[3830] ARRL June VHF NV4B/R Limited Rover LP

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                    ARRL June VHF Contest - 2021

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

Class: Limited Rover LP
QTH: AL
Operating Time (hrs): 24:30

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
    6:  204    91
    2:   57    20
  222:    2     2
  432:   12     7
  903:           
  1.2:           
  2.3:           
  3.4:           
  5.7:           
  10G:           
  24G:           
-------------------
Total:  275   130  Total Score = 37,570

Club: 

Comments:

Saturday morning, I made the spur-of-the-moment decision to run what has become
my "normal" 10-grid rover route.  I had originally hoped to have a
setup that would allow me to run my IC-7100 mobile radio and IC-9700
simultaneously on 6m and 2m, as well as my Yaesu FT-736R on 222, but for various
reasons, I ended up using almost the same setup as last year:  the IC-7100 for
6m, 2m, and 432, and an FM HT for 223.5.  The improvements this year were the
replacement of my older Intel Atom-based tablet with a Core i5 tablet PC for
operating the WSJT modes and logging, and a 15-element K1FO 432 yagi.

As often as I have been roving both in and outside of contests in the past year,
I more or less have the 3-4 band rove down to a science.  I made the decision to
rove at 1600Z Saturday and was on the road by 1730.  I encountered only one
slight technical issue with my 6m antenna at my first stop that didn't seem to
have a major effect on my ability to make Qs.  Everything else went great.  The
new (to me) tablet powers and charges from USB-C, so I was able to operate
during the entire contest period without waiting for my old tablet to recharge
while the inverter spews RF garbage all over 6 meters.

The contest began while I was still in motion in EM64.  My first stop was
Woodall Mountain, the Mississippi high point, EM54vs.  From there, I spent a
good deal of time on 2 meters to pick up valuable mults since it is the most
prominent place that I stop on my route.  After a supper break, I continued
north in EM55 where I stopped briefly before zipping through a corner of EM65
and returning to home in EM64 for the night.

I left just after 1000Z Sunday morning for EM61 via EM63 and EM62.  While near
Tuscaloosa in EM63, the very good 6m opening to the north and midwest developed.
 I stopped briefly on a hilltop in EM62ev to work W5ZN (EM45dh, 287 miles) on my
432 halfwave mobile loop.  A favorable path and good conditions allowed us to
complete that QSO with ease, as well as a few other 2m QSOs.  Moving southward,
I made FT4 QSOs almost continuously through EM62 and EM61.  I was pleased to see
many people using FT4 -- it is so much more efficient than FT8 for contest Qs in
good conditions.  Of course, SSB and CW are still king for rate when conditions
permit, so I switched to phone for awhile in EM62, netting several in-motion 6m
SSB Qs.  I would have spent more time on SSB and CW, but my mobile setup is
really not great for the non-digital modes, and FT4 was actually giving me a
better rate for my situation.

The highlight of the contest occurred while I was running 6m FT4 just a few
miles from my stop in EM61gr.  I was called by and worked EA8DBM.  This is
easily a new DX record for my quarterwave mobile whip antenna!

I set up at EM61gr a few minutes later and stayed there around four hours,
working 6m and 2m only.  6 meters became flaky not long after I got there
causing me to miss out on a potential opportunity to run a high SSB rate to the
northeast as I did last year.  I believe I could have flirted with 50k points
had I gotten to EM61gr two hours earlier, but that simply was not possible this
year due to factors beyond my control.  If I could do the contest over, I would
have stopped in EM62 and worked the opening while it was ongoing.

Conditions remained intermittent for the remainder of the contest.  Although we
did have a brief opening to the west, for the most part, I was unable to contact
the areas of the country that need EM61 the most on this trip.  After leaving
the EM61 hilltop, I drove south, then west across the Alabama and Tombigbee
Rivers to EM51.  There was only a weak opening to the southeast during this leg
of the route.  As I headed north through EM52, 53, and 63, the band briefly
opened to a number of areas (northeast, midwest, and west), but never very
strongly or for very long -- definitely unlike previous contests where I could
run at a good rate on FT4 all the way up through West Alabama.

The big Sunday morning opening to the northeast aside, 6m conditions were
generally disappointing this year, especially compared to last year. 
Nevertheless, being able to operate continuously this year allowed me to claim
7k more points than last year.

Thanks to all for the QSOs, and I hope to see everyone again for CQ WW VHF.  I
hope to run the same 9-grid route (EM52-55, EM61-65) I ran last year again this
year, this time with 100W on 2m and the ability to run 6 and 2 simultaneously.

Station:
Rig:  ICOM IC-7100
6m:  3-el yagi (stopped), quarterwave whip (mobile)
2m:  10-el yagi (stopped), Efactor halfwave loop (mobile)
432:  15-el K1FO rover yagi (stopped), Efactor halfwave loop (mobile)

QSOs by Grid:
     6   2   222 432
EM51 2
EM52 17  1
EM53 9   1
EM54 28  22  1   7
EM55 12  5       2
EM61 74  11
EM62 49  3       1
EM63 9   2
EM64 4   8   1   2
EM65 0   4
------------------
     204 57  2   12

QSOs by Mode:
SSB 12
CW  3
FM  4
FT4 63
FT8 193


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