[VHFcontesting] 9/19/2023 222 MHz Activity soiree

[David Olean]

OK I looked at the Hepburn map for tonight and it is sobering. It looks 
like winter time condx for everyone, even the boys in Toronto. The good 
news is that no one on the east coast or mid West will have to deal with 
rain or rain static, tornadoes, or hurricanes. You can spend an 
enjoyable evening on 222 MHz and make all sorts of exciting QSOs on 
whatever mode works for you.  Most contacts seem to be SSB followed by 
FT8 and CW.  AM FM, FAX, and SSTV bring up the rear, so plan 
accordingly.  My FAX machine hasn't gotten much use lately.  If I were 
to make a recommendation, I would say to dust off your CW & SSB gear and 
get on starting about 2300 UT and look for activity around 222.100.

I made some inquiries about FM action on 223.5. The consensus is that 
there is almost ZERO activity in northern New England. I was all set to 
get a 223 MHz FM rig just in case, but that idea is losing steam. It 
seems that 223.5 is alive and well in Rhode Island.  If anyone has any 
FM activity data to share, let me know.

I will be using W0VB's 1500 watt amplifier this evening, and giving it 
another workout with a bit more drive, so it gets up to the 1500 watt 
level. It will seem weird to not have the old tube amp running. Speaking 
of old tube amps,  I have the K2CBA 432 amplifier.  Jud, K2CBA was a 
mover and shaker. He was well known among all the VHF pioneers and good 
friends with Sam Harris, W1FZJ.  Anyway, while all us mortals were 
messing around with Gonset Communicators, 832A's, 829B's, and 5894's, 
Jud made a killer 432 MHz amplifier using an RCA 7213 ceramic tetrode. 
The 7213  was rated up to 1215 MHz and used a coaxial base. You had to 
build your own socket with brass and finger stock. Not a problem for 
K2CBA. He built a beautiful socket and a cavity for the plate circuit 
and had an immense amount of 432 power back in the 1960's, when everyone 
else was lucky to have 40 watts. Jud used it on 432 EME.

I am embarking on a project over the winter to clean up the K2CBA 
amplifier and save it for posterity. There are a few mouse trails on the 
filament transformer and some rusty hardware but a bit of cleaning and 
maybe a coat of spray paint on the filament transformer, and it will be 
as good as new.  W2BYP saved the amp for me as there was no interest in 
such an old amp on the used gear market. I did not want it to go into a 
landfill. The work Jud did on the tube socket was marvelous.

  So tonite, after dinner, 222.100!!!

73

Dave K1WHS