[SECC] Fw: [3830] ARRL June VHF NR5M Limited Multi-Op HP

[Scott Straw]

Sorry that this is so late... I spent all day last Saturday at NR5M and had a great time working 2M and 6M SSB.  It seems George isn't content to just be a monster below 30MHz.  I'm wagering that the fall VHF event will be a 500K+ event if 6M is anything like it was last weekend!

Scott
KB4KBS/5
Houston, TX



>On 6/19/2010 3:32 PM, webform at b41h.net wrote:
>>                      ARRL June VHF QSO Party
>>
>> Call: NR5M
>> Operator(s): N1XS
>> Station: NR5M
>>
>> Class: Limited Multi-Op HP
>> QTH: Hempstead, Texas
>> Operating Time (hrs): 25
>>
>> Summary:
>>   Band  QSOs  Mults
>> -------------------
>>      6: 1314   240
>>      2:   71    40
>>    222:
>>    432:   20    13
>>    903:
>>    1.2:    4     4
>>    2.3:
>>    3.4:
>>    5.7:
>>    10G:
>>    24G:
>> -------------------
>> Total: 1409   297  Total Score = 426,789
>>
>> Club: Central Texas DX and Contest Club
>>
>> Comments:
>>
>> Thanks to the ops who made the most with  a station that was anything but ready
>> to compete in this contest.
>>
>> We HOPED to run high power stations for 6, 2, 432, and 1296 using terrestrial
>> propagation modes as well as 2, 432, and 1296 EME.  We wound up with high power
>> setups on 6, 2 EME and 1296 EME only.  Everything else was either low power or
>> nothing.
>>
>> We started with a 6 run that was spoiled with very high noise on the stack.
>> For the first 7 hours we played the single 7el YAGI as the stack was unusable
>> the entire time.  About 8PM local (0100z) the noise went away and the stack
>> played beautifully throughout the rest of the test.  I appologize to those that
>> tried to reach us early in the contest but we were just deaf as a post at that
>> time.
>>
>> We made a limited number of low power 2m and 432 contacts during the first day
>> and night but the focus was on 6 and trying to get that band straightened out.
>>
>> Next morning I was determined to get the 2m EME array into play.  From moonrise
>> (about 12:45z) till 15:00 I worked on getting the EME array going as I was going
>> to have to teach some other ops how to work the JT-65 setup.
>>
>> I spent over 2 hours searching for signals and calling CQ (with them looking
>> over my shoulder) before I discovered that while the software was dutifully
>> tracking the moon snd reporting that we were "on it," I had failed to turn the
>> rotators on.  We were tracking the front gate of the ranch!
>>
>> There is just no accounting for (my)stupidity!
>>
>> After turning the rotators on we made about 25 2m EME contacts over the next
>> handful of hours.  Thanks to Laurent (W0MM) and Colin (KU5B) who trained in
>> less that an hour and then did a great job during bad moon condx.
>>
>> Next I turned (my now laughable talents) to the task of getting us on 1296 EME.
>>   Since we had never accurately calibrated the tracking of the 5 meter dish, we
>> were shocked to discover that we could actually hear our dashes off the moon.
>> Even more of a shock was G4CCH's answer to Eric's (NM5M)very first CQ off the
>> moon from NR5M.  Boy, oh boy, were we going to clean up on that band/mode.
>> Unfortunately, we made nary another 1296 EME contact!  Seems that by the time we
>> were on the moon on 1296, Europe's moon was setting and people were elsewhere.
>> Oh, well.
>>
>> Anyway, we had lotsa fun and I now know what is left to do for the next test.
>> I also know first hand that it is REALLY important to turn the moon tracking
>> system on before attempting to make EME contacts!
>>
>> George, NR5M
>>
>>
>> Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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Scott Straw, CTS-D, CTS-I
AVI-SPL
Houston, Texas USA
KB4KBS/5