[VHFcontesting] N8UM Dry Run for June Contest from EM85

[n8um@comcast.net]

I finally got the rover rig assembled and on the road. I drove an hour before sunrise on Sunday morning and arrived at my favorite 2200' elevridge top.  Raised the mast and called a quick CQ on 144. Got an immediate reply from W5RCI in EM44. Not bad for no prop (per the Hepburn page) and 150 watts.  I moved to 50 mhz and 2 locals promptly called me and asked me to QSY to 1296.  Wow!  Locals on 23cm. Great. 
Went back to 144 and called CQ again.  WA9KRT/4 responded.  Don was home in EM87 visiting family. I was jealous. He was at 3200’ in one of the rarest grids in the mid south.
K8TQK tail ended Don and Bob and I immediately qsy’d to 903. My new 60w xverter works fine. I found Bob right away. We completed a cw qso. I was pleased to find my frequency readout agreed with Bob’s (his calibration is traceable to K4TO). Good deal!
Things got quiet around 9am so I started to tear down. As I moved the rotator to due north before I lowered the mast, I heard K2DRH on 144. I scrambled to reconnect the mike and moved the beam more toward Iowa. Bob and I qsy’d ed to 222 and tried 903 but no go. Good to hear Bob from EN41 on a day when the prop was marginal. That’s a testament to his great setup and skill. Look up his web site and see what 40 ft of rotating Rohn 45 looks like on top of 50 feet of Rohn 55. Fantastic!
I hope to be on next Saturday and Sunday morning from the Cherohala Pkwy, NC - 5500’ and Black Mtn Ky (EM87) elev 2600’. The 2304 rig has been back at DEMI for 4 weeks so maybe it will come back next week and I can try 13cm with some of you…
Get those rover setups checked out! Download a free copy of CT contesting software and get ready!
P.S.  Thanks to ND3F for badgering me to design a simplier setup.  I can now park, release 6 locknuts and raise the mast to 26 ft with 10 vhf/uhf/shf beams.  Less than 10 minutes from turning off the engine key till turning on the rigs!  Thanks Brian..
John B. N8UM Oak Ridge, Tennessee