[3830] ARRL Jan VHF NV4B/5 Single Op Port QRP

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                    ARRL January VHF Contest

Call: NV4B/5
Operator(s): NV4B
Station: NV4B/5

Class: Single Op Port QRP
QTH: MS
Operating Time (hrs): 11

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
    6:  11      3
    2:  15      8
  222:   4      3
  432:   5      4
  903:           
  1.2:           
  2.3:           
  3.4:           
  5.7:           
  10G:           
  24G:           
-------------------
Total:  35     18  Total Score = 792

Club: 

Comments:

I returned to Woodall Mountain, Mississippi’s highest point at 806 feet, for
my first January VHF Contest. I had not been planning on operating this
contest, but with relatively-good weather predicted for the weekend, I decided
last Wednesday to try to put together an effort comparable to my June VHF
Contest effort last year.

I had a prior commitment Saturday morning, so I was only able to get in about
three hours of operating time Saturday afternoon before sunset.  Conditions
were not great with no propagation to speak of on 6 meters, and I only managed
10 mostly-local QSOs across the four bands.

I felt with the weather as it was, there was a good chance of some tropo Sunday
morning.  As those of us in the southeast know, that turned out to be the case. 
Admittedly, I do not have much experience with VHF/UHF weak-signal work, as I do
not operate any of the bands above 6 meters from home due to my relatively-poor
location, but I was amazed by the conditions.

I probably missed the best of the opening, getting QRV around 1415Z, but I
still managed three 2m QSOs with Texas, including a 144-222-432 sweep with K5TR
at a distance of 665 miles!  K5TR continued to be audible on 2m for at least two
or three hours.  I also heard K5TR, W5PR, and perhaps another Texas station on 6
meters around this time, but 10 watts and 3 elements aren’t up to the task of
working tropo on that band.  I was heard by a couple of other stations in
Texas, but we could not complete QSOs.  I also heard stations in EM10, EM20,
EM32, EM89, and most amazingly, XE2OR in DL98 at a distance of 859 miles.  I
also heard both sides of the 2-meter and 222 MHz QSOs between K5LLL in EM10 and
K8TQK in EM89.  I was still hearing a station in EM89 on 2m as late as 2045Z.

I heard what might have been a very brief sporadic-E opening on 6 meters Sunday
afternoon to the northeast, but there were never any signals strong enough to
QSO outside of the local area the entire contest that I heard.

Local activity was slightly down from typical June VHF Contest activity.  I
missed EM63 entirely for the first time in a contest from Woodall.

There were not many visitors to the mountain this time, although I did get an
opportunity to introduce one 13-year-old visitor to amateur radio.  He is
already interested in electronics and likes to solder and build kits, so he was
highly interested in what I was doing and asked some good questions about
amateur radio.  I explained as much as I could to him and gave him one of the
ARRL introductory flyers I always bring with me to pass out to visitors. 
Fellow VHF’er AF5PO arrived on the mountain to operate late Sunday afternoon
and gave the prospective young ham information on the local test session. 
Hopefully, I will soon have another local ham to work in the VHF contests!

I had a great time and really enjoyed the conditions Sunday morning.  The trip
was worthwhile not just for those conditions, but I also identified a few more
improvements that need to be made that, when combined with the two bands I hope
to add (902 and 1296), will hopefully lead to a better score in June!

Station:
6m:  Yaesu FT-690RII (10W), MFJ 3-element Yagi
2m:  Yaesu FT-817ND + modified Ramsey PA-10 (10W), 4-element Yagi
222:  Yaesu FT-817ND + Down East Microwave 222-28 transverter (10W), homebrew
6-element WA5VJB Yagi
432:  Yaesu FT-817ND + THP HL-45U (~9W), homebrew 6-element WA5VJB Yagi


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