[VHFcontesting] KC9BQA EN63ao contest wrapup

[Todd Sprinkmann]

  First the dry facts, then some highlights, comments and a 432 idea, if 
you care to read a while.

  Total claimed score:  27,720
  222:  49 Q's and 26 grids
  432:  59 Q's and 27 grids
  903:  7 Q's and 6 grids
 1296: 9 Q's and 7 grids

    Looking at K3TUF's comments, I had to chuckle a little.  It's funny how 
one ham's slow contest is another's busy one.  Must be a regional thing.   

   Here in the Midwest, my impression is that activity was up quite a bit 
over last year.  The Northern Lights Radio Society out of the 
Twin Cities/Minnesota area sponsored Rovermania for the 2nd year 
in a row and once again, they turned out in force.  This concept helps 
spur activity in the entire Upper Midwest.  Go to www.nlrs.org and scan 
down to August UHF contest/Rovermania link.  Think about doing 
something like this in your area, however modest.  Activity spurs activity.  
   The Chippewa Valley VHF contesters out of EN44 have really picked 
up the pace as well.  The long-neglected VHF part of the W0AIH HF 
contest station has been rejuvenated by K9MU Justin and his fellow 
CVVHF'ers.  Check out the contest results out of K9CVC and K9MU.  
They contest hard, and from a location that is far from ideal.  Is the fact 
that EN44 is a chip shot from the Twin Cities a coincidence??  I think not. 
   Heck, I'm not sure I would go to the trouble of putting up 902 and up 
unless the Rovermaniacs, NLRS, the CVVHF folks had done their part.  
Activity breeds activity.

   I know suggestions have been tossed around before to improve activity 
and here's some more. 

>> Invite a would-be contester over for a few hours of a contest or sprint. 
>> Loan some spare equipment to new guys or aspiring rovers.  
>> Try talking up contesting to the FM/Repeater crowd.  Even if just one
     or two ops come on over to SSB, it all adds up.  Plant seeds.  :)
>> Convince your HF friends to put up a beam for 50,144 or 432 on their 
     IC-706's, FT-847's, and TS-2000's.  
>> Operate in the contests a little harder; a little longer.  
>> Email some ops who are in your logs from previous contests and 
     encourage them to get on.  
>> Set up some sort of an activity night in your area.  I'm going to try this 
     with 432.  Email me if you're within a couple hundred miles of Milwaukee 
    and I'll keep you in the loop.  I now have two separate good 432 beams and 
     rigs, along with a great QTH.  
>> Make folks feel welcome and enthuiastic.  There's still time for September.
>> Take a little time and turn in your logs.  Show ARRL we're out here.

    I had some Murphy issues, but played through.  The new tower that has 
903 and 1296 (with 2304 knock wood for September) had a digital rotor 
control box failure about 10pm Friday night.  My 903 and 1296 was fixed 
south and I still managed some nice Q's.  Without 903 and 1296 my score 
would have been 17,172 instead of 27,720.  My primary rotor for 50, 144, 
222 and 432 is about dead, as of late last night.  I really couldn't turn more 
than 90 degrees today.  

   There was some tropo to our west later Sat. night.  DX highlight was 
working K0SM/R in EN10 on 432 with his 30 watts.  That was about a 500 
mile trip.  Got as far east as WA8RJF in EN91; a 367 mile path.  Had fun 
with WB8TGY, who was *very* portable up in EN75.  Worked him early 
Saturday evening on 222 FM, cross-polarized, with his 1 watt into an HT.  
We had to work at it, but Lake Michigan and K2YAZ up in EN74 helped.  
Worked W9FZ, who was hilltopping in EN50 on all 4 of my bands.  Boy 
was that fun.

  Again, email me if you're interested in some sort of 432 activity night.  I'm 
looking to start this up sometime in September.  Not sure exactly how it 
would play out, but because I can hear and transmit in two different directions 
on 432 with good antennas, I think I can stir some folks up.  I'd really love it if 
it somehow became a regional/DX type of thing.  Perhaps satellite 432 
stations around a regional center, with the opportunity to work some stations 
and grids that might not otherwise get on 432, because of its dead nature.

  73 -- thanks for reading,
  Todd  KC9BQA  EN63ao