Kenneth E. Harker wrote:
>Being a succesful contester or DXer
>at 50MHz and up requires many of the same skills that the same activities at
>HF require: knowing how to build an easy-to-use station, knowing all about
>antennas, knowing propagation, knowing when to be on what band, knowing
>how to move multipliers to new bands, being able to search and pounce
>effectively, knowing how to use code when SSB can't make it through,
>knowing how to run rate when the situation requires it, knowing how to
>work scatter contacts by sticking with it and connecting on the QSB peaks,
>knowing how to identify an unusual band opening as it happens, knowing how
>to copy the weakest of distant signals through QRM/QRN/QSB, etc, etc...
Very well put, Ken. Very well put. I find that VHF contesting can be
far more challenging than HF contesting. Granted, from what I have seen
it isn't continual action (you can literally track activity periods: down
around dinner time, down Sunday morning when everyone goes to church,
etc.), but knowing how to successfully operate, find stations, find band
openings, etc. is VERY challenging.
The most frustrating thing about VHF contesting is that there aren't more
people doing it. Every single ham these days has VHF/UHF allocations -
even novices (does anyone get a novice license any more?). I think many
of the HF folks could really enjoy working VHF stuff. It's a different
kind of challenge, but a challenge nonetheless. So to all of you guys
who think that VHF people are repeater people only, try a VHF contest.
73,
Jon
KE9NA (who enjoys contesting everywhere)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Second Amendment is NOT about duck hunting!
Jon Ogden
jono@enteract.com
www.qsl.net/ke9na
"A life lived in fear is a life half lived."
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