[VHFcontesting] 222 MHz Activity Night TODAY!!

[David Olean]

Hello friends of 222 MHz

I am hoping to make more QSOs tonight on 222 MHz than I made in the 
September contest.  The weather here was rather awful over the weekend 
and not conducive to me sitting in the shack up on the hill. Between the 
rain static and general yukky weather, I did not last long. I went and 
built some amplifier crates.

Tonight promises to be wet again. (Thanks Pete!  K1PXE must be 
responsible for this as he keeps mentioning it over and over.) I have 
been moving 222 MHz 1500 watt amplifiers out the door at a rapid clip 
lately.  These are the Larcan six FET 1500 watt pallets to be set up 
around the country. I just dropped three crates off at the UPS store 
this morning, and I have one amp left that will soon be winging its' way 
to Wyoming and W0VB. ( 220 MHz WAS #1)  I re biased his amp after some 
repairs and have it idling at 300 ma per side of each FET. This is less 
than Larcan recommended for TV service, but I think it is OK for SSB 
hamster use. So you should listen in and see how the new bias setting 
sounds. I will run the amp at something over 1000 watts out as I have a 
25 watt transverter and so I will be shy a bit of drive. I am hooking 
things up this afternoon and will be on 222.100 starting at about 22:45 
UT. I will monitor ON4KST Chat (Region 2 144/432 as well. I hope to hear 
plenty of stations on.

One look at the Hepburn map and things look good for some minor 
enhancement along the east coast down to VA or maybe N Carolina. I am 
not sure how good that will be. It looks like a slightly better evening 
for that, but inland is not good. The lower midwest might have a normal 
evening, but upper midwest looks bleak.  Lacking any tropo, there is 
always a meteor sked or two that might be possible.

So don't forget to get on and make an appearance. You never know what 
might happen.

73

Dave K1WHS