[VHFcontesting] Bringing newbies to VHF-UHF

[John Geiger]

Maybe we need to look a little at what us interested
in VHF/UHF weak signal operating.  For me, I was
always interested in propagation. Even before becoming
a ham (at age 13), I was into TV DXing and wondering
why we could sometimes receive stations that we
couldn't other times.  2 things really got me
interested in VHF opering:

1. I read an article in Worldradio magazine about
Sidewinders on Two and 2 meter SSB.  That opened my
eyes to how far you could communicate on 2.

2. Norm, KA9MGR (now K9MGR) was a member of the club I
belonged to, and he got going on 6 meters, and got me
interested in it.  Just his talking to me before and
after club meetings was enough to get me thinking
about 6.  I know I had some interest in 6m before
meeting him, but cannot remember how I first became
aware of it.

And 2 meter simplex also got me going.  Sean's idea is
a good one-does anyone even do FM simplex any more on
2m?  During a few band openings I would work a couple
of states away on FM, which got me hooked.  Picked up
a few extra points for the IARU contest on 2m FM
simplex-when that contest was 48 hours and allowed VHF
contacts.  

Much of this was back in the early to mid 1980s, and
getting on VHF back then was a little more difficult
and more expensive than it is now-especially when you
are in high school and college.  Didn't even get on 6m
until 1992 with a Kenwood TS600 and an indoor dipole. 


Today you can get a new Yaesu FT857D and play on 6m,
2m, and 70cm as well as HF for the price of just a
single band VHF all mode 15 years ago or so.  Is it a
top level performer on those bands?  No, but if you
want to try them out, it isn't a bad value at all.

73s John W5TD
--- Sean Kutzko <kx9x at yahoo.com> wrote:

> For me, I was interested in showing the local Techs
> ("shack-on-a-belt") around Champaign, IL that there
> was more to 2m than just repeaters. I started
> sponsoring a 1-hour 2m FM simplex contest for hams
> in
> the area, using cities as multipliers. Rovers were
> accepted. This introduced a bunch of locals not only
> to the potentials of VHF, but contesting as well.
> The
> results were very strong; many of the new
> participants
> from the university ham club had never operated
> anything other than 2m or 440 through a repeater.
> The
> concept of simplex was new to them.
> 
> This local contest, coupled with Field Day, did
> wonders to open the eyes of the newer folks to VHF
> weak-signal work. 
> 
> Open up your shack to anybody who's interested.
> Answer
> questions. Be an Elmer. Offer to teach classes
> through
> your local club. Enthusiasm is contagious.
> 
> 73,
> 
> Sean
> 
> 
> 
> Sean Kutzko, Amateur Radio KX9X
> Gillespie, IL       Grid EM59cd
>    http://www.seankutzko.com
> 
> 
>  
>
____________________________________________________________________________________
> Food fight? Enjoy some healthy debate 
> in the Yahoo! Answers Food & Drink Q&A.
>
http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545367
> _______________________________________________
> VHFcontesting mailing list
> VHFcontesting at contesting.com
>
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
> 



 
____________________________________________________________________________________
The fish are biting. 
Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search Marketing.
http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/arp/sponsoredsearch_v2.php