[VHFcontesting] my stratergy

[frank bechdoldt]

I will post my old stratergy from several roves.  

Start the contest somewhere remote and high, perferably between 2 or more populalation centers.  I
 would often start from a site in CN93 where I could reach out to CM87 and up to CN 89 on 6-432 and perhaps a few 100-200 mile qsos on 1.2 or 903. 
 The idea behind this is the time it takes to get there before the contest begins isnt counted against you.

>From there you will have a route of 4 to 6 more "premier places to work from. The key is to know when to drive where. 
 A 300 mile trek accross some flat lands can let one travell through some rare grids is good if you have long yagis amd the dirrection you are driving is generally pointed towards a large population center. 
This worked for me where I worked people who came and went in the contest at thier leisure while I was speeding down i-90 towards Seattle.  A yagi up 12 feet on the interstate can reach 300+ miles and over some pretty big mountains.

For those in the west, snow covered mountains are good reflectors.

Try to end the contest between 2  or more population centers. People come out of the woodwork at the end and many do not have the best of antennas.

If you are into microwaves dont travel to far away from the population, the truth is theres not much out there.  But when you bring yours to town you might make a lonely 2.4ghz station feel better.

Try to keep a schedule, all though I never make specific skeds.  Personal thing,

I try to make my route circle the outer areas of the population centers and orbit out in hopes to hit the other population centers 300 miles out from my path. This might give me a 600 mile wide zone as a circle the area I come from.  

Avoid canyon drives.
High plateus work wonders.
A 6 meter loop for e-skip, a moxon for driving and beaming.
stack beams vertically to keep the path a but wide.
BEams
Beams 
beams
and a pre-amps are the bread and butter.
I once used beams and loops and switches, then I went pure beams except for 6 meters.

Safety:
A heil head set and foot switch to talk.
Stay on the calling frequencies and use the band switch. IE dont fool with the vfo while driving.

73s
Frank





frank bechdoldt
k3uhf at earthlink.net
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