[VHFcontesting] June VHF QP - N0QXW/R recap

[Matt Clauson N0QXW]

Wow.  My first time playing with 6 meters, and I can see why people say 
she's a fickle band.  While on Saturday the bottom pretty much fell out 
(for a total of 5 contacts over about 10 hours of operating, I racked up 
51 in about the same time, minus about an hour for cattle herding.  6 
dropped out about 2204Z, and never really returned, even though I called 
CQ until the very end.

Grids lit:  DN55/56/57/66/67.  I can light up those last four just 
running back-and-forth along about a 30-mile route, and I plan to do it 
again.  Lots of fun.

Equipment:  Yaesu FT-897, driving 50 watts to...  a Radio Shack 5/8wave 
2 meter mag-mount.  And, for such a 'marginal' antenna, it did 
remarkably well...  especially with the fact I hadn't tuned it for 6.  I 
just grabbed it from the parts pile and slapped it on the car.  When the 
radio reported almost flat SWR wherever I was transmitting, I couldn't 
believe it.  But you know what they say about gift horses.

Wait a moment, did I say cattle herding?  You betcha.  Came across 
cattle near or on the highway at least twice during my circuits up 
there.  My thanks to K2DRH for interrupting his run on 6 meters to relay 
a call to the Montana Highway Patrol for me.  Luckily, everything turned 
out fine -- with the assistance of a local rancher, we were able to herd 
the wayward critter back to the right side of the fence.

The funny part, however, is that the same situation recurred about 15 
miles further east, and 90 minutes later!  The things that happen to me 
during contests, I swear.

All in all, for my first VHF contest and my first time really operating 
6 meters, I am well impressed.  I'm hoping to be able to put some of 
that talent to use during Field Day in a couple of weeks...  And 
assuming the band holds out well in the fall, I'll probably go roving 
again then, too.

--n0qxw