[3830] MWaveFallSprnt WW7D/R Rover LP

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                    Microwave Fall Sprint

Call: WW7D/R
Operator(s): WW7D
Station: WW7D

Class: Rover LP
QTH: CN98
Operating Time (hrs): 7

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 40  Max Dist(km) = 120  Total Score = 1,845

Club: Pacific Northwest VHF Society

Comments:

Activity was pretty good in the Pacific Northwest.   This may be a result of
several thing:  Folks like Jim, K7ND, have been really pushing the new
Bulgarian (SG-Lab) 1296 MHz transverter for the past 1/2 year.   And the week
before this Sprint, the Pacific Northwest VHF Society (PNWVHFS) held their
annual conference , which gave some of us the opportunity to generate
excitement over the microwave sprint.  And the HRO sale of NOS Alinco DJ-G29
(222 MHz/900 MHz) handhelds for $170 was too good to pass up, generating
discussion, excitement and a handful of orders that arrived a few days before
the Sprint. 
  
  We had 4 rovers in the Seattle area, I believe all four had new DJ-G29s with
them (although I think 2 of us also had a mobile 900 MHz rig).  All the buzz
(via reflector email) about new people with 23 cm transverters and 33 cm
handhelds brought out a lot of fixed stations.   The Portland area seemed to
have more activity as well, from what I can tell, but I wasn't able to work
anyone in Portland.

  Rigs were 50 W transverter/amp on 903.1 MHz SSB/CW, a 15 W Kenwood TK-981 on
927.5 MHz, and monitored 903.2 MHz for FM activity with the Alinco (separate
antennas for each), 18 W transverter/amp on 1296.1 MHz SSB/CW, and an Alinco
DJ-G7 monitoring 1294.5 MHz FM and 1296.2 MHz for any FM activity (none heard).
  

  Antennas on the rear rotor (for stationary use with the mast extended to 25')
were a 33 el. loop yagi for 903 Mhz and a 24 element 1296 MHz loop yagi.  The
front stack was for use in motion and included 5 WA5VJB "cheap
yagis":  10 el 902 MHz horizontally polarized, 10 el 927 MHz vertically
polarized, 10 el 1296 MHz horizontally polarized, 10 el 1296 vertically
polarized and a 4 el 2m antenna for coordination.    

Pictures can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/ww7dmws

I had an ambitious plan of activating 6 grids from two grid intersections. 
That made the timing very tight.   I awoke at 3:30 am and was on the road by
4:00 for a two hour drive to Green Mountain in CN98.  The weather was dark and
drizzly.

Things were a little slow at the start, and signals were weak.  And I had a lot
of static-like crashes coming out of the speaker.   VE7AFZ was on 2m looking for
1296 MHz QSOs, but we couldn't hear each other.   I overstayed my time on Green
Mountain which gave me three additional 1296 MHz QSOs, and then I stopped a few
times on the way down the mountain and out of the grid for an additional 5
QSOs.

I had to rush through CN88 and CN87.  I was pretty late arriving at a 1,200'
spot in CN97 near the northeastern boundary.  The spot was okay, but wasn't as
productive as I had hoped.  Then I began a 2 hour journey to the
CN97/CN87/CN96/CN86 intersection.   

 Time was not on my side. A couple of road closures, a 10 minute stop for two
consecutive trains traveling in opposite directions in Monroe, WA, a wrong turn
on my part, and a GPS that crashed, prevented me from getting all the way to the
second grid intersection with enough time to actually work anybody.  

Plan B was a 1,200' mountain to sit on top of near the southeastern border of
CN97 for the last 40 minutes.  That produced nine QSOs (some dups with a
greater distance).  

  Of the 40 QSOs, I made one QSO each with two of the rovers (Rod, WE7X/R, and
Barry, K7BWH/R), and then 10 QSOs with Gary, WA7BBJ/R.  In fact, Gary and I 
drove by each other in opposite directions on a rural highway at 1500z.  Of
course we immediately made QSOs from within the same 6-character grid on 1296
MHz and 900 MHz.  Later, we got 900 MHz from different 6-character grids, but
that 1296 MHz QSO was logged a 1 km (as per the old Spring Sprint rule).  

 In all, my logs show 11 unique calls. 

 This was a very enjoyable sprint season, and I had the chance to try out some
new ideas.  But I look forward to three whole months without contesting /R or
/M.


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