[VHFcontesting] Setting up new station

[nosigma at aol.com]

You are correct.  But since there are only a couple dozen FM contesters spread across the country its a small risk. Its a bad idea for an ssb station.   If it becomes a trend, as you ppint out, its self defeating. The reason for doing it was to try and catch a big staftion 3 or 4 grids away on the second day.  No joy on that account for me, but as far as I can tell it didnt hurt of course I will never know what I did not hear.  

73
John
KM4KMU

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On Monday, November 14, 2016 Duane - N9DG <n9dg at yahoo.com> wrote:

Better think the 45 degree polarization thing through a bit more. It only works good if you are the only one doing it. If everyone else is also turned 45 degrees in the same direction as you are, and they are then pointed towards you, you will then discover that the 45 degree polarization idea has a major flaw.

Duane
N9DG

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On Mon, 11/14/16, John Young via VHFcontesting <vhfcontesting at contesting.com> wrote:

Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Setting up new station
To: waisean at gmail.com, w9sz.zack at gmail.com, vhfcontesting at contesting.com
Date: M 

onday, November 14, 2016, 4:19 PM

Sean,

I cant take complete credit for the idea.  It
was one of many ideas people on the reflector discussed wit
me last spring. I can say the loss wasnt noticable.  Not
only did I get my longest range qso at 45 deg polarization,
I also got my texhnically weakest, a 5w ht at 90  miles and
he was deep in an urban jungle.

John. KM4KMU

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On
Sunday, November 13, 2016 Sean Waite <waisean at gmail.com>
wrote:

John,

That's a pretty good idea.
I was trying to think what I would tell a new contester with
only FM gear. As a primarily sideband station we run all
h-pol, and it doesn't make sense to change that on our
end. Running your FM beams at 45 degrees if that's all
you got, if possible, is likely the best of both worlds.
Canting a vertical might work if they are broadside to the
cant as well, though you're likely to add too many other
variables in that.


I thought I sent this email forever ago, and
apparently it was just sitting in my drafts. Oops.


Sean WA1TE


On Fri, Nov
4, 2016 at 5:00 PM John Young via VHFcontesting <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
wrote:

Sean & Zack,


For September
I was at 4400 ft ASL.  I ran VV on Saturday and then set
the beams at 45 degrees for Sunday.  At 45 degrees you lose
3dB against a VV and HH station.  The idea was that an SSB
HH station (stacked beams and amps) might just see me on the
band scope and flip to FM (seeing my freq was 146.520) and
try for a QSO.  Multipliers are hard to come by on FM.  I
didnt get any "big stations" running HH.  K8GP/R
was my only "high end" station and they did run VV
for FM.  Honestly I did not notice the 3dB loss and set at
45 degrees I got my longest range FM QSO at 187 miles, clear
as a bell and I was working the side of his beam.


73
John
KM4KMU