[VHFcontesting] 6meter

[k4gun at comcast.net]

First of all... wow.  I was away from my computer yesterday and this morning, there are 80 messages in my box and almost all are from this reflector.

Next, I don't see what the bru-haha is about with regard to 6 meters.  This was my second contest and the first where Es was a factor.  I wasn't prepared for it.  Yes, I had my moxon and a loop for back-up, but I hadn't made operating plans to deal with it.  I did manage 109 contacts on 6 with 30 multipliers, but it could have been a LOT more.  

Isn't that what a contest is about?  Isn't it about learning how to improve your system and plan?  Isn't it about constant improvement?  I'll be putting the information to good use next year and I'm looking to September to see how tropo scatter will affect my plan.  It doesn't mean abandoning the higher bands.  Its just means an alteration to the plan.

Based on what I learned in this contest, I'll be much better prepared for next year.  The major change will be that I'll do more calling on 6 and not as much S&P.  I did well with S&P, but once I exhausted the calling stations, I should have switched to calling myself, rather than going to 2 meters.  Live and learn.

K4GUN/R

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Steve Tripp (K1IIG)" <stephen.tripp at snet.net> 

> Hi Ron, 
> 
> Thanks for your kind words and suggestions, you did read into my thoughts 
> accurately in that my suggestion was not to kill all 6m contesting but to 
> enhance the upper frequencies. I did miss a few points that others brought 
> to me and therefore have rescinded the idea of partial elimination of 6m, it 
> was not a good idea after all. My effort on 6m is reasonable with a pro3, 
> 5ele M2 at 70' and a KW for power. I would like to let that idea die but 
> sure did get some interesting comments that I enjoyed reading. I belong to 
> a great microwave group, North East Weak Signal (news) with a bunch having a 
> tremendous knowledge base that I can learn from. I have built and run 
> repeaters for 45 years up to 1.2ghz but I find it is boring compared to V/U 
> contesting so I keep moving up the bands. 
> 
> Thanks Ron and others, I think the horse is dead. 
> 
> Steve 
> K1IIG 
> 
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