[VHFcontesting] T Minus 9 and Counting...

[Don Ross]

Hey Les,

Do you need EM03, 04, 05, 14, or 15?  I'm in the process of setting up my rover station and it will include 350+ watts and WSJT. I've got EM63 confirmed, but should be able to give you any of those five within the next month.

Don, NL7CO/EM04

Sent from my iPad Mini with the tiny keyboard

> On Oct 15, 2013, at 21:40, Les Rayburn <les at highnoonfilm.com> wrote:
> 
> My quest for achieving 2 Meter VUCC using indoor antennas began in 2008 after reading an inspiring column in QST authored by Gene Zimmerman, W3ZZ. It was entitled "Chasing VUCC" and I read it shortly after reluctantly moving into a single story home in a deed restricted neighborhood.
> 
> After being very active on low frequency (Lowfer) weak signal operations for years, and also on 160 Meters, I didn't like my ham radio prospects with strict covenants against outside aerials. I had resigned myself to a few vertical antennas in my large attic for local repeater work, and a makeshift longwire antenna stapled inside my privacy fence on 20 Meters.
> 
> But after reading Gene's column, I went upstairs into my attic, and flipped my four element beam that I used for distant repeaters from vertical to horizontal. Went back downstairs, and called CQ on 144.200---and haven't looked back since. I quickly filled my attic with the largest Yagi's possible, low noise pre-amps, and 1/2" hardline. Anything to gain another db, lower the noise floor, or work a new grid. 6 Meter VUCC came quickly, but 2 Meters has been one of the biggest challenges of my life in ham radio.
> 
> 102 of those grids were worked with the indoor beams, while the other eight were worked from a high spot near my house during contest roving trips. Well over half were worked using WSJT digital modes on meteor scatter. Thank you Joe Taylor!
> 
> Now thanks to the help of my local VHF elmers, and a lot of expertise from these lists, I've managed to work 110 grids on 2 Meters. Of those 91 have confirmed, leaving me with only nine more to go.
> 
> Recently, I sent out a second round of Self Addressed Stamps Envelopes (SASE) and cards. Some of those unconfirmed QSO's date as far back as 2008. I've worked stations in the following grids but have been unable to confirm them:
> 
> DM98
> EL18
> EL79
> EL87
> EL88
> EL99
> EM00
> EM02
> EM20
> EM22
> EM26
> EM30
> EM49
> EM51
> EM80
> EN63
> EN93
> FN25
> 
> If you live in one of those grids, and are active on digital modes or closer in, willing to QSL, I'd love to work you. I'm going to try a third round of QSL requests using special postcards I had printed with the QSO information filled in. All they require is the operator's signature to confirm the contact.
> 
> If anyone has any suggestions on what else to try, please let me know. I'm so close now, I really have a drive to finish it off. Thanks again for all the help along the way.
> -- 
> --
> 73,
> 
> Les Rayburn, N1LF
> 121 Mayfair Park
> Maylene, AL 35114
> EM63nf
> 
> 6M VUCC #1712
> AMSAT #38965
> Grid Bandits #222
> Southeastern VHF Society
> Central States VHF Society Life Member
> Six Club #2484
> 
> Active on 6 Meters thru 1296, 10GHz & Light
> 
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