was to start on Friday and run until Saturday evening.
I have the ability to tilt the antenna down and secure it, which is what I did. Being retired now and on a fixed income, to replace the antenna would be about $600.00 with tax and shipping. I am not in a position to drop that kind of money because I decided to leave the antenna up and see what happens. Eventually, I would like to get the Butternut HF6V, as it can withstand winds up to 130 km/h. For the most part, other than a hurricane, I could leave it up without worry. At this point in time, that antenna is way out of our budget for a hobby.
The antenna will go back vertical on Sunday, and it lives for another day on the air, pushing out CW. It did give me more time on the weekend to spend working on my python coding projects for ham radio.
As a side note my participation in the contest would not had been as heavy as like in days gone by. We found out 2 weeks ago that my wife Julie has cancer. Things worked out great in that all with in a 2 week period she was able to see a specialist and then see a cancer surgeon and then have surgery as well. She had her operation on Wednesday and is now at home. We shall now see what the next steps are, but for now we are just enjoying Christmas.
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Sorry about the conditions Mike, but a good thing about the hobby is that lots of contests come around. Hope the next one goes better. More important, glad to hear that Julie is recovering. I hope that everything goes well,and thank you for sharing. Here in the States a lot of people still think that “Canadian medical care” means months of waiting for anything. Stories like yours show the difference. Overall our for-profit arrangement means that we have the most expensive system with the worst outcome of any industrialized country. Perhaps someday enough folks here will realize that and demand change.
Good morning Richard always nice to hear from you. Thanks for the well wishes and Julie is doing better each day. As for our healthcare system up this way. I personally have had no real issues. We have had dealings over time with general surgeons, oncology specialist and surgeon, cardiologists and so on. Always been very pleased with the speed at which we see someone. Followup is outstanding as well as aftercare. Our personal doctor can be seen same day if not next day. Are there problems with our system…sure. Its not a lie that some do have a longer wait but over all the majority of people we know have had outstanding service from our healthcare. Mind you our taxes are higher than in the U.S. but for that we have healthcare, 76-78 weeks of paid parental/maternity leave, up to 45 weeks of paid unemployment leave if you loose your job and the list goes on. Now there are two sides to each story and there are those who hate paying out taxes….until they need the system on most cases and then there are those that look else where at other countries thinking the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. As for this Canadian I am thrill with what we have in this country and am thankful for it each and every day.
So Richard for the long winded reply,
73 and have a great upcoming week.
Mike
VE9KK
Mike VE9KK, Sorry you missed the RAC Winter event. I have moved from Kansas to Illinois and I haven’t gotten any antennas up yet. Maybe Christmas day when we are forecasted to be 65F I’ll have time to get my 80M dipole back up! Sorry to hear about your wife. I hope all comes out well! 73, Mike KB5UKT
Hey Mike!
I enjoy reading your post. You are a man truly dedicated to contesting. Sorry to hear about your wife but glad for the quick action on your health team. That’s how it’s supposed to be. We will be praying for her and for better days.
P.S. And finding better days on the bands!
Stephen W4TOL
I’m so sorry about your wife.
People can’t enjoy their hobbies if they’re not happy.
I hope you recover soon and return to your former happiness.
Wishing you a happy new year, with the hope that your only problem will be your antenna.
Because the problems with antennas, never end.
Atila
Good morning Stephen and yes CW contesting is my thing. I am retired now and it keeps my mind sharp for sure. Lots of areas of Amateur radio that keep my idle hands busy. Thanks for your prayers and Julie is home and doing much better.
73 and Merry Christmas
Mike
VE9KK
Good morning Atila and greetings from Canada. Well I will say that this past year we have not had as many wind events. The antenna has stayed up for most of the year and that is not the norm. I would rather miss a contest and keep the antenna. My wife is doing much better now and at home. We are going to enjoy the holidays and look forward to a new year.
Thanks for your well wishes and for stopping by.
73,
Mike
VE9KK
Good morning Mike and very nice to hear from you. Yes a move is a very time consuming thing and with my moves it seems that radio is the last thing to get set up. Now 65F WOW that is some nice temps for this time of year. Here in the evenings we are at -16C! Hope you get things all set up and back on the air soon. My wife is doing very well and we both are looking forward to the holiday season.
73
Mike
VE9KK