[VHFcontesting] [222Activity] 222 MHz Aurora Report

[David Olean]

Hi Mr BUG,

I noted that contacts were being made on 50 and then 144. I walked up to 
the shack around 23:00 UT and fired up the 222 gear. Starting at about 
2345 UT,  I was answered by VA3ELE who was running just 25 watts on CW.  
He had a good signal strength of 55A. A few minutes later, I worked his 
neighbor VE3DS who runs more power and was very loud at 57A.   Another 
station worked was WX3K in PA, who also had a good signal. That was the 
first ever 222 aurora contact for WX3K! I hope there are many more.  I 
worked WX3K between 00:00 and 01:00. Best DX heard was N4PZ in Chicago, 
EN52 at 950 miles, but Steve could not hear me. He was a good 55A at 
00:44 UT and again later at about 00:57 UT.   The band dropped out 
shortly after 0100UT. When things died down after 0115 UT I walked home 
in the dark. I was sure that the aurora would come back around 11 PM, 
but having a shack 1/2 mile away covered in snow prevented any more 
monitoring.

I figured out a good plan for a pair of 16 el yagis. I am going to fix 
them at 300 degrees as an AU detector.

Dave K1WHS

On 3/25/2023 11:56 AM, Paul N1BUG FN55mf wrote:
> Hi Dave,
>
> Can you tell us the time(s) of your aurora QSOs on 222, please? I am 
> wondering what time I should have been there!
>
> I worked several stations on 6 meters but for the most part the aurora 
> didn't sound strong enough for higher bands at the times I heard it. I 
> may have got to the rig too late. I checked 2 meters several times and 
> heard only one station on SSB chatting away, evidently unaware of the 
> aurora. I couldn't catch a call sign. This was at a time when signals 
> on 6 peaked up stronger for about five minutes, then rapidly went down 
> again. I suspect the best part of the aurora was before I got there. 
> Evenings continue to be extremely difficult for me.
>
> Paul N1BUG
>
>
>
> On 3/24/23 11:02, David Olean wrote:
>> Hello VHF ops,
>>
>> I was watching the solar indices in hopes that we might get a dump of 
>> Solar particles down on the poles to spark off a real bonafide 
>> aurora. After dinner, I trudged up the hill and turned on the 
>> generator to get stuff running. I started calling CQ on 222.100 and 
>> also monitored the ON4KST page. There was some concerted activity on 
>> six and two meters. I was  atad disappointed that more folks didn't 
>> make the move to the higher band as conditions warranted.  Still, 
>> ther was activity on the 222 MHz band.  My first AU contact was good 
>> old VA3ELE running just 25 watts! Peter had a great signal via 
>> aurora. Next station worked was VE3DS who was really pounding in. I 
>> found that my "sweet spot" seemed to be between 295 and about 305 
>> degrees. As time went along I found that 295 degrees was the best 
>> heading later on.   I heard N4PZ near Chicago with a great 55A signal 
>> several times, but Steve did not answer my calls. Both VE3DS in 
>> Toronto, and Steve N4PZ peaked at about the same heading. That N4PZ 
>> contact would have been a great QSO and I suspect RX problems were 
>> the fly in the ointment.  I also heard and worked WX3K in PA. 
>> Stephanie lives near the Delaware Water Gap in FN20.  She announced 
>> that this was her first 222 MHz aurora QSO! Congratulations are in 
>> order for that.  WX3K had a good 55A signal as well. Totals for me 
>> were three 222 MHz AU QSOs and four stations heard.
>>
>> I have been thinking about the best way to utilize the hilltop shack. 
>> Not having remote capabilities is a big problem as getting up there 
>> can be a problem. It does not get any better when you factor in the 
>> age of the poor slob who has to do the walking.  It is like walking 
>> to school back in the old days. It was all uphill both ways!!  I just 
>> bit the bullet and am starting on a hilltop power project to allow 
>> permanent power up there. I am enlarging my solar installation. I 
>> have ordered a new big Lithium battery along with some killer solar 
>> panels to generate 1 KW of DC power. The new batteries have internal 
>> heaters. They can be powered by the Solar panels directly. This will 
>> allow charging in the winter months.  Now I have to remove the 
>> original 150 AH  lithium battery or keep the shack heated all winter 
>> with a propane furnace. ($$) I am hoping that with a bigger system, 
>> it will be possible to keep things running continuously. I will need 
>> power for the 5 GHz internet link, a dedicated computer, and the K3 
>> radio. All of this will have to run off a sine wave inverter that 
>> must also be powered up continuously. I figure about a 15-20 amp 
>> continuous draw at 12 VDC. I'll probably have to add a second lithium 
>> battery to achieve my goal, but I'll start with just one 300 AH 
>> battery. They are not cheap.  If you figure 20 amps per hour of use, 
>> a 12 hour period of no Sun will amount to 240 AH of battery drain! 
>> Yikes. I suspect the correct battery capacity is three batteries for 
>> a 900 AH capacity. That is only $5000. (a mere drop in the bucket) I 
>> might be getting into trouble here!  Walking up the hill is sounding 
>> better and better!
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Dave K1WHS
>>
>>
>>
>>
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