ARRL June VHF QSO Party
Call: K8CC
Operator(s): K8BB, K8CC, K8KS
Station: K8KS
Class: Limited Multi-Op HP
QTH: EN82 MI
Operating Time (hrs): 33
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
6: 427 115
2: 269 74
222: 55 32
432: 85 32
903:
1.2:
2.3:
3.4:
5.7:
10G:
24G:
-------------------
Total: 836 253 Total Score = 246,928
Club: Mad River Radio Club
Comments:
Equipment:
50 IC-746Pro, 8877, 7L C3i yagi @ 95'
144 IC-746Pro, Henry 2002, M2 2M18XXX yagi @ 90'
222 IC-756/DEMI Xvtr, AM6155, 16L DSFO yagi@ 70'
432 FT-847, 8874, CC 424B @ 75'
If you discount the aurora, condx in MI were pretty mediocre for the contest.
No real openings on 6M, just short bursts of enhancements that occasionally
resulted in a QSO. Great fun to work our buddy Gator, N5RZ/r from a couple of
TX grids Saturday night.
Activity on the other bands seemed improved as we snagged multi-band QSOs
earlier with stations we typically miss. But condx were very flat - it was not
at all uncommon to tune across 6M or 2M and not hear a single station. Most of
Saturday was also hampered by nearby thunderstorms and bad rain static on the
yagis. We finished the first day @ 0430Z with 338 QSOs.
Sunday morning was more of the same, although the grid totals continued to grow.
About 18Z (2 PM local) our power browned out to about 90VAC per side. The only
thing which still worked in the shack was a YV set! K8BB and I sat for a little
while waiting for the power to come back on, but then went out to the garage to
back-feed the house with the 5500W generator. Unfortunately, with the
refrigerator and well pump running, the amps (cut back to 500W) still pulled the
voltage down enough to make the flourescent lamps in the shack act like a disco
light show. Eventually we turned off the lights and spent the afternoon in the
dark opreating by only the light of the computer monitors and radio display
backlighting.
We got back on around 19Z only to discover the aurora was in full swing. Our 2M
op, K8BB was the first to discover it. Then on 6M, I went down below 50100 and
found many strong signals buzzing away. After calling a few, I settled onto
50089 and CQ'd stations until the aurora disappeard around 01Z. Activity would
ebb and flow - at times there would be multiple stations calling, or at least a
steady stream, then at times you go many minutes without a QSO. Activity on 2M
was noticably less. We wound up with 184 au QSOs on 6M and 92 on 2M. We had no
au QSOs on 222 - we CQ'd up there with no response and while I did hear one or
two buzzy signals, they were not CQing so no contact resulted. We did get an au
CQ answered on 432 - W9ZIH called in from EN51 with a strong, but distinctly
buzzy signal.
What was so really cool was the vast area of stations we worked on au. On 6M we
made QSOs from FN75 (VE9DX) to the NE, EN36 to the NW and EM84 to the south. On
2M we made it to FN41 to the East, EN37 to the NW and EM84 to the south.
In the end, the aurora helped us to our second best June score ever with new
team bests for 2M grids and overall grids.
Ever since our team got on VHF seriously in 2001 we've been waiting for a big
sporadic E opening. Phooey on that that - we'll take aurora any day! I think
we're spoiled now...
73,
Don/K8BB
Dave/K8CC
Kaz/K8KS
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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