VHFcontesting
[Top] [All Lists]

[VHFcontesting] Working K5QE in the Sept contest

To: VHF Contesting <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Subject: [VHFcontesting] Working K5QE in the Sept contest
From: Marshall Williams <k5qe@sabinenet.com>
Date: Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:50:54 -0500
List-post: <vhfcontesting@contesting.com">mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
  Hello to all our friends in the VHF / WSJT world from the K5QE contest 
team....

K5QE will be operating in the ARRL September VHF Contest and would 
really appreciate any contacts that we can make via FSK441 or EME for 
that "rare" grid.  The contest  begins 1800 UTC Saturday and ends 0300 
UTC Monday (Sept 11th - 13th, 2010).  For those of us still on local 
time, that is 1PM CDST on Saturday to 10PM CDST Sunday night.  For those 
stations that are outside our normal range, I invite you to try to work 
us on 6M and / or 2M using digital meteor scatter or EME.  If you are 
EME capable, we will be operating EME on 2M and 432.

IF 6M is NOT OPEN to Es, we will be operating meteor scatter on 6M using 
FSK441 beginning at 0100Z Sunday  morning(=8:00PM CDST Saturday night) 
on a frequency of 50.265MHz and we will take First sequence.  We will 
call CQ on 50.260 UP5--but we will work all callers on 50.265MHz First 
sequence.  If we happen to find a station calling CQ, we will answer 
them on their given frequency.  This is a good opportunity for smaller 
stations to get a DX contact on 6M, because the chances of an Es opening 
late at night are not very good.  Please give us a try on 6M meteor 
scatter.  We run 1KW output on 6M meteor scatter with fairly large 
antennas.  Please remember that the contest requires the exchange of 
GRIDS not 26 or 27.

On 2M, we will start at 0220Z Sunday morning(=9:20PM CDST Sat night) 
with FSK441 meteor scatter on a frequency of 144.142MHz and we will take 
First sequence.  We will call CQ UP2 on 144.140MHz, but we will be 
working stations on 144.142MHz.  If we find someone calling CQ 
elsewhere, we will work that station on their frequency.  Again, this is 
a good chance for smaller stations to get some good 2M DX and a "rare" 
grid during the contest.  We get one too...a WIN-WIN situation!!  We run 
a stacked pair of 17el M2's at 160ft and 1KW output on 2M FSK.  On 6M 
and 2M, we will cease digital meteor scatter operations at 7AM 
CDST(=1200Z) on Sunday morning and revert to normal tropo type operations.

For stations that are EME capable, our moonrises and moonsets are very 
poor for contesting this time.  Our first moonrise is 1545Z(=10:45AM) on 
Saturday(CDST)--well before the contest starts at 1PM, so the moon is 
well up during the day when we need to be working the rovers and tropo 
operations.  We will have to operate EME and terrestrial during the same 
time frame.  We will just have to do the best we can.  If we see an EME 
caller on 2M, we will stop and work that caller as soon as possible.  
Because our moon times are so poor, we may not be able to call CQ on EME 
as much as I would like, but we will do our best.  Even if you don't see 
us calling CQ on EME, you can call us on 144.142MHz.  If we see you, we 
will respond as soon as possible.

We have a second moonrise at 1650Z(=11:50 AM CDST on Sun).  We will be 
on EME whenever the moon is up here.  Again, we may have to intermix EME 
with terrestrial operations, but we will make every effort to work 
anyone that calls us.  We intend to do a lot of EME operations on 
Sunday, so if you are EME capable on 2M or 432, please try to work us.  
We feel that Sunday will be our best time for EME operations, so please 
look for us on Sunday from 1650Z onward.

Remember that stations with a single long yagi and QRO may be able to 
work us on their rising moon using WSJT / JT65b. For stations way East 
of us, this may not work as the moon may be too high before it rises 
here.  However, Eastern stations can work us on your setting moon.  For 
everyone else, there is a good chance that we can work on your rising 
moon.  Stations in the Central US and out West get the increased gain 
from their rising moon, so give us a try.  In years past, we easily 
worked stations in CN87 that just had a single yagi pointed at the 
horizon, so it can be done.  We run 8 x 2M18XXX with the custom EME 
elements and 1250W output(1500W output if it is a rare one.....HI). 
Pictures of the EME antenna are on my web site.  It is a really FB 
antenna and we would love to work you in the contest.......all new 
multipliers gratefully apprecitated.

This year, we also have a 432 EME station up and running.  The antenna 
is 16 x 28el M2, all Horizontal, with 1KW output.  We will be operating 
on 432.070MHz taking Second Sequence.  If you have a single long yagi 
and QRO, we should be able to work on your rising moon if you are 
located in the Central or Western US or your setting moon if you live in 
the Eastern US.  Please look for us on 432 and work us if you can.  It 
will be a new grid for us and a new initial and a new grid for you.  
What a deal!!

Because we are a Multi-Multi station, we will be watching the PingJockey 
logger whenever we are running meteor scatter or the N0UK EME reflector 
when we are on EME.  Please spot us if you see us on meteor scatter or 
EME.  However, we are not allowed to "self spot"--so you can talk to us, 
we just can't talk back.  If you are not in the contest, you can post 
freely to the loggers.

Thank you in advance for spending some time to work us in the contest.

73 Marshall K5QE, EM31cj
www.k5qe.com

East Texas

_______________________________________________
VHFcontesting mailing list
VHFcontesting@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
  • [VHFcontesting] Working K5QE in the Sept contest, Marshall Williams <=