[SCCC] ARRL Sep VHF WA7BNM Single Op-Analog LP

[Bruce Horn]

                    ARRL September VHF Contest - 2022

Call: WA7BNM
Operator(s): WA7BNM
Station: WA7BNM

Class: Single Op-Analog LP
QTH: S.Calif
Operating Time (hrs): 2

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
    6:   5     2
    2:          
  222:          
  432:   6     2
  903:          
  1.2:   1     1
  2.3:          
  3.4:          
  5.7:          
  10G:          
  24G:          
-------------------
Total:  12     5  Total Score = 100

Club: Southern California Contest Club

Comments:

Finally able to purchase an Icom IC-9700 so I could operate on bands, other than
6m, in a VHF contest. Getting one was about as difficult as purchasing a
dishwasher these days!

My plan was to temporarily install the 70cm and 23cm yagis on a 20-ft TV-mast
clamped to eve of my garage. However, realized that my stepladder wasn't tall
enough to do so safely by myself. So, instead I clamped it to my fence adjacent
to the garage using some sort of plumbing coupler that provided a lose fit so I
could rotate the mast. When I attempted to mount the two antennas on the mast, I
discovered that the u-bolts designed for a 2-inch mast wouldn't accommodate the
1.25 inch TV mast. However, found a short length of 1.5 inch aluminum tube that
was just large enough for the boom-to-mast clamps. Slipped the tube over the
TV-mast and used duct tape to "secure" it, walked the mast up to
vertical and clamped it in place. Used two 50-ft lengths of LMR-600 from the
antennas, through the garage, to just inside the door to the shack.

I have an old 2m vertical (from the days when the DX packetcluster used 2m) that
I planned to use for 2m, but didn't have a coax jumper long enough to reach from
the antenna patch panel to the IC-9700 just inside the doorway. So, no 2m.
Powered up the 9700 and was "operational" about 5 minutes before the
start of the contest. Planned to use an "armstrong" rotator, but the
mast/antennas decided that the S/SW direction (into the Hollywood hills) was
it!

Thanks to the perseverance of Marty, N6VI, I was able to complete a 23cm QSO.
The operation was successful to the degree that I made my first ever QSOs on
bands above 2m. Now, I need to decide how to permanently install the antennas so
they are useful.

Rig: IC-7610 - 100 watts on 6m
Rig: IC-9700 - 75 watts on 70cm, 10 watts on 23 cm
6m Antenna: SteppIR DB-36 at 70 ft
70cm Antenna: 11-el at about 18ft agl
23cm Antenna: 22-el at about 20ft agl

73 de Bruce, WA7BNM   (bhorn at hornucopia.com)