[SCCC] Sept VHF N6GP/R Limited Rover LP

[Tim Goeppinger]

Call: N6GP/R
Operator(s): N6GP

Class: Limited Rover LP
QTH: LAX
Operating Time (hrs): 12

Summary:   Compare Scores
Band	QSOs	Mults
6:	77	21
2:	77	8
222:	41	6
432:	62	6
		
Total:	257	45	Total Score	16,110
 
Club: Southern California Contest Club

Comments:    
For the second year in a row, the National Forests were closed in Calif during Sept VHF.  So that ruled out mountaintop locations.  At least this year there was no choking smoke like last year.
I started the contest just in time at Signal Hill for DM03.  There was a ton of activity on 2m and 440. Got about 40 QSOs the first hour.  Stayed about 1.5 hours.
Only 1 hour off time for transition to Schurr High School, Montebello for DMO$. Strange that it is a ghost town up there.  Found it a little blocked to Orange County.  Stayed about 1 hour 20 minutes.  Made it over to Diamond Bar Center for DM13 and made about 50 QSOs there. Finished the day at Pantera Elementary for DM14. Had a nice surprise that Sporadic E opened up a bit to Washington, Oregon,
and British Colombia on 6m FT8.  I only was able to get 2 multipliers from this opening, because it was fairly weak, and not a great location to beam north.
I got kind of a late start Sunday morning when I left my house at 9:15.  Did not
make it to the Grapevine exit on the I-5 until 12L30. The Jack In the Box did not work out well, and found the Valero station to be just as good if not better.  Found Chuck WB6FQZ in Tehachepi on 223.5, and ran him all 4 bands for DM05!  After that it was very difficult to make QSOs.  The activity in the San
Joachin Valley was very low this year.  I only made 13 QSOs and 11 mults this year from this spot, vs 21 QSOs and 15 mults last year.   With the activity so
low, I scuttled my plans for Kettleman City, and I did not even go activate DM05 about 5 miles down the road.  Instead I put up my 9 el 2m beam to work WA6OSX, and WA6LOL.
I returned to the L.A. Area with about 2 hours to spare in the contest.  I thought DM04 needed re-visiting, so I went to my spot in Hastings Ranch, Pasadena.  There were quite a few stations I had missed on Saturday.  I got several alerts that 6m opened to Texas.  This was an excellent location to work East, and this yielded 10 additional QSOs out of state and 7 mults. Fun opening!
VHF Contesting truly does "take a village" to be successful.  I am so grateful
to Dan NA6MG and Marty N6VI for keeping an ear out for me at all 4 of my stops,
making the maximum 16 QSOs with me.  The level of activity was very good in the LA basin, almost on par with last year's pandemic boosted activity.  Nothing like the 40% year over year drop in activity in June VHF.  With all of the activity, there was a lot of fun to be had.

QSOs by Grid Activated:
DM03  74
DM04  95
DM13  50
DM14  38

Only 28 FT8 QSOs.  All the rest FM or SSB.

Rig: IC-7000 100W
  220 Alinco DR235 25W
Ants:
  6m Moxon
  2m 440 Diamond X30
  2m 4 element yagi, 9 ele yagi
  440 7 element yagi
  220 5 element yagi, 5/8 wave mag mount

Special for SCCC:
A BIG THANK YOU to everyone that got on.  I think all scores locally were lifted by all of the participation, especially on Saturday.  I  don't know about you, but I had a blast.  No promises, but me and another rover are working on something that might make January VHF even more fun.  Stay tuned,
Thanks again to the following that worked me so many times, listed with # of QSOs.  I appreciate all the time you spent on tracking me.
Dan  NA6MG  16 (max)
Marty N6VI     16 (max)
Endaf  N6UTC/R 17
Mike KX6A/R   16
Luis KN6DMO   12
Steve KK6REB   9
Ron KK6RON   7
Greg W6IT       7
Tom W6ORG   6
Jon K6LDQ      6