08/07/2007 | KC0IYT/R This contest was known locally as Rovermania IV. We had, I believe, 11 rovers out and about for the contest. Due to rain and flat conditions, this wasn't one of the better UHF contests.

I planned a 'more relaxing' contest: 3 grids from one grid corner (44N 94W) on Saturday and 2 grids in the Twin Cities on Sunday. It was raining Saturday morning as I drove to the grid corner, but the rain stopped about the time I arrived. The rain continued off and on all day (like when I had 5ghz & 10ghz set up). I was running 222 through 10ghz, but my 222 transverter was deaf (again) so 432 turned into my primary band. I didn't have much success all day long. I found one other rover, W0ZQ/R in/from two grids but heard very little out of the Twin Cities. I'm able to hear the bigger stations on stacked halos from this area, but I usually stayed on the beam. Sunday had better regional propagation, but I was in more populous grids so I wasn't an appealing station to the rovers.

My antenna configuration is a hybrid: 2 beams rotatable (with ropes) and the loopers are fixed. 5ghz and 10ghz are set up on tripods.

Glen Overby -- KC0IYT