[VHFcontesting] Toosday on tootwentytoo

[David Olean]

If you are domiciled on the Connecticut shoreline, and have a 222 MHz 
rig, you better not miss the activity on the 222 MHz band this evening 
and the following few days of the week. There is a late season tropo 
event building up that promises to provide VHF contacts down the eastern 
seaboard for some VHFers.  If you do not have a 222 rig, there is still 
time. You can call up Q5 Signal and have a transverter overnighted to 
you. You would miss Tuesday night but the prop will be there on 
Wednesday thru Friday morning.  You can also order the parts for a W1GHZ 
transverter from Mouser. They have fast delivery and with the W1GHZ 
project number, all the  part numbers and quantities are taken care of 
for you. All you need to do is open the plastic bags and start 
soldering. How simple is that. If you get the parts on Wednesday 
afternoon, you can stay up all night and build the transverter. You can 
be on the air on Thursday. I'll leave the antenna part up to you. It 
sure was easier back in 1960 when you could solder beer cans together 
and make a vertical antenna. Now you need a MIG welder and set it at a 
ridiculously low current and gas pressure because the beer cans are now 
so darn thin. I keep burning holes in the cans. I discovered that IPAs 
have better RF efficiency.

If you do not live on The CT RI, and Mass shoreline there is no need to 
rush as the good conditions will not include you, but it will still be 
fun to hear Good Buddy Ron WZ1V, K1PXE, and K1TEO working all the DX and 
having fun. Tuesday looks like the condx might extend from RI down to 
North Carolina, while the longest tropo looks to set up on Friday 
morning. That looks to extend from the CT shoreline down to GA and the 
Florida panhandle. While things can change in a heartbeat, it is wise to 
keep an eye on things from where ever you live if you are near the 
coastline. You might get lucky!

For my part, I will be on this evening starting at about 22:45 UT on 
222.100 MHz and move off the calling frequency when activity shows up. I 
monitor the ON4KST chat page 144/432 MHz Region 2. There is some 
enhancement extending inland from CT to southern Ohio and Kentucky, so 
look for possible DX on the East West paths as well.

The Moon is nicely fitting in as well with very good EME conditions now 
with low degradation and elevations look good for many ops. The Moon is 
at my zenith (due South) at 01:30 UT smack in the middle of the Tuesday 
night activity period. I will throw some diesel fuel in the tank and be 
QRV later in the evening if there is activity via the Moon route. Send a 
note along if you will be getting on 222 EME so all are aware of your 
plans. The local acitivity slows down on the East Coast by about 01:30. 
Moonrise in California is at about 23:30, so by 0200 UT the Moon is 
fairly high over all of the USA. It is a good time to get on. I have yet 
to make an EME contact since I repaired my busted up array last week.

I hope we get a bunch of 222 activity this evening. The more stations 
that are in there trying, the more fun is had by all!

73

Dave K1WHS