[VHFcontesting] getting rid of 6 meters

Wed Jun 18 17:26:04 EDT 2008

I don't think that will fix anything.  Won't it be an even greater waste of
time "listening [to] nothing on the other bands" if the contest no longer
covered those other bands (LOL)?

Seriously though,  its pretty easy to get 6m capability.  You can pick up an
FT-620B or Swan 250 for $150.  Better yet, I see ten-tec transverters listed
for under $100 if you already have HF.  My strategy is to have a dedicated
transceiver for both 6m and 2m--that makes it even more difficult trying to
listen for nothing 0since you'll always come accross something.

Maybe you didn't try 2m SSB?

Anthony

On Wed, Jun 18, 2008 at 4:06 PM, David <ke4yyd at gtcom.net> wrote:

> This was my worst contest ever.   Everybody must have been on 6 meters.
>
> I believe that the June contest should be 6 meters only, then I won't have
> to waste my time listening for nothing on the other bands.
>
> David
> KE4YYD
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Zack Widup" <w9sz at prairienet.org>
> To: <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 5:00 PM
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] getting rid of 6 meters
>
>
> >
> > When I'm sitting on a hilltop with 10 or more bands, I love to work
> > people up the bands.  But it can be a trade-off for a big-gun station who
> > is running on 6m. Does he quit to work me up the bands for probably more
> > points than he's going to get by staying on 6m for the same amount of
> > time, but possibly losing his run frequency which could net him more
> > points in the long run?
> >
> > It's a tricky situation.  I usually just ask him to meet me on 2m after 6
> > dies so we can work up the bands later. And if 6 dies a few minutes
> later,
> > I am probably going to find him on the other bands pretty easily.
> >
> > Being in the hands of fickle propagation has always been one of the fun
> > adventures of VHF!
> >
> > 73, Zack W9SZ
> >
> > On Wed, 18 Jun 2008, Joshua M. Arritt wrote:
> >
> >> Not sure what you really GAIN by removing 6 meters from the pool of
> >> bands in the contest as a whole.  I can't imagine that a contester would
> >> complain about a band being too crowded... in addition to the digital
> >> modes, CW is another way to escape the elbow bumping you'll run into on
> >> SSB above 50.120...  CW filters are wonderfully effective in this
> >> instance, which is something HF contesters can attest to.  Perhaps an
> >> SSB filter too?
> >>
> >> There was a comment that once 6 opens, all other bands are pointless...
> >> I strongly disagree!  This is where SO2R (or SOxR, where x=number of
> >> bands) skills can make or break your points tally and your sanity.
> >> Also, 6 meter Es openings can coincide with tropo on other bands, as
> >> mentioned on this distribution a few days ago.
> >>
> >> There's a balance of discipline and strategy that must be struck to keep
> >> 6 meters from being your only band in the contest, if that's a real
> >> problem for you.  You need discipline to know when and how to pay
> >> attention to those other bands and get the needed grids and Qs there,
> >> and strategy to know when to kick your discipline in high gear.  This is
> >> one of the unique challenges of VHF/UHF contesting that you don't get to
> >> experience much of on HF.  HF is, relatively speaking, very predictable
> >> -- the band(s) will open up SOMEWHERE to produce more Qs....  not the
> >> case always on V/U contesting.  The Magic Band opens and closes all over
> >> the place quickly, conditions change very rapidly.  So if you're in the
> >> points game, you're ahead to dedicate a radio to 6 meters to monitor
> >> conditions and quickly pounce on the mults as they fade in and out, and
> >> use your multi-band super box or even some cheap eBay FT-290RII (or
> >> equivalent -- 100% ham radio = 90% antenna, 9% operator, 1% radio) to
> >> cover 2 meters ++ (or as mentioned above, dedicate a radio to each
> >> band!).
> >>
> >> Of course, the ultimate in discipline would be to voluntarily forgo 6
> >> meters during a June event -- replace the hole in your rover's op table
> >> with a 5.7GHz rig, or something like that.  This is for those of us
> >> (myself included) who aren't competitive players necessarily, but really
> >> just enjoy an opportunity to run to a hilltop, break out the radios and
> >> hear the normally dismal bands come to life!  It's these types of events
> >> that thus re-affirm our investment and commitment to life above 50MHz,
> >> in spite of those HF-only guys' looks of confusion when we talk about
> >> great openings 500 miles away.
> >>
> >> Let's examine for a moment the reason 6 is in the pool...   as a VHF
> >> band.  It's crowded because Es works very well on that band.  Sometimes,
> >> Es works very well on 2 meters...  if we get a massive Es cloud that
> >> enhances 2 meters all contest long, do we start calls to exclude it from
> >> the pool?  I wouldn't think so.  Maybe if 10 meters were remarkably
> >> dull, we could include it in the contest???   Equally unlikely.
> >>
> >> So it's my humble editorial thesis that the 6 meter band is that 900lb
> >> gorilla of VHF contesting.  And we already have a contest in August that
> >> takes care of the 6 meter problem.  When that time comes around, I'll
> >> see YOU on 222!
> >>
> >>
> >> 73,
> >>
> >>    - Josh Arritt / KF4YLM
> >>      EM97ui
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
> > VHFcontesting mailing list
> > VHFcontesting at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG.
> Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 270.4.0/1507 - Release Date: 6/18/2008
> 7:09 AM
>
> _______________________________________________
> VHFcontesting mailing list
> VHFcontesting at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>