[VHFcontesting] Sept 20, 2022 222 Activity Night

[David Olean]

Hello 222 denizens,

It is that time of the week again. It is the time when everyone with 222 
MHz gear turns their assembled pile of circuits on and tries to 
communicate with their like minded brethren and sistren. I am not sure 
that sistren is a word, but every one is invited to join in on 222.100 
MHz starting after supper and try to make one or more contacts.

I get a fair number of comments that the 222 nights are great in that 
people with no 222 gear in working condition can use the evening to see 
if their receivers are even working. It also creates some serious angst 
with those who do not have any gear for 222 MHz. They are all worrying 
about what they are missing by not being there.  There is a growing 
market for used transverters.

True to form, being Tuesday, it is raining in the northeast and 
conditions promise to be a bit soggy, but that does not stop anyone from 
having some serious fun. I am hoping to be QRV this evening but with a 
twist, I will be QRP and at the bottom of the 222 food chain.  My diesel 
power plant is still not working and I am going to try to run on battery 
power using an AC inverter.  So no meteor scatter or long haul tropo for 
me tonite. My goals are scaled back a bit and I hope I can QSO Good 
Buddy Ron, WZ1V and K1PXE. I am routing the transverter output directly 
to the transmit relays. I am hoping I can run at 25 watts. Another 
possibility is to hook up my new solid state FET driver that will do 
about 60 watts output. I am inclined to stay with the transverter alone 
in the interest of power drain on the poor battery. It is a 150 AH 
lithium battery and it is rated for an 80 or 90% discharge cycle, so I 
think I can run for a few hours with no problems.

The big diesel generator is still torn apart. The speed control system 
is NG.  There are three major parts to a speed control system and I just 
ordered unit #2, the speed sensor or magnetic pickup. Unit #1 the speed 
controller, is here brand new, sitting in a box. It arrived over the 
weekend, but I suspect that I do not need it. In further testing I noted 
the voltages coming out of the pickup unit, and, while it is working, 
the output voltages are low and experts tell me that it is too low.  
When the generator failed, I was seeing only 0.26 vac coming from the 
magnetic pickup with the engine at full speed.  I adjusted the pickup in 
closer to the flywheel and now see 1.2 volts, but I have been told that 
it should be more like 15 volts at high speed and a minimum of about 3 
volts at cranking speed.  I suspect that a turn or two shorted in the 
pickup head. I think they are built sort of like a tape recorder head 
and a shorted turn there will kill it. Anyway I am still fighting the 
problem and will not have much power this evening on 222. I will also 
have no AC lighting, and no heat. I can have internet with battery 
power, but I will use a small battery powered laptop to save some 
current drain for this evening. Normally, I have a desktop system 
running for 222 MHz, but it will pull more power than the little laptop.

I hope to be on starting around 2300UT and will go as long as I can. It 
will be a good battery test.

73

Dave K1WHS