[VHFcontesting] Limited Roving - Worth the Effort?

[Marshall Williams]

Hello to all....This reply has gotten long too, so it may fall into the 
LONG RANT category too....Sorry.....

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS:
I have been watching this thread for some time with intrest.  The first 
thing that I discovered was that how the NE handles rovers and how we 
handle rovers is COMPLETELY different.  I am certain that the NE 
strategies are CORRECT for the NE area, where the population density is 
so much larger.  Please don't assume that this post is a great big flame 
of the NE participants and how they operate.  That is not true, so save 
the flames for starting fires in Dec and Jan.   I have never heard of a 
"rover hang out frequency" before this discussion. 

Paul, ND2X/5, spent some time telling me about how it is done up North a 
long time ago.  Since I don't live there, everything that he was telling 
me was foreign.  However, for one contest, we tried operating as he 
suggested.  We "adopted" 144.210Mhz as our primary calling frequency and 
only called on 144.200 sparingly, "listening up at 210".  We published 
this strategy widely(??) in advance in our area and really tried hard to 
work this way.   Our "new and improved" score was about 1/3 of our 
previous score.  Since we pride ourselves on being fast learners, we 
never did that again!!

I am sure this will be amazing to some, but down here in the 5th Call 
District, we mostly use 144.200Mhz, but we time share.  I will call CQ 
and if I get no response, after a short wait, someone near Austin will 
call CQ.  If no response, after a short wait someone in the Dallas area 
will call CQ.  If someone finds a "new one" the others will patiently 
wait and then they will work him too.  Fixed stations that want to "run 
the bands" will find each other on 144.200 and then move off to 
coordinate the other bands.  If a rover shows up during a really active 
part of the contest, then the rover might move off frequency to call CQ 
and run the bands.  The big station(s) will announce on 144.200Mhz that 
W5XYZ/R is in EL28(a rare one) and is moving to 144.175Mhz to work 
everyone that is interested.  If the contest is slow(unfortunately, we 
all know those times too well) the rover will stay on 144.200Mhz and 
work everyone right there.  The big stations will help the rover with 
difficult stations....everyone is happy.  I will admit that sometimes, 
like the last hour of the contest, 144.200 gets pretty wild.  However, I 
don't believe that anyone is intentionally trying to wipe everyone else 
out.  There are just a lot of guys trying to get that last contact 
before the contest ends.  At the end of the contest, I only call CQ with 
very directional antennas pointed AWAY from Texas, so that I don't upset 
the other callers(too much) as I try to find some smaller station out 
there that I have not worked. 

I am certain that this will not work in the NE...there are just too many 
stations up there(I sort of wish that we had this problem!!!).  However, 
for the much lower population density areas, this method seems to work.  
I solicit the strategies of other low population density areas, either 
off-line or on the reflector. 

ROVER OBSERVATIONS:
I have spent some time with Paul, ND2X/R, about the best stragegies for 
roving.  We don't always agree on everything, but I have tried to learn 
from his vast experience.  If you are roving, but not working very much, 
below are some possible thoughts.  This much is clear, you need to make 
your rover as BIG as possible.   If you have already done all these 
things and you still are not working anybody, some serious thinking is 
in order...HI.

POWER:
The first thing that Paul told me is that rovers need to have the MAX of 
power possible.  Somehow, a rover running 400W to a stacked pair of loop 
type antennas is much louder than one only running 160W--never mind that 
the db difference is only 4db.  ASIDE:  Paul INSISTS that real rovers 
have only omni-directional antennas, so that they can "run and gun" on 
the move.  I believe that Paul is absolutely right on the power 
issue......we agree to disagree on the antenna thing.  We regularly work 
rovers that are 400miles away on 2M, 222, and 432--sometimes we work 
them on 6M too.  All of them have the 400W TE Systems brick amps on 6M 
and 2M--as well as the 225W amp for 222 and the 185W amp for 432.   
Certainly, it is going to be hard for a rover to be "noticed" if all you 
are running is 20W or 50W from your radio. 

For 902 and up, things are murkier.  I still belive that if you want to 
work a rover that is way out there, there is no substitute for power(and 
antennas).  On 902/903 the Motorola cell phone amps cannot be beat.  
They cost $50 and will put out 250+Watts of power on 902.  Conversion is 
simple, see the VHFSouth web pages under Tech Info at 
http://www.vhfsouth.com/tutorials/902.htm.  There is also a smaller 
version that puts out 105W or so.  Unfortunately, both require +26V, but 
you can get that with an extra battery in the car in series with the 
car's electrical system.  A bit more work, but well worth it.  We work 
our 902 rovers out almost as far as we can work them on 432.  DEMI also 
has some very nice 902/903 amps available that run on +12VDC.

For 1296, things are worse.  My limited experience with 1296 tells me 
that it is just MUCH harder to work rovers on 1296.  We often have 
observed that a rover that is huge on 902, is almost non-existent on 
1296(we have a lot of pine trees down here).  There is no available 
surplus that I am aware of for 1296 power amps, either. DEMI makes a 
very nice 120W amp for 1296 that runs on +12.  It is not cheap, but it 
works very well.  There are smaller amps from DEMI as well. 

For 2304 and 3456, there are some very nice surplus amps available from 
PyroJoe in FL.  These do require some conversion work which is not 
exactly trivial, however, they work very well.  PyroJoe's eBay ID is 
Pyrojoseph...check for his auctions on the 2304 and 3456 stuff.  PyroJoe 
has some very nice 2304 amplifier boards that will put out 60-70W on 
2304!!  They have to be built up in a box with a heat sink, fed +26V, 
and connectorized.  Of course, you have to have the proper switching and 
sequencing circuits, but 70W on 2304 is pretty salty in the mobile. 

I think that the bottom line for rovers is this:  you have to have as 
much power as possible on every band, if you want to work out well.  
Your mileage may varry, others may disagree. 

ANTENNAS:
Paul insists on omni antennas.  On 2M, we have some rovers that have a 
stacked pair of loop type antennas and we have some that have only a 
small beam.  The White Rover has both, so that it can work stations on 
the move and then switch to a small beam when fixed.  This is an optimal 
strategy in my mind.  You can work as many people as possible while 
driving and then have more gain when stopped.  Paul never stops, so he 
poo-poo's this strategy. 

For all bands, but especially 2M, a pair of stacked loops is MUCH better 
than a single loop.  Stacking antennas lowers the beam pattern towards 
the horizon.   Nowhere is this more evident or more important than in 
the rover vehicle.  In a rover, your antennas are right at the 
ground(more or less) anyway, so any uptilt of the pattern due to ground 
effects is really bad.  Our two biggest rovers have a stacked pair of 
the M2 HO loops.  Other rovers have a stacked pair of the KB6KQ loops or 
a stacked pair of the KU4AB loops.  All are much better than a single 
loop.  A single loop is good to about 150 miles, while a stacked pair is 
good up to 400 miles.

In our area, all the rovers except one, use medium sized beams for 222 
and up.  The one exception is KE5EXX/R who uses a stacked pair of M2 HO 
loops for 432.  We work him all over Arkansas, no problem.  Some guys 
use Kent Britian's FB "Cheap Yagis" and some use M2 yagis.  A few use 
other things....all work well.  A good 5el(2M) or a 7-11el yagi(222 to 
432) can really work for the rover when he is stopped.  The extra power 
gain of 10-12db makes a big difference--it helps the rover to be heard 
and for the rover to work smaller fixed stations. 

Bottom Line:  You need a good set of antennas in the rover.  If you use 
loops, try real hard to get a stacked pair on line.  If you use yagis, 
try to use a good medium length yagi(or better).  There is lots of room 
for experimentation here, so put on your thinking cap.

PREAMPS:
It is clear, that no preamp is needed on 6M.  However on 2M and up, a 
preamp MAY be necessary.  Some rigs are notorious for being deaf.  If 
you are using an old multi-mode 2M or 432 rig, you need a preamp.  Some 
newer radios, especially the "DC to light" rigs need some RX help.  
Unfortunately, adding a preamp to these type systems is a lot harder 
than it should be.  You have to worry about TX power getting into the 
preamp and blowing the device.  If you are using the TE Systems brick 
amps, they have a switched GAASFet on board.  That should usually be 
sufficient on the lower bands.  If you are roving with 902, 1296, and 
upward, a good preamp is vital.  You are going to have to have the 
proper "steering" relays and the proper switching and / or sequencing 
too, if you want the preamp to survive.  It is a lot of extra "junque", 
but you have to have it. 

A possible exception on preamps....If you are using high gain, low noise 
transverters, such as the DEMI models, you may not need a preamp, 
because the transverters have a good noise figure and a lot of gain.  
For extremely long range contacts, you probably should have a preamp, 
but for "run of the mill" distances, a preamp may not be needed. 

Tip of the day for preamps:  We hard key all 4 lower bands(6M, 2M, 222, 
and 432) whenever we talk on any one of them.  This is to keep 400W of 
2M from entering the RX preamp on one of the other bands and blowing it 
out.  When you have rover antennas that are mounted very close 
together(a necessity), there is too much chance of power from one band 
getting into another band's RX and blowing out the preamp. 


Hopefully, I have addressed many of the other comments made in this 
thread.  As I said, "Your mileage may vary....others may disagree".  If 
these thoughts prove helpful, great!!!  If not, they are worth what you 
paid for them.  See you in the CQ WW VHF Contest....the wonderful 6M and 
2M contest with the simple straightforward rules.  73's Marshall K5QE


Shupienis, Joseph wrote:

>WARNING! LONG-WINDED RANTING FOLLOWS! WARNING!
>
>Rovers expend a lot of resources to put "relatively rare" grids on the air for everyone to enjoy. The enjoyment we get is to work as many stations as we can from those rare-ish grids. It's a bit of a let-down to use up $60 of gas to go to a nice mountaintop in a much-wanted grid, only to make a grand total of 11 Qs, even though I can hear lots of stations working the big boys. Then, after working only the big signals, it seems the multitude turn their beams away, never to be heard again until I reach the next grid and the cycle of frustration begins anew.
>
>Of course I can work the big guns with ease, but it seems that no one else besides them bothers to look for weak signals in the "weak signal" part of the band. Sometimes it seems that the only signals that get people's attention are those directly on the calling frequencies that jump out of the speaker, run up, and slap the operator in the face! And after they have worked all 10 of those in the first hour or so, it seems a lot of ops turn off their radios for the rest of the contest to go watch some ballgame on TV and drink beer. No matter which grid I start in, it is always the most productive. So I guess I should start at the most wanted grid, huh?
>
>I can call CQ on 144.210 or .180 for hours with nary an answer, and then someone 200 miles away stumbles across me and honestly (I hope) informs me that I'm S7 or 10 over S9 on his S-meter. Then they profusely thank me for the grid multiplier from FN11 or FN01, or wherever I am, and we walk up the bands. Then it's back to my "run" frequency for more fruitless CQing (if someone else who's S9+30 hasn't jumped on it the second I went to 432 -- and that same someone "can't hear" me when I try to work him!)
>
>I don't get it.
>
>If I can easily hear another station who is running the same power level I am, why can't they seem hear me? I've had to resort to strictly S&P, and can usually work everyone I can hear, and can work them again on the other bands. So I know I can be heard. It's just getting kind of frustrating to realize that maybe a lot of people don't know I exist, or just don't want to bother looking for me. 
>
>But then if they accidentally find me, they profusely thank me for the new multipliers I give them and ask where I'm going next.
>
>And then, of course, at the next grids I'll never hear from them again, unless it's their half-hour ragchew with one of their buddies. Why is it that they are both S9 plus on my receiver, but when they say their fond farewells and 73s and 88s and get back to contesting, neither one can hear me call them, and then turn their beams away and tune off frequency?
>
>I don't get it. 
>
>Then I see rover scores from other rovers who claimed to work the same grids I work from. I have yet to hear a single one of them on the air. And their scores are usually 50-100 times my pathetic numbers. They must have rates of 100-200 QPH... somehow...
>
>I don't get it.
>
>I would like to add 222 to my lineup. I've tried to save up for it, but so far I've wasted all the money on $4.00/gallon gas to make, what? 1,000 points?
>
>There are many good contesters out there. I have worked every one I can hear, and handed out as many multipliers as I can to every station that is willing to make the effort to work me. It just seems that lately, more stations are "getting away" and must be looking for easier stations to work than my weak rover signals (and weak bank account) allow.
>
>Oh wait -- I think I'm starting to get it now... Nobody told them I'm there or that they might have to listen carefully to dig out my piddly, weak, little signal...
>
>- RANTING COMPLETE -
>
>Thanks for listening, I feel better getting that off my chest.
>
>See you on 6 and 2 in the CQ WW VHF test!
>
>73 de Joe W3BC
>
>  
>