ARRL January VHF Contest - 2021
Call: NV4B/R
Operator(s): NV4B
Station: NV4B/R
Class: Limited Rover LP
QTH: MS
Operating Time (hrs): 25
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
6: 83 33
2: 33 10
222: 5 3
432: 7 3
903:
1.2:
2.3:
3.4:
5.7:
10G:
24G:
-------------------
Total: 139 59 Total Score = 8,201
Club:
Comments:
I ran a near-identical route to the one I ran in June 2020, activating EM51-55
and 61-65.
I started from my usual hilltopping spot, Woodall Mountain in MS, EM54vs. A
great level of local activity -- including being joined by N4GLE/R -- kept me
busy for the four hours I was there. Mistake #1 of the weekend occurred when,
in my haste to set up, I swapped one half of the driven element and director on
my 6m beam. I didn't debug the high SWR and weird pattern at the time,
attributing it to a low height above my car, but I realized my error when I
took the antenna apart. This cost me a few QSOs from EM54.
I left Woodall at sunset and headed to a hilltop in EM55, where I caught a brief
6m Es opening to the northeast. I was able to work several stations with the
mobile whip, including a station in FN85 for my best DX of the contest. I then
drove back through a corner of EM65, working several locals from a hilltop
before crossing back into EM64 and going home for three hours of sleep.
I left for EM61 (via EM62 and EM63) at 2:45 a.m. I monitored 6m MSK144 on my
way south, but I was apparently never heard with my 100W and a whip. About 40
minutes into the trip, I decided to plug my tablet in via an inverter to charge
when I realized I didn't know where the charger was. Mistake #2. I was
convinced that I hadn't unplugged it from home and put it in the car, so I had
no choice but to turn around and drive back. When I got back home, the charger
wasn't there -- as it turns out, I had put it in the car; it had just fallen
behind the radios in the passenger seat against the door. I should have
listened to the little voice that told me to open the passenger door and check
before losing an hour and half...
6m opened again to the northeast while I was driving through EM62 and EM61. Had
it not been for the lost time, I would have been set up in EM61 with the beam
for the opening and likely would have made a good deal more QSOs. Fortunately,
the opening continued for awhile after I set up at my EM61 site, eventually
shifting to the upper Midwest. Once that opening died out, things got very
slow, so despite having arrived late, I stuck to my hard stop of 1800Z and
headed out.
After a quick gas and lunch stop in Grove Hill, I went to Bladon Springs County
Park in EM51. I've never spent a lot of time operating in EM51, so I decided to
set up there for a few hours this trip. I initially set up 2 meters only and
had good luck working north Alabama and a couple of stations in Georgia despite
the park not being an outstanding VHF location. I had some requests to go to 6
meters, so I took down the 2m antenna and put up 6m. I listened for about 30
minutes and only heard a couple of semi-local EM60 stations, so I began tearing
down for the drive home when I realized I'd failed to hook the beam's coax up; I
was still listening on the mobile antenna! Mistake #3. 30 minutes lost, but I
did then get several stations in the log on 6m.
I stayed as long as I could before the park closed at sundown. The caretaker,
who had approached me while I had the 6m antenna up out of curiosity and assured
me that I was welcome to continue operating, closed the gate behind me as I
left. I then operated in motion back home through EM52, EM53, EM54, and EM64.
I made one additional 2m QSO from EM52 via troposcatter with great difficulty
and two additional 2m QSOs from EM53 to give me a total of 10 grids activated.
There was nearly zero activity in the final hour or so, so I didn't add any more
QSOs from EM54 or EM64.
Conditions were generally poor on 2m and up with troposcatter providing most of
the interesting stuff, but the sporadic-E openings on 6 meters were a pleasant
surprise. 6m activity was generally higher than expected. It got so busy
Sunday morning that 6m even suffered from the "tragedy of the commons"
effect that I see so often in the summer contests on 50.313 where it becomes so
crowded that only the very strongest signals can be decoded.
I'm not going to pretend that I had a great signal, but it really seemed like
some stations were running unattended/automated to some extent and/or weren't
interested in picking anyone out to work "S&P." Please go out of
your way to call rovers when you see them call CQ! If I'm in motion, I can't
easily select stations on the tablet to call, and this is likely the case for
other rovers as well.
I tried FT4 a few times Sunday morning but only found VP9GE there. I tuned the
SSB/CW portions of the band and didn't hear much there, either.
I made the majority of my QSOs from MS and TN, so my score will fall in the
Delta Division rather than the Southeastern Division.
QSOs per grid in order of activation:
Grid 6m 2m 222 432
--------------------
EM54 21 14 3 5
EM55 13 2 2 1
EM65 3 3 1
EM64 2 3
EM63 1
EM62 6
EM61 30 4
EM51 6 4
EM52 1
EM53 2
--------------------
82 33 5 7 = 127
Thanks to all for the contacts!
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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