[VHFcontesting] 432 Sprint

[David Olean]

Hello fellow 432 Sprinters!
I kept hearing the same mantra all night, over and over again. "Boy are you weak! I can hardly hear ya!"  I did get on for the whole sprint, running 50 watts output from my electrically challenged QTH in FN43MJ. I ran the driver amp for my triode amplifier off a small gas powered generator. My operating habits had to change with the low power output. I found that calling CQ was mostly a waste of time. I think I only worked three or four stations after CQing. (K1DS was one of them!) My best plan was to hunt and pounce, but a more accurate description was "hunt and pester". If I found a station calling CQ, I had to call and call and call until I got a QRZ or maybe a reply. Few had beams aimed this way.
    Still, it was not as bad as the 222 sprint, where I missed many contacts with those who just could not hear me. This time, I think I only missed one grid square, when K8ISK/portable could not detect my calls on SSB or CW. (I caught the grid later with W4SHG/R) I missed a bunch of NYC area stations, though. I would hear them working WZ1V or K1TEO, and then they were gone, never to be heard again.
    I think the band was in pretty fair shape in a few spots. The W3CCX beacon was very weak however, and below normal. Anytime I can work KN4SM in FM16, with 50 watts is a good night. I actually heard him off and on all evening, not very loud, but in there calling on CW mostly. K8ISK was heard quite often as well. Any efforts out to the West were fruitless. CQs would not attract anyone, and the only stations worked were KA2LIM in FN12 and another in FN13. Both contacts required many many calls to attract their attention.  Other good contacts were W3ZZ who was pretty loud along with Steve, W4SHG/r who was up and down here between S2 and S9 from Skyline Drive and FM08US.  K3TUF had a good signal. I never connected with N3RN.  I spent a lot of time with the beam NE, especially at the start, looking for the Canadian "DXpedition" to FN77. I heard nil up there. I did corral VE2XX and W1AIM to my northwest. VE2XX was the only canadian heard here. The only station worked to the NE was K1DY later in the evening. Bill was 59 plus running 10 watts, but he was also  frustrated at how hard it was to raise any contacts. He had it 5 dB worse than me!!
    I ended up with 36 QSOs and 18 grids. This time, FN32 was a hotbed of activity. I worked three stations there. N1DPM said that he got on just to avoid the wrath of Ron. At 10:30, after working everyone I could work, I tried running the big amp with very low drive to see if I could coax more power out. The generator started protesting badly at 200 watts output. The pilot lamps would extinguish themselves. Power supplies would unregulate. It was not pretty, but maybe it would have enabled me to attract K8ISK, Terry's attention down there in FM08. Better luck next time. All in all a fun evening.  Adjacent grids missed due to zero activity: FN53, FN44, FN33.  I heard that WA3ETD was on for a short while in FN33, but I never connected with him.

73
Dave K1WHS