[VHFcontesting] Rover Scheds and Station Activity emails
jon jones
n0jk at hotmail.com
Thu Jan 22 00:37:46 EST 2004
>I'm not intending to pick on anyone....simply inform the masses.
>
>How many of us actually print out published rover schedules? How many
>Rovers
>keep their schedules fully? Rhetorical....I'm not asking for answers
>because I
>know what the answers are. A few people do, but most of us don't.
Ev:
Some rovers *do* keep to their schedule. Dean, WAØTKJ, who was one of the
very first VHF Contest rovers, would go out over 800 miles in a contest
weekend back in the early 90s. He would be + - 15 minutes on each grid he
put on the air. Keeping to a published schedule is a matter of careful trip
planning and diligence.
>Ditto email messages that say, "I'm going to be on ABCD9E from Grid AB12CD
>with
>medium power, look for me in the contest".
If a rare grid is QRV from a direction I do not normally CQ or listen, it
helps me to know it is on for the contest and what type of power/antennas
are planned.
>One tool for this is HamIM. It works very well. No need to pre-publish a
>schedule (unless y'r braggin'). No need to keep to a schedule (unless you
>don't
>mind abandoning a band opening in progress, etc.). Simply setup on your
>hilltop
>and send a few HamIM CQ's.
>
>All a rover needs (at a minimum) is a laptop, packet TNC and software. NO
>GPS
>NEEDED (you can manually update the software with your grid when you move).
HamIM may be a useful adjunct. I do not use a laptop when QRP (S/O portable)
or roving due to reliability and battery issues. Log pencil and paper.
Others I know do the same.
- Jon N0JK
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