Hi Pete,
I agree that keeping it simple can really help, especially when roving and
you have to factor in setup/teardown times when moving. If a couple more
minutes can gain us more contacts, it may be worth it though. We'll
probably have just a triband vertical in January for FM, but there's always
the other contests.
73,
Sean WA1TE
On Wed, Nov 29, 2017 at 7:27 PM peter h <n6ze@aol.com> wrote:
> 1620pst 29nov17
>
> Hello Sean:
>
> I echo Mark's comments from both SoCal & the PNW.
>
> K.I.S.S. is still very important. That being said, I primarily use whips
> for 6m/2m/135cm when in motion (& sometimes when stopped too.)
> My typical yagis are small enough that to gain a new multiplier, I can
> rotate the beam 90 degrees.
>
> bt73
> Pete, N6ZE of DM04ne & CN87tw
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Spencer <mark@alignedsolutions.com>
> To: Sean Waite <waisean@gmail.com>
> Cc: VHF Contesting <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
> Sent: Wed, Nov 29, 2017 11:00 pm
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] FM antennas
>
> My $.02 worth...
>
> I focus most of my contesting on modes other than FM. That being said I
> try to have a reasonable FM setup for 2M and 1.25M running all the time. I
> usually just run mag mount whips on top of the cab of my pickup truck while
> roving.
>
> 6M, 70 cm, 33 cm and 23cm FM is possible for me but only by prior
> arrangement. I don't recall ever making a 6M contest qso.
>
> I believe I have made enough random FM qso's on 2M and 1.25M to make the
> effort worthwhile.
>
> Last contest I made a conscious effort to cut down on clutter in the truck
> and left the 1.25M whip at home, I ended up picking it up at the tail end
> of the contest to gain a final multiplier and had to enter as an unlimited
> rover as a result. I won't make that mistake again.
>
> 73
>
> Mark S
> VE7AFZ
>
> mark@alignedsolutions.com
> 604 762 4099 <(604)%20762-4099>
>
> > On Nov 29, 2017, at 10:49 AM, Sean Waite <waisean@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Since we're always thinking of the next station improvement, I've been
> > thinking about the best way to implement FM in the rover.
> >
> > We've found that it's worth carrying the gear. We don't get many
> contacts,
> > but they are out there and having the ability to make them on demand does
> > get us points. Right now, I have a 2/70 vertical that is used for FM,
> just
> > a mobile whip. In January for our run 'n gun I'll probably move to a
> > triband whip.
> >
> > For the stop and shoots, though, we'll be better set up to run beams. We
> > have a couple of the small Arrow yagis available that wouldn't be too
> > difficult to strap onto a mast and have a v-pol beam available for the FM
> > radios. Small LPDAs like the Elk satellite antenna are also another
> option.
> >
> > This would give us positive gain on FM...but i'm not sure it's worth it.
> FM
> > contacts are mostly opportunistic, either a periodic call on 146.52 or
> just
> > hearing someone and grabbing the mic real quick. The directivity a yagi
> > would give us might blind us to some of the nearby stations calling
> (though
> > the arrows aren't particularly narrow) if they are off the side of the
> > beam. The other drawback is that it'll take a little longer to set up if
> > we've got another beam or three to attach to the mast and cable up.
> >
> > What do other people do? Maybe better to have some always-connected, more
> > efficient verticals on the roof the car and sacrifice a bit of gain?
> >
> > Looking forward to your thoughts.
> >
> > 73,
> > Sean WA1TE
> > _______________________________________________
> > VHFcontesting mailing list
> > VHFcontesting@contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
> >
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