2006 ARRL August UHF Contest
08/08/2006 |
K2DRH
After the last two totally off the rails summer contests this one felt slow paced and stodgy. However looking back, it was actually a very good UHF contest and Im amazed that my score is right up there with my previous best since I felt like I was running behind the whole contest and should have been doing much better. Participation was high and conditions were good to excellent most of the time. It started on Saturday very well with lots of Qs going into the log the first hour and very reasonable conditions up to 1296. As evening approached conditions on the higher bands got better and better and by Saturday night 2304 and 3456 contacts were going into the log with stations at distances that had not been possible in June or January. A few out to 300 miles that had to go CW on 903 and 1296 got stronger on 2304 and then were loud enough for phone on 3456! I only went to bed around 1AM because I ran out of stations to work!
Sunday morning conditions were really good again, especially to the south and east but there were few new stations to work until well after 6AM. AG4V in EM55 and I finally worked on 903 and on 1296 but not on 2304 (have to save something for next time!). Unfortunately a huge thunderstorm came in from the west about 8AM and by 8:30 I was shut down for most of the next hour as it violently shook the house. Afterwards it was like someone threw a switch and the QSOs slowed down radically, especially to the east where things had been so good earlier. I didnt work another 2304 or 3456 QSO after the storm went through. Repeated CQs towards the north and west, the only areas still reasonably open, went mostly unanswered. Towards the end I called CQ for almost an hour with no takers! Five minutes before 1800Z I finally caught up with N0DQS/R in EN20 after trying to get his attention for almost 15 minutes. While we only had time enough for 3 bands, they were 3 new mults.
Rovermaina was a definite plus as some of the NLRS gang started looking south from time to time for more Qs and were quite workable on many bands. W9FZ/R and W0ZQ/R went into he log in several grids as did WB8BZK/R out of Chicago. I heard many of the others too, but most times couldnt raise them. Its a lot more difficult to get a rovers attention on 432 than on 2M if he is not looking at you, even with CW! I heard a lot of stations in grids out past 300-400 miles when the bands were up, but I couldnt quite get their attention using low power and they would QSY off never to be heard from again. Need more gain in the antennas on 432; 21dbd is just not enough! My 222 seemed down from normal most of the time too and that didnt help either. I suspect Ive developed an intermittent problem in the power divider between the antennas that was getting more noticeable as the contest went on.
73 de Bob -- K2DRH EN41 IL
Sunday morning conditions were really good again, especially to the south and east but there were few new stations to work until well after 6AM. AG4V in EM55 and I finally worked on 903 and on 1296 but not on 2304 (have to save something for next time!). Unfortunately a huge thunderstorm came in from the west about 8AM and by 8:30 I was shut down for most of the next hour as it violently shook the house. Afterwards it was like someone threw a switch and the QSOs slowed down radically, especially to the east where things had been so good earlier. I didnt work another 2304 or 3456 QSO after the storm went through. Repeated CQs towards the north and west, the only areas still reasonably open, went mostly unanswered. Towards the end I called CQ for almost an hour with no takers! Five minutes before 1800Z I finally caught up with N0DQS/R in EN20 after trying to get his attention for almost 15 minutes. While we only had time enough for 3 bands, they were 3 new mults.
Rovermaina was a definite plus as some of the NLRS gang started looking south from time to time for more Qs and were quite workable on many bands. W9FZ/R and W0ZQ/R went into he log in several grids as did WB8BZK/R out of Chicago. I heard many of the others too, but most times couldnt raise them. Its a lot more difficult to get a rovers attention on 432 than on 2M if he is not looking at you, even with CW! I heard a lot of stations in grids out past 300-400 miles when the bands were up, but I couldnt quite get their attention using low power and they would QSY off never to be heard from again. Need more gain in the antennas on 432; 21dbd is just not enough! My 222 seemed down from normal most of the time too and that didnt help either. I suspect Ive developed an intermittent problem in the power divider between the antennas that was getting more noticeable as the contest went on.
73 de Bob -- K2DRH EN41 IL
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