[3830] ARRL Jan VHF K2DRH SO FM LP

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                    ARRL January VHF Contest - 2020

Call: K2DRH
Operator(s): K2DRH
Station: K2DRH

Class: SO FM LP
QTH: EN41vr IL
Operating Time (hrs): 

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
    6:          
    2:   1     1
  222:          
  432:          
  903:          
  1.2:          
  2.3:          
  3.4:          
  5.7:          
  10G:          
  24G:          
-------------------
Total:   1     1  Total Score = 1

Club: Society of Midwest Contesters

Comments:

One contact with my XYL Fran N2KMA on 2M HTs inside our house.  About the only
working VHF antennas I have that are not encased in at least a 1/4 inch of
radial ice and under approximately 5:1 SWR.   Could actually do it on 4 bands
and quadruple the score.  Sad thing is it’s probably good enough to win my
section SOFM, maybe even division.  Don’t want that certificate (and neither
does N2KMA), so no score submission.
 
Usually only have to worry about ice in Nov or early Dec, then it gets cold
enough to forget about freezing rain until maybe March.  January and February
temps almost never get above freezing.  But last February there was a thaw that
produced 1/2 inch of radial ice from freezing rain and the ensuing wind damaged
some elements, mostly on the HF stuff so no big deal.  Still it was pretty scary
since the ice lasted well over a week before the sun evaporated it off even in
freezing temps. 

But this was the strangest January WX ever. It iced up the week before with
freezing rain then thawed and again earlier in the week and was barely thawed
out by Friday.  Great, good to go!  Friday night saw temps in the 20s and 3”
of snow but around 3AM it warmed up suddenly to just below freezing and a
“wintery mix”.  That stuff really likes to stick to trees and especially
cold meatal towers antennas and guys.

By 9AM it warmed to just above freezing, but the rain had stopped so the ice did
not wash off. It never got above 33 degrees and by 10AM I could shake enough ice
off the guys and booms to hopefully save the towers and antennas when the
inevitable high winds came and the temps dropped again before I was finished. 
Temps dropped so fast I barely made it in time to shake the last set of guys on
the two towers before it refroze again.  By 11AM it was 20 deg again well on its
way to -3 at night.  I took advantage of parking the main VHF antennas into the
wind before the tower froze up again. Good thing since the winds peaked at an
ice loaded antenna killing 45MPH.  Sundays high was 12 degrees so there it stays
for the duration, next thaw unknown. 

After missing the 222 UP distance due to other commitments and the Sept VHF
contest due to the untimely death of my sister less than 48 hours before, I was
really looking forward to some VHF radio contest time.  Much as I detest that
NAQP SSB is the same weekend I was able to get the ant tuner to work on the HF
wires despite the drop in resonance due to the thick ice and give my Club SMC
some points in the Club Cup Challenge with PVRC, but even that was a struggle
since the SWR kept varying as the winds blew.  I sit here Sunday afternoon with
the VHF contest still going on, without even a radio on because I know I still
can’t TX.  

73 de Bob


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