[VHFcontesting] Too Twenty Too and Yoo on Toosday

[David Olean]

Hi VHF fans

222 Activity Night on January 30th starting at 7 PM
222.100 or there abouts
Be There!

The January Contest has come and gone. You have had ample time to 
recover from that weekend.  It was rough. I had to go to a spa and get a 
deep tissue massage, sauna, and exfoliation treatment and I wasn't even 
in the contest!!!  The weather has turned a bit ugly here in Mumbo Jumbo 
land. We got a bunch of rain and drizzle that turned to ice and then it 
snowed eight inches of the white stuff, and the snow has stuck to 
everything.  My 222 antenna is all iced up and has high VSWR. The 
weather is supposed to get cold in single digits tonight, so it looks 
like I might miss the first 222 Activity night in many months. I am 
despondent. I just got a delivery of diesel fuel. the tank is topped off 
and I am good for next year with the diesel generator. I have my show 
shoes all waxed and ready.  I was all set to go!

Last week on 222 night was a bit slow here in the northeast. I chalked 
it up to contest fatigue. The January Contest is a grind with poor condx 
and you fight for most of your contacts. By Sunday night it is common to 
feel like a dish rag that just got used to clean up the bottom of Aunt 
Ethel's bird cage.  I made 24 contacts, but you all know that we can do 
better!!  It seems that WZ1V qualified for the all expense paid trip to 
Cernobyl by making 21 QSOs. He tried to pass his ticket along to Pete, 
K1PXE. The 222 Actvity Committee got wind of his switcheroo and has 
voided Pete's ticket. so it looks like Good Buddy Ron is all set for the 
fabulous cruise vacation. I can't wait to see his souvenir steel girder 
from the Woodpecker radar site side trip!

So circle the date, January 30th starting at 7PM East Coast time, and 
trundle off to the shack and fire up your 222 rig. If you don't have a 
rig, there is still time to build something up if you order a W1GHZ 
transverter and have it Overnighted with early delivery.   I keep 
looking at my log and note that there are quite a few who can get on 
222. The problem is that on any given Tuesday, there are commitments and 
distractions that pull us away. Now some of them are un avoidable. 
Getting run over by an electric beer truck is a valid excuse.  Watching 
curling on the Olympics is NOT an excuse. Nor is any TV watching when 
you come right down to it.  So make a valiant effort to appear on 
222.100 plus or minus and see what you can do. Try to stay on for an 
hour at least and you may be surprised at what happens. Monitoring the 
ON4KST Chat page (144/432 Region 2)  is a good way to go if you are in 
an area with little activity. Set up a sked there and then try to make 
it! Just being there and on the band can attract attention and others 
will tune in and see if they can hear you. I am always happy when I see 
skeds being set up and I often listen and see if I can hear anything. 
Big hills reflect 222 energy. Jets overhead,  and maybe an auroral 
curtain or two can sometimes provide a whisper of a signal in places 
where you do not expect it. That is the fun of VHF.   If you are new to 
Tuesday nights, the plan is to get on any weak signal mode such as SSB, 
CW, FT8, or Q65.  Find a spot and let people know that you are there. As 
a rule, I try to stay off of 222.100 as the evening progresses. The 
calling frequency is exactly that and DX stations in outlying areas will 
use 222.100 when they do not hear anything on the band in their area. 
Keep 222.100 clear in the more active areas so that you can hear those 
weak signals.

I am writing this note while my internet is down due to the latest 
storm. Who knows when it will go out. Hopefully it will be before 
Tuesday evening!

73

Dave K1WHS