[VHFcontesting] [222Activity] Too Twenty Too and Yoo on Toosday

[k3sk at buckwalter.co]

I plan on being on beginning at 0000z.   My primary interest is in trying to work any station in RI, MA or KY that has a possibility of connecting.    

de K3SK

-----Original Message-----
From: 222Activity at groups.io <222Activity at groups.io> On Behalf Of David Olean
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2024 4:19 PM
To: 222 >> 222Activity at groups.io <222Activity at groups.io>; NEWSVHF at mailman.qth.net; vhfcontesting at contesting.com
Subject: [222Activity] Too Twenty Too and Yoo on Toosday

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



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