01/30/2007 | KI4SNY The Fancy Gap Contest Club, KI4SNY, operated from the Blue Ridge Parkway at an elevation of apprx. 3015' in grid square EM96. The site is located in Carroll County, Virginia, near Fancy Gap. Four bands were activated: 50, 144, 220 and 432 mhz. A total of five club members participated: KI4PKW, KF4PCT, KG4YVA, KE4MOH, and KU4JZ.

Thanks to KI4PKW, major improvements in antennas, tower and related support structures gave us a major advantage over previous contests. Also, for the first time, we operated on 220 mhz. SSB, which was a beneficial improvement over FM. FM Simplex on 146 mhz. was, however, fairly active in our area.

The weather near Fancy Gap is always unpredictable, and this year was no different. Here's the mixed bag: Friday was nice for setup, but was cold and windy. Gusts after sunset reached the 40-50 mph range. Saturday and more setup brought another nice day with cold temps. and wind. Sleet and freezing rain moved in Sunday morning and lasted most of the day, coating the antennas with a thin layer of ice, and creating hazardous road conditions. Due to the ice buildup, we set up some backup antennas under the overhang of the cabin porch which allowed us to continue operating on 2m SSB. Sunday night about midnight brought warmer temps. which thawed the ice, making breakdown
Monday fairly simple.

Band conditions were fair. We experienced no tropo enhancements on either 144, 220, or 432. However, we were delighted to see a brief e-skip opening around 0000 UTC Sunday morning into the Southwest and the Great Lakes region. Accordingly, we worked into DM84, EM06, EM24, EM29, EN35, EN44, and EN53, all of which greatly improved our score.

Overall, we were very pleased with our results: a reported score of 10,176 points. We had alot of fun, and even intoduced KE4MOH to the wonderful world of VHF contesting! Thankfully, we suffered no ice damage to any equipment. Plus, we had some great food, thanks to John and his "Cha cha cha chili" and homemade spaghetti! We've learned some valuable lessons, and can't wait for the next events: the ARRL
June VHF QSO Party and ARRL Field Day. Plus, we hope to recruit some new club members who want to help out and join in the fun!

73,
John Taylor, KU4JZ
Trustee of KI4SNY -- KU4JZ