[VHFcontesting] Activity in the ARRL VHF Contests SInce 1991

[Eric Watkins]

I've built one of Kent's 2m antennas and a few n6nb Quagis(I've made 
some nice DX contacts using the 222 Quagi.) I don't need to look 
closer at any site to figure out that I'm not connecting an antenna I 
just built to a 706 without testing it first and tweaking/peaking it 
second. I guess I care too much about the gear to spend time 
returning it for repair, should whatever materials I managed to 
source from the store be far enough away from as specified. I think 
Joe706 might feel the same way about his single shiny rig. There are 
ways around the test gear, people can borrow from elmers/clubs etc, 
etc. Are people smart enough to obtain access to test gear, or have 
faith in a .PDF to build antennas without testing, sure. Are they 
going to leap that hurdle to casually dip a toe into VHF+ contesting? 
I sure hope they do!!  Just the same, I don't think we need to erect 
any barriers to VHF+ by communicating that homebrew is the only path 
to VHF+ contesting.

Homebrew is cool, commercial is cool. Let's leave both options open 
when we're doing the VHF+ contest sell to newcomers.

Thanks,

kr0ver
P.S. Thanks for the kudos Duffy, looking forward to working you in June!


At 10:09 AM 3/3/2010, kb7dqh at donobi.net wrote:
>Hmmm... Test gear to build a Cheap Yagi???  Might want to take a really
>close look at Kent's website...
>
>The whole point of the design was to allow someone with a stick of wood, a
>chunk of coax, some wire, drill, tape measure and a soldering device to
>build an antenna that WORKS...
>
>Eric
>KB7DQH