[VHFcontesting] FW: ARRL June VHF N8RA Single Op-All Modes LP

[chetsubaccount at snet.net]

Class: Single Op-All Modes LP
QTH: FN31
Operating Time (hrs): OGK
OpMode: SO2R

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
    6:           
    2:    58     22
  222:  13      9
  432:    8      6
  -------------------
Total:  79     37  Total Score = 3,700

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

For many reasons I was not planning a full effort for this contest. But what is always an incentive for me to get on was to try out improvements done since the last contest. 

One big change was the addition of an Elecraft 432 MHz transverter. This promised to be a big improvement over the clunky use of a separate radio and computer for that band, and it was! That transverter is known to be sensitive to transmit RF input and output impedances and it initially was unstable when combined with my 222 transverter wiring. Addition of a simple 3 dB resistive splitter kept these transverters in their own camp and both worked flawlessly this weekend.  

Another improvement addressed the 222 MHz “yagi problem”. A typical 222 MHz yagi is very directional and unless it is pointed at the desired station it often hears nothing. Some folks solve that by using a cellphone or chat room to set up a contact with a buddy to put a fish in the water near them so they can catch it, but that is not appealing to me. Comparing the performance of a pair of stacked squalos with a 10 element yagi showed that yes, the yagi would be 7 dB better in its forward direction, but the squalos would be better in the other 300+ degrees of azimuth, usually by 15- 20 dB better. So, I bought a rugged pair of these from FreqTester Products, stacked them 3’ apart and stuck them out about 5’ from the side of the tower on a military surplus fiberglass pole. Finished hooking it all up just a few days before the weekend. They indeed allowed hearing other band activity, alerting me to get on and work a new station, turn the yagi toward them if they were a bit weak, and got some answers to CQing with them. When leaving the shack I kept the receiver on the FT-8 watering hole and upon return could see who else had been on while I was gone.  Pleased with “I did that!”.

6M was expected to go nuts with E- skip, making it into a frantic DX contest, so I avoided 6 this time so that I could concentrate on the above station changes. 

While watching the grass grow on 222 and 432, time was spent on 2M SSB/CW (when there was some), and FT-8. Good to see that most FT-8 users were in contest mode, and the TX5 message $DX… was useful too.

73,
Chet, N8RA

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