[VHFcontesting] 222 MHz Activity Night is coming up

[David Olean]

For an old geezer, I am pretty proud of myself. I actually swapped out a 
HAM-M rotator and cabling on the 432 tower all by myself and now have a 
shiny new Prosistel rotator up there to turn my never used array of 4 X 
15 element 432 yagis. I lugged the rotor up on my climbing belt along 
with a cordless drill to fashion a few new mounting holes up there. 
These antennas were supposed to be the solution to the narrow beamwidth 
main contest antenna, but it was never hooked up to be fully 
operational. I think it went up in 2015, and around that time, our small 
contest group disbanded and then I got sick shortly afterwards.

The idea was to have a 432 yagi that was high gain (so people could hear 
me) but have a wider beamwidth than the 11 degrees available on the 4 X 
25 el H frame array. The smaller yagis are stacked vertically and four 
high and provide a 30 degree beamwidth, so it is much easier to aim and 
will still provide some decent gain. It is all working now and my next 
trick is to get my band switching system finished so I can run multiple 
bands from one radio.  That project is almost done.

What has this to do with 222 Night?..... Absolutely nothing!  It does 
indicate that I am fired up about getting the VHF bands running again.  
I have the 222 MHz system running about as well as possible.  I did 
manage to repair my motor driven coax switch and it is happily clunking 
away when it selects any of three (soon to be four) 222 antenna systems. 
I have 2 X 16 element yagis that I am hoping to put up on a side mount. 
All this for the biggest orphan band in the ham radio spectrum. No off 
shore manufacturers make any 222 gear, so, unless you have an FT736 with 
a 220 module, or an ICOM  IC-375, you must roll your own, or buy a 
transverter from an American manufacturer.  I note that Elecraft does 
not make any transverters anymore and from the sound of things, are not 
planning anything in the future.  Q5 Signal makes a nifty unit. I just 
got one and it works like a dream with my K3 exciter.

So why should you get on 222 MHz? That is a good question. The coverage 
is about the same as 144 MHz and the antennas are smaller.  If you put 
up a really good antenna, don't be surprised to work stuff that you 
can't work on 144 under marginal conditions.  Being a higher frequency, 
the sky noise is noticeably down and all the switching power supplies 
and cruddy routers don't put out as much garbage on 222 as they do on 
144, so it is a double-whammy in your favor!  222 is very quiet by 
comparison!

I ran into K1DS at the New England Hamfest this past Saturday and we had 
a great visit and he recounted his 222 antenna situation to me. This 
year he is spending the warm months near Philly and has a 1st floor 
condo with a tiny balcony. He puts his wooden boom WA5VJB coat hanger 
wire yagi on the balcony and aims it NE and talks to all the gang on 
Tuesday nights. This past Tuesday, I called CQ and who calls back on 
SSB, but K1DS from his ground floor condo on SSB with 25 watts.  Blue 
Bell, PA, where K1DS is staying is about 500 km or 316 miles from me, so 
think about that....a 3 element wood boom yagi  about ten ft off the 
ground and 25 watts for a 300 mile plus QSO on VHF!   I know a guy, 
locally who can't get into the next town on 2M packet radio!! I should 
tell him to use a wood boom yagi sticking out his ground floor 
window!!!  I also saw N1GJ at the hamfest. He gets on for the Tuesday 
nights from FN41 on Cape Cod.  George just had his 89th birthday and 
still does a little climbing!  Way to go George!

So activity starts up after supper, about 2300 UT or 7PM local time and 
there are many people who are looking for contacts all over the eastern 
USA and even points west. Last week I worked W4ZST in Georgia using 
meteor scatter during the Tuesday night activity period. We set things 
up using the ON4KST (144/432 Region 2) Chat page. It took about 18 
minutes to complete. Meteors also work on 222 as does aurora, when ever 
the Sun decides to produce one.

So , to get in on the fun, I would recommend scouring the flea markets, 
E Bay, and used gear sites and score a 222 rig of some kind.  You can 
buy or build your own transverter too.  Put up a small beam and get in 
on the fun. On Tuesday nights, it sounds like ham radio in the good old 
days on 222.100 here in the northeast. There is building activity in 
Ohio, to Illinois, and some more activity down IN Tennessee, NC, GA, and 
Florida too.

C U on 222.100 on Tuesday.

Dave K1WHS