[VHFcontesting] K3DNE June VHF QSO Party

[Ed Kucharski]

ARRL June VHF Contest - 2021

Call: K3DNE
Operator(s): K3DNE
Station: K3DNE

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: SC
Operating Time (hrs): 22

Summary:
Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
6:  389   127
2:   33    14
-------------------
Total:  422   141  Total Score = 59,502

Club: Swamp Fox Contest Group


Comments:

Thank goodness for 6m - the magic band and SSB or else this would have been another boring point and click digital contest. The Sunday morning/early
afternoon opening to VE1, VE2, VE3, New England and mid-Atlantic and a little into OH was epic on SSB (although not as good as last year). N1MM rate meter hit 300 q's/hr for 1 minute, 204/hr for 10 minutes and 152/hr for 60 minutes! That was fun! I did work some DX, an EA on SSB, the rest (EA,CT,F,EA8,PJ,6Y,HK,CO,TI) on FT8/FT4. Unfortunately, for me, the sporadic E opening was spotty to the west with no double-hop to the west coast.

Due to the excellent 6m openings, 2m was not very active on any mode and I spent less time on 2m than anticipated. Not uncommon in a June contest.

My love/hate (more hate than love) relationship with FT8 continues. 25% of my QSO's were on FT8/4/MSK144 - if not for the 6m SSB opening that % would probably be 75% or more (yuk). It serves a purpose - I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to work the DX without it - but at what price? I'm not sure how many (dozens) of attempts where I was not able to complete a FT8 QSO due to QRM on 50.313. Many of the stations I was attempting to complete with responded to a different station with a similar signal strength level. I only made 4 QSO's on FT4. Where is all the FT4 activity and why is that mode so ignored? One comment I read on 3830 complained FT8 is just toooo slooow for a contest mode (I agree). I also tried (and failed) making any DX Q's on 50.323 - only got 1 decode there. Several times I tried to arrange skeds (via ON4KST chat or phone) on 2m with stations in the mid-Atlantic but was told that due to the FT8 QRM on .174 not to bother. 

I'm still advocating for a Legacy (SSB,CW,FM only), Digital only and Mixed Mode (Legacy Plus Digital which would allow 2 QSO's one on phone/cw and one on digital on the same band) categories to be added (like the ARRL 10m contest) to the ARRL VHF contests.

6m: FTDX101D, Quadra amp (500w digital, 1KW SSB/CW) new homebrew 4 elements on 12ft boom via Yagi-Cad at 30ft and KIO Hexbeam (2el) at 50ft.

2m: FT1000MPMKV, Kuhne xvtr, Lunar Link Amp (750w digital, 1KW SSB) 12 el M2 at 23ft.

Recently acquired 2'nd AB577 rocket-launcher is waiting for a professional tree service to remove several 100ft pines to make room and get the VHF+ antennas a little higher

N1MM+ logger (still needs further integration with wsjt-x, computer and
soundcard and rigs). Couldn't get 2m MSK144 to decode - ugh.

73,
Ed K3DNE