[VHFcontesting] 222 Night is coming up

[David Olean]

Don't forget that Tuesday evenings are reserved for 222 MHz activity.   
There is no excuse for you watching re runs of Taxi or Seinfeld.  You 
don't want to be looking at Facebook either checking on the latest smart 
phone photos of what your friends ate for dinner.  Join the cool crowd. 
Get on 222 instead. Everybody is gravitating to 222.100 starting at 
about 2300 UT on the East Coast. The activity stretches out past 0200 as 
you go farther West. There is now considerable activity in middle 
America which is great. CW, SSB, FT8, MSK144, FM, all are welcome. We 
are still waiting for the first slow scan TV QSO.

Another feature of today's 222 Activity night is that the Moon rises 
here in Maine at 23:15 UT. Guys in New England will be busy working each 
other between 2300 and 0000 UT, but as the Moon appears in the mid and 
far west starting at around 00:30 there will be a few EMEers on the Moon 
making noise. Best plan is to check the HB9Q logger page (220 MHz)  and 
see who is doing what. I plan to be QRV on EME as we get close to 0100 
UT.  That is perfect for working guys like WQ0P in EM19. His Moon comes 
up at 00:45 UT.   Note that K3SK will be on trying with W6TCP in 
California. W6TCP's Moon rise is at 02:30 UT, so expect some activity 
off the Moon this evening. I should add that degradation is about as low 
as possible, so signals will be very good when things line up. I plan to 
hit EME pretty hard this evening looking for anyone with a single good 
yagi and a few hundred watts. Tonight could be the night, with such low 
degradation.  If you are a 222 EMEer, tonight would be a great time to 
congregate around 222.085 starting whenever the Moon comes up. We need 
signals for the horizon only folks to listen to!

I have been watching the Hepburn Tropo site and and looks like southern 
New England will be happy on Thursday morning again, with tropo 
extending westward as far as Missouri. Northern New England might see 
some action starting late at night Friday night and then early Saturday 
morning both down the coast and inland.  Sunday looks like a coastal 
event with Nova Scotia involved down to Florida with extreme intensity. 
The next few days bear watching as the system could change and go flat, 
or it could cause another good tropo session oover the weekend.  Do not 
forget to check the bands!

73

Dave K1WHS