[VHFcontesting] June Contest Operations at K5QE

[Marshall Williams]

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 tropo,  FSK441, or EME for 
that "rare" grid.  The contest  begins 1800 UTC Saturday and ends 0300 
UTC Monday (Jun 12th - 14th, 2010).  For those of us still on local 
time, that is 1PM CDST on Saturday to 10PM CDST Sunday night.  

For those inside our normal tropo range, please look for us on 
144.200MHz or 432.100Mhz.  We will direct you to the other bands from 
there.  For those stations that are outside our normal range tropo 
range, I invite you to try to work us on 6M and / or 2M using digital 
meteor scatter.  If you are EME capable, we will be operating EME on 2M 
and 432. 

IF 6M is NOT OPEN to Es, we will be operating meteor scatter on 6M using 
FSK441 beginning at 0100Z Sunday  morning(=8:00PM CDST Saturday night) 
on a frequency of 50.265MHz and we will take First sequence.  We will 
call CQ on 50.260 UP5--but we will work all callers on 50.265MHz First 
sequence.  If we happen to find a station calling CQ, we will answer 
them on their given frequency.  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.  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 0100Z Sunday morning(=8PM CDST Sat night) with 
FSK441 meteor scatter on a frequency of 144.142MHz and we will take 
First sequence.  We will call CQ UP2 on 144.140MHz, but we will be 
working stations on 144.142MHz.  If we find someone calling CQ 
elsewhere, we will work that station on their frequency.  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.  On 6M 
and 2M, we will cease digital meteor scatter operations at 7AM 
CST(=1300Z) on Sunday morning and revert to normal tropo type operations.  

For stations that are EME capable, our moonrises and moonsets are very 
poor for contesting this time.  Our first moonrise is 11:35AM on 
Saturday(CDST)--well before the contest starts at 1PM, so the moon is 
well up during the day when we need to be working the rovers and tropo 
operations.  We will have to operate EME and terrestrial during the same 
time frame.  We will just have to do the best we can.  If we see an EME 
caller on 2M, we will stop and work that caller as soon as possible.  If 
we hear a CW caller, we will immediately switch to CW.  Because our moon 
times are so poor, we may not be able to call CQ on EME as much as I 
would like, but we will do our best.  Even if you don't see us calling 
CQ on EME, you can call us on 144.142MHz.  If we see you, we will 
respond as soon as possible.  

We have a second moonrise at 1220Z(=07:20 AM CDST on Sun).  We will be 
on EME whenever the moon is up here.  Again, we may have to intermix EME 
with terrestrial operations, but we will make every effort to work 
anyone that calls us.  We intend to do a lot of EME operations on 
Sunday, so if you are EME capable on 2M or 432, please try to work us.  
We feel that Sunday will be our best time for EME operations, so please 
look for us on Sunday from 1220Z onward.  

Remember that stations with a single long yagi and QRO may be able to 
work us on their rising moon using WSJT / JT65b. 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 years past, we easily 
worked stations in CN87 that just had a single yagi pointed at the 
horizon, so it can be done.  If you live East of us, try to work us on 
your setting moon.  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.

This year, we also have a 432 EME station up and running.  The antenna 
is 16 x 28el M2, all Horizontal, with 1100W output.  We will be 
operating on 432.042MHz taking Second Sequence.  If you have a single 
long yagi and QRO, we should be able to work on your rising moon if you 
are located in the Central or Western US.  Please look for us on 432 and 
work us if you can.  It will be a new grid for us and a new initial and 
a new grid for you.  What a deal!!

Because we are a Multi-Multi station, we will be watching the PingJockey 
logger whenever we are running meteor scatter.  However, we are not 
allowed to "self spot"--so you can talk to us, we just can't talk back.  
When we are on EME, we will be watching the N0UK EME logger and the 
ON4KST chat.  If you see us or work us, please spot us on PingJockey, 
the N0UK EME reflector, or on ON4KST chat.  If you are not in 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