01/21/2009 | K4GUN/R Shocking. Thats the best word I can use to describe the January VHF+ contest. As a Limited Rover with only 4 bands, this went shockingly well.

This year, I couldnt get out of work on Saturday and I decided to make a very abbreviated rove. Instead of the 10 or 11 grid rove like I had done for the last three contests, I decided that 6 grids would be all we could do. I figured I could take my lunch hour in the truck at work and operate for the first hour of the contest and then work a few hours Saturday night. Sunday, we would sleep in and then make a trip to the grid intersection near Winchester VA that includes FM08 09 18 and 19.

My expectations were low. I figured that between the limited operating time, limited grids, cold weather and generally low participation in January that wed be lucky to scrape together 100 to 120 or so QSOs.

Saturday started off meeting my low expectations. In the first hour, I managed only 12 contacts and that was with only 4 different stations. 144.200 was even dead. I tried calling at various places, aimed at the population centers with nothing. Saturday night was a little better. We managed a fair number of contacts from FM17 and 07.

Sunday, we slept in. We didnt get to our first location until almost 1:00 PM Eastern time. That first spot was on Skyline Drive in FM08 and thats when things got interesting. The Q count was fast and furious. We worked a number of small pile-ups. We moved people band to band. We experienced some decent tropo with contacts up to 480 miles and several over 300. The new 222 transverter was working like a champ and even the gremlins that had plagued me in the days before the contest didnt seem to make any difference.

We finally came off Skyline and worked FM09, 19 and 18. The Q count dropped again but we still found a number of decent contacts. We finished up an hour before the contest ended and called it a night. We more than doubled my score from last January

There were several keys to this contest going so well. A lot of it was luck, but there were also a number of improvements. First of all, I got a new Demi high power transverter for 222 that made contacts on that band extremely easy. Ive also learned a lot of lessons on operating, calling and searching that have improved scores. Also, my roving partner has gotten very good at hearing calls and getting them in the computer with extreme efficiency. My partner is K4LIG and this is her last contest as my fianc Well be married in February and we work extremely well together. We really seem to track with each other during these roves and have gotten to the point where neither of us needs to be told what to do. I cant overstress how big a factor this is in enjoyment during the contest.

Well be out in June and hopefully, well make a full scale production of it again. If we can do this well in January, under these conditions, I think we're on the right track. -- K4GUN