[VHFcontesting] June VHF N8RA

[Chet, N8RA]

Class: Single Op LP

QTH: FN31

Operating Time (hrs): 18 (seems low)

 

Band  QSOs  Mults

-------------------

    6:     198    77

    2:     134    29

-------------------

Total:   332   106  

Total Score = 35,192

 

I was anxious to evaluate the planning and improvements during the past few
months. 

 

It was off to a bad start. At the starting gun, I had very little audio
modulating the 2M transmitter. What's wrong here? Check the cabling, check
the rig settings, puzzle over it a while, and then eventually notice the
speech processor was not activated or adjusted after my having done a reset
on the radio earlier in the day. I then start in and make about 5 contacts,
but the thunder is getting loud enough to start rattling the shack windows.
Better disconnect and shut down.  Check the weather radar map- oh, it's only
a little rain cell next to my QTH. For the next two hours that cell
continued to grow in strength and broadened out to be over me too. Go away!
Move on! But it just stayed there throwing down lightning bolts. The
telephone line kept clicking with every flash. Pour a coke and go out on the
front porch to read QST. Lightning stays more than five miles away for quite
a while finally and I get back on.  Then about 7 PM another storm causes me
to shut down for over an hour again. 

 

Six Meters: My 6M capability last January was pathetic. My 6M rig would
sometimes lock up during transmit and I could only run about 15 watts. My
homebrew 5 element yagi did not seem any better than the temporary 2 element
one. But now I have the yagi fixed and have solved the transmitter power
problem. Good move! 6M sure did cooperate, with E's during most of Sunday's
daylight hours, and some DX too. So this was definitely worth the effort. 

 

SO2R: After the January contest, and my horrible arrangement to try to have
two radios running, I completely tore the shack down to an empty room,
designed a new equipment layout, rebuilt the operating table, and put it all
back together. This arrangement worked out much better, but it now lacks
enough tabletop space for papers (since this is also my office), but at
least I got the priorities correct. The equipment rearrangement required
building a lot of new cables for computer interfacing of the two radio
setup. I found some limitations which are on the to-do list for next time.
But this was definitely a worthwhile investment in time, and I had a lot of
fun learning to use two radios more effectively. 

 

Digital Modes: After hearing the buzz about WSJT, I decided to put a toe in
the water. More interface cables were made up, since it cannot use an LPT
port for PTT. Serial port cards were added to the shack computers. (Thank
you E-Bay) I've been trying it for about 3 weeks now. Can my 200 watts work
stations? Yes, it takes time, but I'd had about 10 contacts before the
contest, some on 6M, some on 2M. This is really an awesome digital mode. So
I stay up after midnight during the contest to see what's doing and worked 5
stations (with likely only 3 of them via meteors). And one of the new grids
was worked later the next day on SSB. Was it efficient to stay up until 3 AM
doing this? Probably not, since these new grids are worth only about 12 more
contacts. Staying up that late caused me to sleep in past the alarm clock.
Would I have been better off being up earlier and being a bit sharper on
Sunday? Probably.. But looking at the grid map on 2M with the cluster of
worked grids contiguous around mine, and then that one wayyyyy out there?
Priceless! This is supposed to be fun, right?

 

432: Plans were to add this band before June. A yagi and junker 6155 to
convert were acquired. The yagi is only half converted to the weak signal
segment, and the 6155 is still sitting in the garage. Maybe next time,
there's always a next time. 

 

What broke:  

2M has a remote receive preamp at the base of the tower. Midway into the
contest, it's switching started to have a noticeable delay in recovering
after transmit- not good..

The transmit audio on my mobile (second) radio is not as clear as I'd like
and is difficult to adjust- needs more investigation. Also need to get its
average talk power up compared to its PEP. 

 

Overall, what a great way to spend Father's day- I had asked the kids to see
me later- hi.

Sorry to hear about those whose day did not go as well.