 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
Well, the *June* QSO Party is now over, and what do I find on the floor but my long lost logsheet from the *January* contest. Figures. Looking back it's a darn shame I lost it... had 17 6m, 17 2m and 2 70cm contacts for 36; that's probably the best I've done in the 4 years I've been a ham. Ah well. The June effort was less than half as good. Ah well, September's coming up, and new yagis are *going* up! :-)
I had just purchased a used (but in fantastic condition) Kenwood TR-9130 all mode 2 meter radio and just in time for the January, 2007 VHF contest... I used a portable MFJ 3 element beam and it worked out great for USB and CW. I look forward to June's VHF QSO party and next years January VHF contest as well.
73 and thanks to those stations that helped me get into the contest by contacting me.
Jim
Whoops! I forgot to do the soapbox! This was our first Club event, previously we operated as KG6MDW and W6SN. We had myself, my XYL Megan KI6EWC and our son, Jason W6SN and his XYL Jamie KG6JMW and their daughter and son, and Christina KF6UXC and husband Garrett KI6FNW.
We where up atop Mt. Vaca again in CM88. This year it was kinda a bust, when we arrived Friday night it was windy so we where not able to get antennas up until Saturday, and we didn't have everything we needed, including parts to the big 2m antenna. We also tried to setup a 30' tower and put something on it, in the end we ended up using our old mounting spots from last year. Next year we will be more prepared, and will have more luck!
We had to use the cars to block the wind, you can see the elk yagi for 2m and the 440 beam on top of the building |
Jason trying to put up the 440 beam on a 55' tower... We where trying to attach it to the ladder but the tower was in the way. |
Setting up the 30' tower. |
Garrett calling cq. (And yes the Ipod ear buds really DO help you hear other stations! |
"I think I heard something...." |
we settled for the vertical on the tower |
"What happens if I toss this rock??" My son and Jason's Daughter |
WOW!!!!.....
What a great time!! We had Oscar, Ross, Tom and me all in there either working the rigs or keeping track of the contacts!!...I had both Oscar and Ross help me with the 2m and 6m beams, we got them assembled and on the air very quickly. I am really impressed by Oscar, this guy is 12 years old!! I wanted to be a ham at 12, but I didnt have the encouragement and support of my parents. Thanks to his dad WA6OSX and his mom KC6TBH, I guess contesting is in his genetic make-up!! Soon Ross will have his license and then once again we have to initiate him in to the contest life, by using that brand new call sign!! Look for us in June contest, we have some new gear and antenna's this time so maybe our 2m and 6m scores will be higher this time. If all goes well I will have my new 2nd generation 10 Ghz transverter operational.
73,
Ron - N6GKJ
-----SOHP Pete Walters K9PW-----
Here is yet another Chart Topping operation from the Club Station of South Mountain! In the past K3EAR has scored several First Place finishes in the Unlimited and also the Limited Categories. K3EAR, in past January operations, has set a New All Time Record in the Unlimited category and the Club as a whole has won the Club Competition in the Medium Category securing the coveted Gavel Award as well! So here is a nice SOHP operation from the Club Site for this year's event. From the initial results we have seen, this will be a First Place Finisher as well as being yet another Record Breaker in a new category, Way to go Pete!!
South Mountain Contest Club
South Mountain Club Site |
Six Meter Tower Array |
SOHP Pete Walters K9PW |
Another great time was had by all of us at KI6BEW this contest. We operated portable and setup was easy since the weather was great. Ron, N6GKJ joined us this time and brought along his 10 GHz station. Also made contacts on 927 MHz this time, a new band for us. The usual minor technical problems were resloved each in turn. Rounding out the group was my Dad, WA6OSX and my brother Ross. Looking forward to June !
The UHF station |
Logger Ross |
KI6BEW on a gameboy break |
N6GKJ on 2 meters |
10 GHz |
This was my first real rover actvity. I have, over the years, been traveling during a contest and given out a few contacts. The plan was to activate 8 grids on the Natchez Trace Parkway from Nashville,TN to Natchez,MS using 5 bands. The old Ham adversaries of Murphy,time constraints, and weather whittled the effort down to 5 grids and three bands(6,2,70cm). I still was able to assemble a reasonable system of mobile and stationary antennas. It pays to assimilate the soapbox pictures and comments to get ideas! The Natchez Trace Parkway is a unit of the National Park Service like the Blueridge Parkway in NC and VA. With a 50 Mph speedlimit and no commercial traffic it made an ideal rover path. There are plenty of spaces to pull over and several nice open overlooks in the various grids. I made contacts from EM 65,64,54,53,and 52. Had a nice quick visit with WA4JA/R at the Tennessee River in EM54. As a bonus, the parkway's 70th anniversary of the start of construction is this year, so I obtained the special event callsign N4T. I learned how much goes into a rover adventure and will undoughtedly do better next time. Thanks to those who contacted me and especially to the ones who followed me grid to grid.
|
|
|
It is fun being a Rover because I can drive to a hilltop with better propagation than I have at home. Being at the grid square corner puts me 90 miles away from the Minneapolis/St.Paul population center and difficult to break thru the chatter on 144.200 to pull them away for contacts. Best DX on 2 meters was EN43aw to KB0CIM in EN37ef at 384km or 239 miles. What a thrill. Thanks for all the fun. Mel KC0P/R
2/432 Yagi on the truck. |
ICOM 706 with memories loaded for 144.170, 432.170, 50.170 MHz and ready for action. |
Six meter Dipole on back corner, a five foot overhanging load on the rider side. Should be removed for transport. |
CALLSIGN: N3NGE CATEGORY: MULTI-UNLIMITED OPERATORS: N3NGE K3EGE W2PED K1WHS N3FTI N3EXA N2NC ARRL-SECTION: EPA
Band conditions overall were not very good on Saturday; that combined with relentless wind induced power line noise on 6 and 2 made for a difficult first half. Sunday saw reduced QRN and some improvement in propagation conditions generally, especially in the evening hours. There were occasional bursts of Es on 6 but mostly too short to complete a QSO so really no enhancements of any kind to speak of.
We had an excellent complement of operators who did the station proud. We also had the good fortune of no equipment failures apart from the usual computer/network annoyances. There were several new hardware enhancements that we got to try out along with some changes in operational strategy. All of this added up to a respectable showing, so to the crew I say CHEERS!
73, Len N3NGE
JANUARY VHF CONTEST 2007 KE4WBO EL96 SOLP |
final score
6m- 11 qso's 6 grids,
2m -12 qso's 6 grids,
222 4 qso's 3 grids,
432 7 qso's 3 grids,
1296 3 qso's 3 grids,
1197 total
ke4wbo
|
Responsibility for content of all posted material rests exclusively with the item author. ARRL staff assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, and accuracy of items appearing on this page. All questions and comments should be directed to the item author. |
