[VHFcontesting] K5QE operations in the VHF Contest

[Marshall Williams]

Hello to all the VHF/UHF community.....below is our operations schedule 
of times and frequencies.  If you hear us, please work us in the 
contest.....We will be on the look out for all our friends during the 
contest.  Especially for those that are out of our area, look for us on 
6M or 2M meteor scatter or 2M EME.  It is always great to work those 
"rare" grids.....GL in the contest es 73 Marshall K5QE

*********************K5QE Contest Operating 
Info***********************************

Hello to all our friends in the VHF / WSJT world from the K5QE contest 
team....

K5QE will be operating in the ARRL June VHF Contest and would really 
appreciate any contacts that we can make via FSK441 or EME for that 
"rare" grid.  The contest  begins 1800 UTC Saturday and ends 0300 UTC 
Monday (June 13 - 15, 2009).  For those of us still on local time, that 
is 1PM Central Daylight on Saturday to 10PM CDST Sunday night. 

For those stations that are outside our normal range, I invite you to 
try to work us on 6M and / or 2M using digital meteor scatter or 2M EME. 
We will be operating FSK441 on 6M beginning at 0230Z Sunday  
morning(=9:30PM Central Saturday night) on a frequency of 50.268MHz and 
we will take First sequence. Occasionally, we will call CQ on 50.260 
UP8--but we intend to work on 50.268MHz First sequence.  If we happen to 
find a station calling CQ, we will answer them on their given frequency, 
but most of the time we will be on 50.268.  This is a good opportunity 
for smaller stations to get a DX contact on 6M, because the chances of 
an Es opening late at night are not very good(never mind last year!!).  
Please give us a try on 6M meteor scatter.  We run 1KW output on 6M 
meteor scatter with fairly large antennas.  Please remember that the 
contest requires the exchange of grids not 26 or 27. 

On 2M, we will start at 0230Z Sunday  morning(=9:30PM Central Saturday 
night) with FSK441 meteor scatter on a frequency of 144.142MHz and we 
will take First sequence.  Again, if we find someone calling CQ 
elsewhere, we will work that station on their frequency.  We may call CQ 
UP2 on 144.140MHz, but we will be working stations on 144.142MHz if at 
all possible.  Again, this is a good chance for smaller stations to get 
some good 2M DX and a "rare" grid during the contest.  We get one 
too...a WIN-WIN situation!!  We run a stacked pair of 17el M2's at 160ft 
and 1KW output on 2M FSK.

The moon rises here at 12:30AM Central on Sunday(=0530Z Sunday).  At 
that time, we will start EME operations using JT65b on a frequency of 
144.142MHz and we will take SECOND sequence.  If we hear a CW caller, we 
will immediately switch to CW.  If you are EME capable, please try to 
work us off the moon.  Remember that stations with a single long yagi 
and QRO may be able to work us on their rising moon. For stations way 
East of us, this may not work as the moon may be too high before it 
rises here.  However, for everyone else, there is a good chance that we 
can work.  Stations in the Central US and out West get the increased 
gain from their rising moon, so give us a try.  In Jan, we easily worked 
two stations in CN87 that just had a single yagi pointed at the horizon, 
so it can be done.  We run 8 x 2M18XXX with the custom EME elements and 
1250W output(1500W output if it is a rare one.....HI). Pictures of the 
EME antenna are on my web site.  It is a really FB antenna and we would 
love to work you in the contest.......all new multipliers gratefully 
apprecitated.

If / when we work all the EME stations that we can find, we will return 
to 2M FSK441 operation, probably about 4-5AM Central(=1000Z-1100Z) until 
7AM Central(1200Z). Those times should be good for meteor scatter as 
meteor scatter is usually best in the early morning hours.

This year, we are going to try 432 EME at our moonrise(0530Z) using 
JT65b.  That means that for about 45min, we can work you off the moon.  
We will be using 432.042MHz Second Sequence.  If you have a 432 station, 
look for us there.

We are also going to try 222 EME on our moonrise.  We will be on 
222.042MHz Second Sequence.  We do not have Elevation on 222 or 432, so 
after an hour or so, we will cease this operation. 

We will cease digital operation at 7AM CDST(=1200Z) on Sunday morning 
and revert to normal tropo type operations.  If things get REALLY slow 
on 2M, we may do some more FSK441 digital meteor scatter Sunday 
afternoon from about 3PM to 6PM Central, but no promises right now.  If 
6M is dead, we will fire up on FSK441 in the afternoon. 

Due to the ARRL's rules, I cannot post to the prop loggers(DX World or 
N0UK's EME logger) during the contest.  While we cannot post to the 
loggers, we are a Multi-Multi station and therefore, we can LOOK at the 
loggers, even if we cannot reply.  If you see us or work us, please spot 
us on the appropriate loggers.  IF you are not entering the contest, you 
can post freely to the loggers. 

Thank you in advance for spending some time to work us in the contest. 

73 Marshall K5QE, EM31cj
www.k5qe.com

East Texas