09/19/2002 | K1WHS What a difference a year makes! Last year at this time we were swimming in tropo contacts all along the Eastern Seaboard. This time around, the conditions were flat and generally agreed to be below typical summertime levels. Stations normally worked didn't quite make it into the log this time! There were tremendous winds for the few days before the contest began. Did I mention that I had 5 VHF bands on the ground on Thursday morning? It was a struggle to get everything up in the air. We were an unlimited multi-op station trying to be on all the bands all the time! This summer we had dropped most of the microwave antennas and revised the towers to make things work better. I am glad we did, because the poor conditions made the changes more important.
The six thru 432 ops had very low QSO totals, but we worked hard and got respectable grid totals on all the bands. We tried WSJT on 144 for the first time ever, and after some corrections,actually made some contacts. Really we were neophytes at it. Many thanks to those who perservered to finally complete. It really helped our score on 144. The six meter ops complained about poor scatter, and poor tropo conditions as well.
The higher bands above 432 were all on a new taller tower and our grid totals went way up as a result. Some good QSOs were AA2UK on 10 GHz (rain scatter). K1OR/R on 24 GHz rain scatter, and the fish that got away was WA3DRC on 3456. He was peaking 559, but we failed to complete!
The contest ended in some heavy rain which dampened the festivities and curtailed the fine dining provided by Chef Monte, N1LBI. He really outdid himself this time. The barbequed ribs were great. Maybe if more VHF operators discover the "Chef Monte" factor, they might want to join the group! We sure could use the help! Operators included: 50 MHz...K1TOL, K7KX 144 MHz... W2PED, WA1T, 222 MHz: N2CEI, 432 MHz: K1DY, 903 MHz...K1WHS, 1296 MHz... W1MRQ, Chef Monte, N1LBI Culinary Delights, BA1LY: Guest Op/ Mouse chaser -- K1WHS