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K3EAR - JANUARY 2004 VHF SWEEPSTAKES MULTI-OP WINNER AGAIN! |
JAN 2004 CONTEST 6M 7EL HOMEBREW 36'BOOM 2M CUSH 17B 222 K1FO LONGBOOM 432 K1FO LONGBOOM 1296 K1FO /DIRECT SYSTEM LOOPER 2304 K1FO/DIRECT SYSTEM LOOPER |
Hello to all at ARRL: Just a few lines to let you know about our rover operation.
The team consisted of Joe (AJ4W) Tom (N5ROC) and Dana KD4ESC.
Tom's father loaned us his Alegro motor home for our rover operation.
We all met at Dana's house in Cullman to install our antennas and
equipment. As we started out from EM64 headed south it was decided to go
to Red Mountain in EM63 and set up as close to the new Vulcan. Most all
TV stations are located here and the RF is very heavy as you would think. We
were able to make several contacts and get some pictures(see attachment)while
setting next to NBC 13 van in visitors parking lot.
Next we headed south toward EM62 down 280 . By this time it had started to rain
and 280 is very congested but Tom drove us through with Dana (which new the territory)
guided us on the right path. Joe was on 2 meters and 70 CM calling CQ. The dual band
beam 2&70 was pointing to the rear while we were going south-southeast. The only real
band opening of any kind happened while moving down 280.AG5V came booming in from
EM 55 on 2 totally unexpected but giving hope that we just might hit it right for a good
band opening on this rover operation. With new vigor and after stopping to eat a bit we
headed on down 280 still looking for the bands to open up. As we checked our GPS
locator to see if we had made it to EM62 so we could give out some more contacts in
a different Grid ( and get some more ourselves) we called CQ contest AJ4W/ROVER.
Well by this time the word had gotten around and stations we just waiting for us.Jimmy
Long W4ZRZ led the way on all bands. But Jimmy was not too impressed with our
signals . We took his advise and moved on down the road to the next hill top which
made a whole lot of difference. From here we got to work WB4VHF N4GRU KE4TFI
N4DMR N4DXY and many others. It may seem funny but when you are off like that
it sure is good to here folks from the grid you came from. I can just imagine how it
must feel to be on an rare island somewhere and herein the group back home, Wow.
After bedding down for the night in the Wal-Mart parking lot we were very comfortable
at first. As the night went on and temps started to drop I knew why Tom wanted us to
bring along our own sleeping bags. Good Idea Tom, otherwise I would have frozen hi hi.
Getting some breakfast the next morning seamed to rejuvenate all of us as we set our
on the highest spot in the state of Alabama. But wait, we have another grid here EM72.
CQ CQ CQ AJ4W Rover, hello anyone. Nope not anyone, not even Jimmy W4ZRZ.
We were either in the land of no RF or everyone was gone to church or sleeping late.
In any case no contacts from EM72 . But we all knew things were going to change soon
cause we were headed to Mt.Cheaha. If you have not ever been there, then make plans
to go, just make sure it is better weather than it was when we arrived. When we got to
the top , the wind was rocking the motor home. It was not just a gust or two but strong
blast of wind. Again we encountered strong RF from the APT transmitters so we went
up in the observatory to look out over the country side. Trouble was and this is no joke
the APT tower which was less than 75 ft. away was nearly unseeable looking out of the
windows. Tom did bring his trusted camera and got our picture though(also in attachment).
After leaving the peak and coming down the slopes we were able to make several
good contacts on all bands from the scenic view pulloffs. That was about it from EM73.
Next we headed north to EM74 with no way of knowing what layed ahead or where
exactly we were going. Thank goodness for GPS locators we knew when we had made
it to the new grid. No mountain top, but no obstructions either. We set up and started to
operate and were told by several what good signal we had all around.
As we got back on the road , heading for our home Grid , I heard W4LIA asking if we
were back in EM64 yet. Again a quick check of the GPS and sure enough we had just
crossed back over so got to work Rick from EM64 on his three bands. Also N4DXY,W4EVH
W4WDH, W3NH, AA4R, AF4OD, AA4R, KM4MP and several others.
A good time was had by all of us and I would not be surprised if at some point we tried
it again. If so I know we will let more people know what we are going to do.
73 FROM THE AJ4W/ ROVER GROUP DANA KD4ESC, JOE AJ4W & TOM N5ROC.
Jean, N1MJC, operates the 2004 ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes--her first. [N1RL Photo] |
The N1MJC "shaky-pole" antenna system, which barely cleared the rooftop. [N1RL Photo] |
We set up a separate N1MJC VHF-UHF station on the kitchen table (easier access to manually rotate the antennas, and Rick was working an HF contest upstairs at the same time). While we didn't have huge signals and were unable to operate for the full contest period, we did manage to hit a 6-meter opening into Florida. Never did work that VP9, although he was quite loud at times into Western Massachusetts.
Many thanks to all who pulled us out of the noise.
We traveled 1,300 miles, activated 16 grid squares, called
a lot of CQs and had a lot of fun working 10 bands. There
are photos, along with a discussion of the history of the
rover category, on n6nb.com .
|
Well this was my first contest; I operated with Nick W6GNU, and Jason W6SN on Top of Mt. Vaca in CM88.
Not knowing what to expect, I brought my IC-706MKII, Nick had his IC-746, and Jason had his Kenwood TS-B2000, and we had extra stuff to go around! I operated 6m (First time on 6m)(100W), Nick handled 2m (100w), and Jason had 440(50w). We had a 6m 3 Element beam at 30’, stacked 2m beams at 15’, and an Elk 2m/440 for 440 at 20’. We also had 1.2 ATV (MDARC ATV repeater) and 2.4 Wifi (Which neither got working)
Now here’s the crazy part – We are at a radio site, with power, But instead we run off of 3 batteries (2 car, and 1 deep cycle) for the WHOLE contest
We got up there Friday morning about 0900z (we could not wait till the next morning!) We where in the middle of light rain, clouds (2800ft elevation) and darkness, we got everything up by 1400z, and tested.
Time for the real test: Could we do the whole contest and not have any problems? Well we had a couple, about 20 hours into the contest (After we talked to almost everyone that was out that day) the winds kicked up, we are talking 50-60 mph! So here Nick and I go, running around making sure stuff didn't fly away, Thankfully nothing did... We also had to go back down a couple times for various things, including a serial cable for the TS-B2000 – OOPS!
Contacts: 158 Multiplier: 22 Total points: 3872
Not bad for a first time! Hear all of you at the next vhf contest! 73’s Trevor, KG6MDW
Gas for running my car for lights = $20 Screen tent = $50 Radio Equipment & Antennas = $3750 Masts and related equipment = $100
3 days of sleep-deprived, RF exposed, Cold & Windy Contest bliss = Priceless.
Here is Jason (W6SN) and Nick (W6GNU) at the operating position |
Here is the 6m beam on Sunday, It was nice after the wind came! |
Here is the 2m stack (on the fence) and 440.. You can also see our semi-wind-shelterd operating area |
Here is the Saturday morning pic of the 6m beam |
Well I wasn't sure if it would happen last fall - but I actually followed through and operated single-op portable (QRP) for the Jan '04 contest. May sound a bit crazy to some to even consider the setup outdoors in January but I live in the southern part of Minnesota - I hear about the guys up north near International Falls and such and consider myself lucky living down here! Some of my friends think that adding the challenge of a small signal is further abuse! But I always seek out some adventure for a contest and my plan was in place. On Jan 2 it all started with a phone call to obtain permission to set up and operate at the site in EN44 located at the Winona Sportsman’s Club on the ridge just west of Winona, MN some 10 miles from my home. I picked the site because our local club here in Winona often sets up for Field Day there and it lends itself somewhat to VHF on up work with some good elevation. (Besides – I knew the road would get plowed too). Later that afternoon I took advantage of a near January thaw and prepared for the contest by marking off the two mast locations, trailer location, and setting the earth anchors in the partially frozen ground. Not knowing what could happen in the next 3 weeks I marked all the anchors and mast locations with fluorescent orange paint. The only other preparation I accomplished in the coming weeks was to replace the generator oil with 5W30 synthetic blend and give it a good test run.
For my portable setup I use 2 telescoping push up masts that have guy ropes tied off at 3 points for mounting the 8 yagis. The larger 36 ft mast has three tiers of guy ropes while the smaller mast for 432 on up had two sets. It usually takes about 3 days to get everything just right for the contest (in warmer weather). I really had no idea what to expect so I thought that it would be good to start a week early. My first return trip on January 17th however; was aborted due to the ice storm the night before. My second return trip on the 21st had to be aborted due to the dangerously high winds at the site. (Assembly of this style push up mast …by yourself …in the wind is not only difficult, but also dangerous!) The big stack (6MX5, 16LBX, 222-16) finally went up Friday afternoon just one day before the test. I worked in pack boots with several layers of clothes and my head covered at all times. Most of the gear was staged at home to minimize the time for assembly in the field. I worked in short shifts with my hands exposed at a minimum. While working in the cold I learned how to prepare a taught-line hitch in just a few seconds! One thing I hadn't thought too much about was how the low temperatures would affect cableling. My setup requires 11 cables for antennas, IF's, PTT's and 2 for the rotators. The LMR400 flex wasn't too bad but everything else was considerably stiff.
On day two of setup I was greeted with some unexpected colder temperatures. It was -8F when I left the house for the ridge. Even though I knew it would be tough to get the work done outside in time for the contest I pressed ahead and got the antennas for next five bands: 432 - 3456 up in record time! Even in the warmer months I have had some trouble hoisting the tower mounted xverter box up to the aluminum cross members - but this time out things went OK. (I have been known to be fussy about how the stack looks ...it really helped keeping my torpedo level in my back pocket this time out!) As it later turned out in spite of the delays and cold I was probably the most prepared for the contest start this year than any other time.
My operating position was inside the small familiar looking yellow camping trailer (courtesy N0QK – tnx again Russ!). The table in the camper is barely big enough for the 2 transceivers, rotor boxes, keyers, and computer. Underneath the table was my Astron power supply, and 902-144 xverter. Once again I used the IC746PRO for 50MHz and the IF for 902, 2304, and 3456 as well as 146MHz FM for local contacts. Just as in the September '03 test I handled PTT keying between the IF rig and the xverter manually by selecting the correct line and plugging it in to the ‘746PRO cable. A 4 - position N coax switch was used to switch between each xverters or the 146 antenna.
My generator was actually on-line at contest start as the trailer warmed up a bit (For a heat source inside the camper I used a small electric heater. I tried the propane furnace for a bit but decided that it wasn't worth the trouble). Immediately I heard many of the locals mostly from EN44 exchanging reports. It wasn’t easy, but I ignored the stations for a few more minutes taking extra time to make sure both keyers were operating, as I knew it would be nice to have a beacon available for the higher band qso's. First contacts in the log were W9FZ/R. Bruce was really close to my west and really loud on all 7 bands! For the next few hours I was quite busy working Bruce and several of the locals including K0NY/R and WA9IGK/R on their four bands. (The heater by the way did an awesome job! By 0100Z on Saturday night the camper was a comfortable 64F inside!)
Things seemed to quiet down a bit after that. Many of the stations to my north were busy chasing the rover stations around and I had substantial difficulty contacting anyone with all the yagis pointed away from me. I worked several more stations throughout the evening but pulled the switch when things got really quiet for a good rest at home overnight. The next day things went pretty fast. I was happy to hook up with some stations to the southeast: N2BJ and WB9Z on CW. Although things were pretty quiet to the east - I did happen to run into KC9BQA for a 3-band sweep. Other highlights included all band sweeps with several stations .... 902 and 1296 were the most impressive this time out. My frozen tower mounted xverter box for 2304 and 3456 seemed to work just fine too!
Not without some troubles - just as in the September '03 test the generator had problems later Sunday. Even though it wasn’t snowing at the time the high wind up on the ridge caused blowing snow to get pulled into the generator between the brushes and slip rings causing a shower of sparks! I didn’t even bother to see how bad the damage was - just decided to pull the switch. (Maybe need to find a contest-rated generator next time out.). My whole operation came to a dead stop just after 5:00 Sunday. I used the extra time to begin tear down (typically takes 2 days to get everything back home) which was a great idea as it turned out. In all I feel that the effort was a success - had plenty of room for more contacts. For those who took the time for a qso – thank you! One thing I will take from the experience is the knowledge in what it takes to deal with the cold WX setup and logistics. I got all the gear back to the house in record time by 7:00 Monday morning just before the start of small storm that closed schools with 7” of new snow.
73,
de
Operating Site in EN44da KF0Q/0 |
Looking West |
432-3456 stack close up (M2 9WL on top) |
Crowded operating position (better than outside!) |
Nice flat conditions along with 6 through 1296 antennas mounted at only 20' at my new rental home, made for some real noise floor Q's ! Local terrain was over the antenna height in most all directions except for SW into FM28/29. This was an exercise in system design work and not a serious contest attempt. Having sold my home at near 1200' elevation a few months ago, due to good real estate advantages and misdirected local zoning gods, I look forward to a new location by next January test. Thanks to all that climbed into their radio to work my very modist temporary station in northern CT FN31WX.
73's and CU agn in Dayton. Space #2214 and the weak sig & contest dinners.
Tom K1IM
The 1296 loop yagi is looking for those elusive QSOs beyond the mountians to the north. The Library Tower is the tallest building between Chicago and Taiwan. |
Visible to the south from W6YV is the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and in the far distance to its right is Catalina Island. |
Virtually all of the Los Angeles basin can be seen from this spot, as suggested by the photos. I managed lots of local QSOs on five bands, but getting out beyond about 200 miles across the mountains was very difficult. Local noise problems and the propensity for almost everybody to be on top of each other on the calling frequencies contributed to this problem. Es to Texas on six meters produced two new grids at the end of the contest, but otherwise conditions were poor. In addition to contesting, I enjoyed chatting with a number of old friends.
73, Curt Roseman
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