VHF contest score - W0UC/9

[N0bsh at aol.com]

1994 September VHF QSO Party Results

W0UC/9   EN44   Wisconsin
Multi-op Unlimited
Operators:  K1LL, KA9FOX, K0FVF, N0AKC, N0BSH, W0UC

  50:    289    113
 144:    321     69
 222:     53     32
 432:    120     44
 903:      6      6
1296:     31     19
-------------------
Totals:  820    283          301,961

Observations and Highlights:

Well, the June contest seemed more like a September contest.  I guess it's
only fair that this one had several similarities to a June contest.  Pretty
decent Sporadic E for this time of the year.  We worked stations from east
coast to west coast on 6M Sunday afternoon and evening!  Worked CO2JA!  Not
only was propagation June-like but so was the weather - mid 80s.

Did you catch the aurora "opening?"  We did!!!  Worked VE2HOG (yes, he DOES
ride a Harley) in FN07 at about 0735Z on 6 and 2.  Nice signal on 2 - no
other stations worked or heard.  Guess no one else stays up that late.

Worked KA2DRH  (EM64  Alabama) on 2M via a long, "random" meteor Saturday
evening - man was he loud!!!  No luck with the four skeds on 2M, though I
heard a few pings.

Tropo condx were a little above average but nothing extraordinary.  Mostly
just the "locals" were a bit louder than usual.  Except for the last 1.5
hours where the opening extended down into OK, AR, KS (about 600 - 650 mi.)
where we worked a few guys on 144, 222, and 432.

A lot of fun!!  

73  Mike  N0BSH
n0bsh at aol.com

ps  Oh BTW...  CW Sprint score:  N0BSH  45/16
(Took a couple breaks from chasing grid squares)
                                  
Sultan.


>From ken.silverman at atlas.ccmail.AirTouch.COM (ken silverman)  Tue Sep 13 00:41:04 1994
From: ken.silverman at atlas.ccmail.AirTouch.COM (ken silverman) (ken silverman)
Date: Mon, 12 Sep 94 15:41:04 PST
Subject: Half Square Antenna
Message-ID: <9408127794.AA779409664 at atlas.ccmail.airtouch.com>

Does anyone have any experience with a half square antenna?  
After reading the article in CQ last month about the antenna, it 
go me thinking about the possibility for an alternative 40m 
antenna for our next expedition.

I started modeling the antenna in a conventional way, with the 
antenna fed against ground with a set of radials.  I then modeled 
it as the article described, with the feed point on the top of 
one of the elements, with no radials.

Feed at top corner:             
---->___________             ___________
    |           |           |           |
    |           |           |           |
    |           |           |           |   Bottom Conventional
    |           |           |           |<--feed with radials

The radiation pattern and gain was the same, but the SWR was easy 
to match with 50 coax with the feed point elevated as shown.  
When fed against ground, the SWR is a few thousand ohms, and 
requires an L/C matching network.

Does any one have any experience with the half square, with the 
feed point in either position?  Is this antenna a player when 
used over a good ground (salt water)?  What problems might I have 
with the antenna?

The only time I used a set of bobtail curtains was the day I 
spent with the PI4COM/PA6WPX group during 1994 WPX CW.  They had 
3 bobtails in a flat field by the river.  The bobtails had great 
directionality, but I had nothing to compare it to with regards 
to foward gain.

Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks again for all your input, you're a great bunch of people!

Ken WM2C
ken.silverman at atlas.ccmail.airtouch.com