[VHFcontesting] Are EME/MS digital QSOes reducing rovers contributions?

[k7xc_tx]

Hi folks from our new home in Silver Springs Nevada,  DM09jh.  

Before moving to Texas in 2013, I did three trips as the 6M KW Rover, using  a brand new Dodge 4x4 pickup equipped with a IC-706mkIIg, IC-PW1 1500W solid state amp, 5ele full size 6M yagi that rode fully assembled/connected in a cradle on the side of ladder rack, a 35' crankup tower mounted in the front of the bed next to a 8KW gas generator that powered everything.  One the back corner was mounted the latest generation of KB6KQ loops for 6 & 2. 

On the center armrest in the cab of the truck was a small HP notebook and interface running WSJT / N1MM software. 

During the trip I perfected the art of high power 6M FSK441A MS while in motion, making dozens of quick contacts from several very rare grids.

 Even though I was EME capable it was clear to me from the beginning that Rover EME was a complete waste of time for the Rover as it just was too involved and slow to make a single Q so I never even tried. 

Rovers are Fast and Furious while EME is slow and deliberate, two completely opposite worlds.

 Now the mobile 441A contacts filled in the long hours when there was literally no one to work otherwise. Being in the middle of nowhere during most of each trip, it was easy to glance at the sreen now and then and make a single click to change messages and log Qs. The moment traffic became even remotely busy was when I went QRT on Digital and SWITCHED back to CW/SSB modes as I can safely log them in slow to moderate traffic.  

It was amazing how well the 6M loop performed at 1KW out while traveling at 75 MPH!

Hope this encourages others to try. Your mileage may vary...

73s de Tim - K7XC - DM09jh... sk




Sent from my MetroPCS 4G Android device


-------- Original message --------
From: Mark Spencer <mark at alignedsolutions.com> 
Date:09/16/2015  11:50  (GMT-08:00) 
To: vhfcontesting at contesting.com 
Cc:  
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Are EME/MS digital QSOes reducing rovers
 	contributions? 

A few comments re this.   

I've found that MS / long haul digital qso's are challenging to make while roving / portable especially if I don't have good Internet connectivity.  Over 90 percent of the successful MS / long haul digi mode QSO's that I have made outside of contests would not have happened without constant access to the internet by both me and the other station.  These QSO's on average probably took 30 minutes or so to complete.

During the last contest I spent about an hour in total of my six and a half hours of prime operating time in a semi rare grid trying to work MS with no results.   About half this time was spent in an effort to work a station in a rare grid that prior to the contest had announced they were going to run on digi modes.   Deciding to run MS / digi modes was my choice though and on balance I'd probably do it again as I would have liked to work the rare grid, and I figured I had a reasonable chance of picking up at least one more grid in that hour, but things didn't work out that way.

(Between the 11am pst contest start time, and my desire to have a two hour tear down and packup process done before nightfall I had about 6 and a half hours to run the entire station.   I was able to keep the 2M station up until the very end.  Staying overnight is also apparently not allowed in that location.)

I doubt I will run MS or long haul digi modes in a future contest without a pre arranged sched on a frequency other than the customary calling frequencies, and preferably some form of near real time communications with the other station to confirm that they are looking for me.  

In hindsight during the last contest I'm almost certain I would have picked up more grids and or bands by focusing on terrestrial ssb / CW for another hour, but hindsight is 20/20 and I wanted to work the rare grid more than I wanted to simply run up my score.

To answer the question though, In my case at least the answers is that yes, MS / digi efforts did in hindsight reduce my roving contribution.  I'll put more thought into running these modes or not in future contests.  All that being said I do like having the option to run these modes and I'm fine with the rules as they are.   I just need to put more thought into how I choose to run my station.

73's Mark S
VE7AFZ

Sent from my iPad


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