Michael,
In addition to Dave's detailed response, I'd like to point out that there are
also a few of us "DX Stations" down toward the south. We struggle at times to
make propagation work for us.
Point south and look for us:
WA3EOQ FM09
KO4YC FM17
N1GC EM95
W4ZST EM84
Myself and KG4HOT in FM07
Dave Buckwalter
K3SK ---- 50, 144, 222, 432, 1296
-----Original Message-----
From: David Olean <k1whs@metrocast.net>
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2022 1:17 PM
To: Michael.Davis@alumni.duke.edu
Cc: VHF Contesting Reflector <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>;
NEWSVHF@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] where to find 222 activity night?
Hello Michael,
finding activity can require some time on 222 Mhz. It is not like there are a
Gazillion stations on all the time, so at any given time, you might not hear
anything. Once you have been on a few times and seen what transpires on a
Tuesday evening, you will have better success because you know where everyone
is "hiding".
It helps if you have a good setup. Then people will hear you, but a small
station (100 watts and a single yagi) will require that you search for stations
and hope that you can ambush them! Right now, there is some decent activity in
Massachusetts near Boston and Cape Cod. Diehard regulars on the Connecticut
shore include Ron WZ1V and Pete K1PXE. They are like beacon stations. I think
Ron WZ1V, has an uncanny ability to sniff out stations, and he goes very well
with a single yagi and a few hundred watts. If you aim at the CT shore and make
noise, You will attract attention in short order. There are other activity
spots.
Toronto and western NY, VE2 and northern VT. etc. etc. Then there is VE3KG in
FN24 a very rare grid. His heading from me is 294 degrees, and I always stop
the beam at 294 and make a few calls in hopes that he might hear me. The VT
boys and VE2XX are at 316 degrees or so. W9KXI is at 256 degrees and N2JMH and
W2BYP are a bit farther to the North. My heading forWA3EOQ in FM09 is etched
into my memory at 242 degrees.
So certain beam headings seem to be in play and it is a good idea to keep
rotating the antenna to cover the directions that are most profitable. If I
were you, I would read a few comments about who was worked on previous Tuesdays
and then figure out the beam headings for those stations at your QTH. K1PXE
and WZ1V are on every Tuesday. You can bet on that. Most of the others are
quite regular attendees too. I am typically on between mid March and mid
December, when the shack is accessible to me.
If you can monitor the ON4KST Chat page, that is a great way to set up skeds on
222. Many of the ops are monitoring ON4KST. Just be sure to pick the correct
chat. (144/432 MHz Region 2) I usually can work Phil with good signals on SSB
55 to 57. Some times we do not connect. It all depends on where the beams are
pointing. I tend to get running impossible paths and a 15 or 20 minute sked
might cause you to miss some of the local activity. I always hope to work N2SLO
and KC2KAE on Tuesdays, but we are far enough apart that our beams must be
aligned for any success. That is where knowing all the good headings comes in!!
On another note, I have recuperated from Covid enough that I snow-shoed up the
hill and checked out the shack today. For the first time in a week, I feel OK.
Everything is in one piece up there, but the last storm really killed the
forest and there are snapped trees all over the place.
We had 13.5 " of very heavy snow at the house. The shack is a bit over
200 ft higher and snow depth up there was much greater. I suspect it was 18"
or more. The woods road is impassable from downed trees along with all the snow
and ice. All of my beverage antennas for 160 meters have been knocked down. I
see a downed tree every 50 ft or so. It will take much chain sawing as every
wire has to be walked and cleared of debris! I am hoping the storm tomorrow
does no more damage. Some rain is predicted and I am hoping it reduces e snow
cover enough so that I can drive up and remove a few radios for the winter.
They do not fare well with no heat and all that condensation. Hopefully I will
be QRV next Tuesday night for one last time.
73
Dave K1WHS
On 12/21/2022 5:19 PM, Michael Davis wrote:
>
>
>
> Hello Friends,
>
>
> Phil WA3NUF shamed me and others at our last Packrat meeting.
> So I decided to turn on my 222 MHz rig last night in the hope of
> contacting other VHF hams. No luck. So where might I find other
> hams on 222 MHz activity night? I did call CQ for a half-hour (7-7:30
> PM).
>
>
> I will mention that my 222 MHz yagi is very directional so if I am
> not pointed right at another station, I might not hear them. I
> noticedthat Ron WZ1V was working stations well north of my QTH last
> night.
>
>
>
> 73,
>
>
> Michael KB1JEY
>
>
> --
>
> Michael L. Davis
>
> 533 Tennis Avenue
>
> Ambler, PA 19002-6016
>
> email: Michael.Davis@alumni.duke.edu
>
> mobile: 203-562-0640
>
> _______________________________________________
> VHFcontesting mailing list
> VHFcontesting@contesting.com
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