[VHFcontesting] 50.125 ..yes, but what about 144.200?

[Duane - N9DG]

--- "Kenneth E. Harker" <kenharker at kenharker.com> wrote:

> This may or may not be true, depending on the level of
> activity in
> your part of the country.  In parts of the country where
> the 
> population density on VHF+ is not so dense, the QRM from
> sharing 
> a channel with other stations may not be as big a problem
> as 
> missing other stations because you're on different
> frequencies from
> one another in the limited time when you're both on the air
> or
> both have propagation to one another or are pointing toward
> one another.

While it may work out generally better to stay on or close to
the calling frequencies in really sparse areas for the
"local" (<300 mile) Q's, it still works against you overall.
For example when the band does open to that faraway DX you
may never find out about it. Why? That far away DX may be
from a more populous area where the *big guns* are well
removed from the calling frequency. This precisely how I pick
up K8GP, W4IY, W3SO, etc. (600+ miles) from here in southern
WI. I can't recall ever working/finding them on the 2M
calling frequency from here. They are *always* 10 or more kHz
away.

So it comes down to maintianing a presence on .200 and
continuouisly tracking activity +/- 50-75 kHz of .200
(strategy). And to do that you need the appropriate HW. In
any case you can't do it if you never move the VFO no matter
what you run for gear.

> 
> I've tried the experiment of only calling CQ off 144.200
> before,
> and here in STX that made a huge negative impact on my two
> meter score.

That is why you can't just sit still if you are in a more
remote area (BTW I'm ~100-200 miles from fairly populous
areas). And have multiple RX's and panadpaters goes along way
toward keeping tabs on a *lot* of spectrum.

> 
> So much of VHF contesting is a local experience...
> 

Yes indeed. But the "real DX" isn't.

Duane
N9DG


       
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