[VHFcontesting] January ARRL SS and rovers

Tue Jan 22 14:12:42 EST 2002

Just to add to Gene's comments:

It's been a couple of years since I rovered much (gee... since the baby... 
how about that... :-)

And of course, my experience is left-coast mountain-hopping, so it may not 
apply.  But, speaking as a rover:

After a haul on the road to get up the hill, catching only what I can on FM 
while trying not to drive off a 1500 foot drop-off, I would set up for a 
few hours of operations.  I follow the "porcupine theory" of 
rovering.  That is, zero-time antenna set up because they are bolted to the 
roof rack.  Rotator built by Ford.  So, using a turn-out or a parking pad 
or whatever, I point at a direction and try to work it out, then turn the 
vehicle.  6M is non-directional (horiz pol) in my typical set-up, with 
modest yagi's for V/Uhf. 1.2G being my only long yagi (and highest 
band).  So, what does that mean to the fixed stations?  My signal strength 
comes from being high up, not from big amps and beams.  I do CQ's when it's 
working, but fixed stations are going to be louder than me. So call CQ.  If 
I don't hear you when I'm pointing in your direction, it might be a while 
or never before I get back to that direction from that location.  Also, my 
sleep schedule is probably different from yours, *and* remember that when 
things seem slow to you might be just when a rover crosses a grid boundary 
and can work the whole world over again.  Butt-in-seat counts for a lot.

These comments certainly reflect some of the differences between left and 
right coasts VHF contesting.  Back East, you have higher population 
densities and more microwave activity and that all interacts with how a 
rover thinks, too.  I'm sure the rate for a rover out there is way 
better.  The best I've done nation-wide is 13th place in June, and I was 
pretty proud of that as a left-coast rover score, although it looks kinda 
wimpy next to an east coast score.

73, Dave N6NZ  CM87

At 03:40 PM 1/22/02 -0500, Eugene Zimmerman wrote:
>Ed
>
>Good score!
>
>Many rovers list in their itinerary the 2 meter frequency they go back to
>after they're finished running the bands with whoever.  For instance Bill
>W3IY/R was supposed to be on 144.233 I think.  That's the only way I know.
>That said, I did not operate much except for Sunday morning on 6 so I too
>had real trouble finding either IY or ND3F/R.  Normally I try to check their
>listed 2 meter frequency with the second VFO every once in a while.  This
>time that did not work well.
>
>One other problem is that the rovers may be and you hope they will be in odd
>directions from you so it can be hard to hear them when you are pointed at
>the areas of dense population.  The only quick fix for that is another 2
>meter antenna something not so many of us have.
>
> >From the other side it is important for rovers to find stations that can run
>the bands rapidly with them.   So most of them will look for us when we are
>calling CQ.  Which reminds me of what an old friend of mine, K4YF,  used to
>say about our operation from a big HF multi/multi "You are one of the
>loudest signals on the band - but only if you are transmitting."  So it is
>incumbent on the home stations, if you have a decent signal, to call lots of
>CQs.  Of course if you don't have a good signal, calling CQ may not be very
>effective.
>
>73  Gene  W3ZZ
>Director, CQWW VHF Contest
>FM19jd  MD
>50 => 10 GHz
>Grid Pirates VHF Group K8GP
>Member, CQWW Contest Advisory Group
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Ed Kucharski" <k3dne at adelphia.net>
>To: "W4XP" <w4xp at erols.com>; "Vhfcontesting at Contesting. Com"
><vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
>Sent: Monday, January 21, 2002 11:21 PM
>Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] January ARRL SS and rovers
>
>
> > At 02:41 PM 1/21/02 +0000, W4XP wrote:
> > >Reflector Mates:
> > >
> > >The Delmarva VHF and Microwave Society's Grid Pirates Contest Group,
> > >K8GP had a good time operating from the Prince William County
> > >(Virginia) Landfill, FM18gp.  As usual, the Rovers really added
> > >significantly to the contest fun; GREAT JOB, and THANK YOU to all
> > >those hearty souls!
> >
> > Chuck,
> > Congrats on another great K8GP score!  I agree that the rovers add
> > to the contest fun and to all of our scores but...
> >
> > Unfortunately,  I didn't have the success with the rovers that K8GP did.
> > I had printed out the itineraries of many of the rovers and had them handy
> > at my operating table but had a devil of a time finding them (or them
>finding
> > me).  Usually my log is filled with ND3F/R and W3IY/R but this contest I
>only
> > worked ND3F from one grid (4 qso's) and W3IY from 3 grids (8 qso's).
> > Part of the problem for us single-ops is that the rovers don't know where
> > to find us.
> > Most multi's have run freqs on at least 6 and 2 meters where the rovers
>know
> > that they can find you - I heard one rover call in on your 2 meter run
>freq
> > twice and
> > get qsy'd to run the bands.  As a single-op I do try to establish a 6 and
>2
> > meter run
> > frequency (and a qsy to freq on the higher bands - in my case I used .140)
> > but as
> > I leave my  6 or 2 meter run freq to "run the bands" with another station
>I
> > often come back to that freq to find it occupied by another station.  Then
> > after a little
> > S & P I will find a quiet spot to squeeze into to call CQ again.  If a
> > rover had
> > found me on the first run freq and went back to that freq when in a new
> > grid they often
> > find a different station there.  The second problem is that we often don't
> > know where
> > to find the rovers - even if there is a liaison freq the rovers are seldom
> > there
> > because they are busy running the bands with other stations.
> >
> > I'd be interested in what the readers of this reflector do (especially
> > single-ops)
> > to find rovers and be found by rovers.  I attribute much of the increase
>in
> > my scores
> > thru the years to rover activity but have noted that my scores have hit a
> > plateau in the
> > past couple of years as I have had more trouble finding and being found by
> > rovers.
> >
> > BTW; 624 qso's, 165 grids, 148170 points - single-op, high power, from
>FM19.
> >
> > 73,
> > Ed K3DNE
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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