06/14/2006 | KL7UW/R 2006 makes it one year anniversary for VHF Contesting in Alaska. The Alaska VHF-Up Group began in April 2005 and June 2005 was the first time for Alaska VHF Contest participation.

I began by operating from home and was underwhelmed by activity only making six contacts (3 0n 6m, 3 on 2m)in the first hour. I had planned to operate at home until noon to gather the intial rush of qso's, but I quit and move gear to the rover.

The remainder of the day was roving on a 300-foot hill in my home grid of BP40. This is the location of several commercial towers overlooking the generally low lands of forest and lakes of the western Kenai Peninsula. I had plans of making four bands contacts with Ron, KL1PL/R, who was roving the 2000 foot Anchorage "hillside". We were not disappointed, though somehow forgot to log 2m. We did 6m, 70cm and 33cm (this was the farthest known contact on this band in Alaska to date - 81 miles). It took us 2-hours to accomplish 33cm as the Artic Vally location did not work for KL1PL and he had to come down and drive thru city road construction to reach Glen Alps where we were successful (I had to move about 1/4 mile to a slightly higher spot, as well)...strange as my first site was line-of-sight to Ron.

I was exhausted and came home (6-miles) from the "mountain" for the remainder of saturday. I should have set up my home station on 6m as some DX happened after 10pm (NL7Z to KL3BD - about 600 miles), and reports that JA's began to come in around 2am?! No one up here has ever heard of a 6m Es/F at that time of day. The 6m fun in the lower-48 never showed up here - oh well!

Sunday my wife accompanied me as we traveled east into BP50 and worked a couple stations back in BP40 on 6m and 2m. We continued on the small town of Hope on the southern shore of Turnagain Arm where we set up the downsized rover (whips for 6m/2m/70cm and loop-yagi for 33cm). It was an easy contact with Ron, KL1PL/R and Steve, KL7FZ/R located 5-miles away on the northern shore (even copied "headlight" CW from KL1PL). Unfortunately, the mic in the GE-TMX 33cm rig gave up and no contact was possible (even though I heard them with the loop yagi resting face down in the dirt!).

The high point of Sunday was making the first narrow-band 10-GHz contact in Alaska with KL7FZ/R. It was easy with his 2w DEMI PA and 1-foot dish to my 22 dB horn where I ran with 10mw. We both used DEMI xvtrs. The thermal drift in those rigs was so extreme that only CW was copiable though signals were solid (S9+). I brought my 18-inch dish (32 dB) but it was not needed.

KL7FZ had acquired his 10-GHz station only recently so this was the first time to even try listening for each other...searching was pretty easy (KL7FZ=10,368.115-.110, KL7UW=10,368.230 - not well calibrated, eh?).

This was done in light rain so my equipment was drapped in plastic and Steve set up inside his van with the side doors open (smart).

Since both Steve and I have three 10-GHz xvtrs, each look for a lot more mw activity in Alaska this year! I am working on a 222-W1GHZ xvtr so will activate that band as well as 1296 this fall. I will be Rover-Only in 3 grids in September (hope folks are back from their summer fishing vacations and ready for serious VHF-DX).

Small score (231), but huge FUN!
KL7UW 6m/2m/1.25m*/70cm/33cm/23cm/13cm*/3cm - *under construction
http://www.qsl.net/al7eb -- KL7UW