04/06/2005 | KG6IYN For every VHF or UHF Contester (and Contest), there is a reference standard definition for "the Best of Times" and also for "the Worst of Times". Some might even go so far as to as to use the Murphy Scale in these references - I know I did, this was my personal "Murphy of all Contests".

The original plan for January 2005 was to work from Black Mountain, 2100' elevation, in DM23. Plans for that went sideways when my vehicle decided to fire off the "Check Engine Soon" light about 180 miles in to the 200 mile leg there to pre-inspect the proposed site earlier in the week. After checking out the location and making a quick list of materials needed to set up equipment, I made the 200 mile drive home. My car dealer took an appointment request for Thursday and I dropped the vehicle off as scheduled - only to get the ominous and foreboding call about two hours later informing me that the part needed (one of the onboard computers for emission control) was not in stock and would have to be special ordered - with a best estimate of time about 2 weeks out from Japan. I asked about driving the vehicle in the time while waiting, got the official "Not any further than needed, short trips only" message from the Service Manager.... Oh well, DM23 will have to be another trip ....

Packed up the Nissan "MCV" (Multi-Purpose Contest Vehicle) Friday evening, drove only 51 miles to my usual contesting spot in DM12(rr) Saturday morning, arriving about 0700 local time. The usual routine is to unpack the vehicle, assemble antennas, lay out feed and rotor cables and get the support masts ready - all while waiting for the usual morning winds on the mountain to die down. This was not going to be the case today however as the winds persisted at a minimum of 30 mph, with sustained peaks of 60 to 75 mph (handheld anemometer used for "sanity checking" when in doubt during antenna erections). The winds continued to build during the day, peaking Saturday night and Sunday morning. This resulted in many failed attempts to put up the long yagi's typically used from this site, with only a single M2 6M7JHV successfully erected at 1800 local time. (Pictures are worth a look)

Started the contest seven hours late, with the single M2 6 meter yagi on an Icom 746Pro and using the 706 MkIIG usually in the vehicle to work 50/144/432 using the magmount FM cut vertical antennas. At least I'm on the air at this point ...

Winds continued to build Saturday night, which resulted in the mast above the Ham IV rotor breaking loose, allowing the 'JHV to orient itself as it pleased. If I worked you on the 6 meter yagi, it's only because the wind was blowing in your direction at the time ...

By Sunday morning, what hadn't been relocated by winds was rounded up to make another attempt to put up antennas for the final day. I managed to get a single 432 antenna (Cushcraft 719b) up with an M2 23CM35 for 1.2, at a significantly reduced height than normally run .. however any yagi is better than no yagi at all. Also managed to wrangle the M2 220 5WL up on a 20' push up mast, with a 2 meter M2 Loop on the very top. Used a magmount and 13 element Cushcraft for 902 this time around with fair results. Was able to work stations between 30 to 50 miles out on nothing more than a 220 handheld and the rubber duck (with several of those using the same on the other side). At some point I notice that the mast above the rotor holding the 'JHV is now bent, in addition to spinning freely like a weather vane (but why should that matter, each end of the boom is bending anywhere from two to five feet past the centerline where the boom is attached to the upper mast above the rotor with the wind ...)

Lessons learned (and reaffirmed); it was worth taking the smaller yagi's along for the ride, I wasn't planning on using them, in fact they were packed for the trip in case a couple of other folks from San Diego wanted to come up the hill and spend a bit more serious time testing the waters on VHF and UHF. It certainly helped to have a couple of loops for the same reason ...

It was worth taking a couple of handhelds along, I was planning on using them to monitor the FM Simplex frequencies, but they were pressed in to use in lieu of having the larger supporting antennas up on 220 and 902.

Lesson reaffirmed; There can never be enough coax or rope to help compensate for those unforgiving times when you have to change all of your old tried and true methods for setting up antennas, especially when you least expect there to be an issue with wind or weather.

Most memorable contacts were in DM43 and CM95 on the M2 Loop on 2 meters, as well as all of the 902 contacts at only 3 watts, many to others using the same handhelds. FM came in handy once again and about 30 % of my total score came from FM contacts all the way up to 1296 (wind profiling radar noise was really bad this time around, FM rescued many of the otherwise unusable SSB contact attempts). There's also the contacts that were made in to DM03 and DM04 using the Alinco 220 Handheld, with the rubber duck antenna "quasi-coupled" in between the reflector and driven element on the M2 220 yagi... sorry no pictures of me precariously perched on the top step of the 8 foot step ladder, maybe next time around ...

End result - a pretty good contest overall. Participation was WAY up over the past few years, especially with the locals at an all time collective high. Many thanks to all who spent many extra miles on the road not to contest, but to help us that were by adding extra points and grids we wouldn't have had otherwise. Many thanks to those who climbed up ladders and sat on the peaks of their roofs with handheld radios to work me on 220 and 902 in my hours of need (sorry, no extra points or multipliers for the effort, but a big "Woo Hoo" from me :).

Looking forward to June 2005 with hope for a smile and nod in the direction of Southern California from the Propagation God's.

'73 -- KG6IYN