Microwave Fall Sprint
Call: K9JK/R
Operator(s): K9JK
Station: C0ROVEROLLA
Class: Rover LP
QTH: IL-EN52xc/EN62ad
Operating Time (hrs): 1.7
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 3 Max Dist(km) = 81 Total Score = 235
Club:
Comments:
Apparently the agreed 'local' start time was 8 a.m. but I had not
gotten that message as I slept in until 8:30 and still needed to
transform the Corolla into the CoROVERolla.
I had my 2m radio and antenna set up for liaison just before 10 and all
was quiet there but I continued getting the antennas and equipment loaded
into and on the CoROVERolla and finished that just after 10:30. It was
still quiet on 144.260. Checked again at 11:00 and all was (still) quiet
on the 2m liaison front.
Since Ron, W9ZIH, and I had discussed getting on for Microwave during the
432 MHz Sprint on the Weds. evening prior, I was expecting him to be on
BUT we had NOT discussed/agreed on the WHEN. I even resorted to twisted
pair, calling Ron on the landline seveal times and finally got an answer
just after 11:30 as I was starting to consider taking everything off/out
of the CoROVERolla and calling this one a 'bust'. Ron chided me about
not being there at 8 a.m. but I told him I had not received that memo ;-).
Ron and I linked up on 144.260 as I drove to a nearby high spot (in the
same Grid-6 as my home QTH) that has usually worked well for us and I was
there a little after 11:45. Ron beaconed for me on 1296 and I found him
but it was just above the noise floor of my receiver (FT-736R) and Ron
usually BOOMS in to that spot on 1296. I let him know that I found him
but that I was not hearing it very strong. Ron confirmed that he was
running his 'big honkin' 1296 amp. I then tried sending to Ron but even
after trying for 20 minutes, he could not find my signal so we agreed to
switch to 3456 and try there. At least I had been able to peak up my 1296
antenna on his signal so I knew where to aim my 3456 antenna. Ron beaconed
on 3456 and I found him right away even though the LO in my 3456 transverter
was drifting a bit. I sent some CW back to him and he said go to sideband
via the 2m liaison so I did. We completed VERY quickly on 3456 for my first
QSO of the day.
To be a rover, I had to get to a second spot, so I moved to another local
favorite spot in EN62ad. It's a little bit farther away (8 km based on
distances between Grid-6 centers) but has a less cluttered close in
horizon. We tried 1296 first with Ron beaconing CW. Ron's signal was more
above the noise floor at my end than from the first spot, with an
occasional bump on the FT-736 S-meter. I reported that via 2m liaison
so he switched off the beacon and sent his report which I copied easily.
I started beaconing and Ron reported, via 2m, that he could tell I was
in there with occasional blips of clear copy (perhaps some airplane
scatter from planes as the approached O'Hare?) so I switched to sending.
After MANY repeats by me, Ron finally QSL'd my report on 1296 during one
of my pauses. That took about 15 minutes. When we to 3456, Ron beaconed
on CW first but was so copiable that I told him to go to sideband via 2m
liaison. He swtiched to SSB and I copied him easily, I replied with my
QSL and report, which Ron then acknowledged and we were done on 3456, in
less than two minutes.
Distances are from W3KM's Cabrillo Evaluator. The 81 km 'Max Dist' was
from EN62ad to EN51nv, and completed on both 1296 and 3456. The other
QSO was from EN52xc to EN51nv, 73km and just on 3456.
Thanks to Ron, W9ZIH, for all of the heavy lifting he did. Now to figure
out what is going on at my end with 1296. A piece of what I think is 1/4"
Heliax (LDF1-50) is the prime suspect but I will also check the FT-736R which
has been quite faithful over the years but is getting 'long in the tooth'.
Thanks to Bruce, NT4RT, and the Southeast VHF Society for their support
and sponsorship of the Fall (and mid-late Summer) VHF & up Sprints.
Thanks also to Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, for setting up these score reporting
forms for the Spring and Fall Sprints.
Thanks finally to ALL who were on and participated in the 2015 Microwave
Fall Sprint.
73, JK
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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