[VHFcontesting] FW: ARRL Jan VHF N8RA Single Op LP

[Chet S]

                     ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes

Call: N8RA
Operator(s): N8RA
Station: N8RA

Class: Single Op LP
QTH: CT FN31
Operating Time (hrs): 18
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
    6:  162    36
    2:   90    19
  222:   26     9
  432:   23     8
-------------------
Total:  301    72  Total Score = 25,200

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:
This has become a favorite contest. I'd been working to improve the station
since June and was anxious to try it out. New this time was:
-222 MHz capability was added, using an Elecraft transverter, a 6154/5 that
I converted for this band, and a 10 element yagi temporarily mounted on a
short TV tower near the house. I was hoping this would add 10 mults, and
came close to realizing that. This worked FB.
-a 432 MHz preamp was remoted to the base of the tower to overcome the loss
of the long, long feedline going there. A W1GHZ fool-proof sequencer was
used to coordinate the T/R switching, and that all seemed to work OK. But I
still need to reduce the huge loss on transmit. That feedline is shared with
2M too. Might be easier to move the house up the hill...
-routed the station mic audio to also serve the 432 radio (an FT897) so that
I would not have to change mic's. But something was not set up right and
power out of the amp on SSB was only about 30 w pep due to low output from
the 897. CW was OK though at the full 100 w. 

The tropo predictions for the weekend were dismal and I think that was the
case. Fewer grids were worked on both 6 and 2 using that form of propagation
this year. Farthest tropo contacts were out at about 250 miles on 6M, 300
miles on 2M, and 200 miles on 222 and 432.

Some sketchy E's popped up on 6M for a short time Saturday evening and also
on Sunday. But these were not widespread openings and not many stations were
logged. The ones heard generally had good signals, but in between there was
a lot of empty band space. A few mults would pop  up and then were gone a
few seconds later. It seemed more productive to tune through the band during
these openings and work the mults before they disappeared rather than only
call CQ.

Weather was cold and windy with no precipitation, and numerous line noises
came on and off in various directions. So sometimes it was a case of beaming
in the direction of lowest noise. 

Overall a fun time, thanks to all for the Q's and the chats. 
73
Chet, N8RA