[VHFcontesting] [NEWSVHF] 222 activity night

[David Olean]

Well, I was hoping that today was going to be35 degrees and partly 
sunny. Alas, it is still cloudy, no Sun, and temps are still below 
freezing, so I am not out of the woods yet as far as the ice on the 
antennas goes. Thursday and Friday promise to go above freezing, but we 
shall see.  So I missed a fun evening on 222 MHz, but it seems that 
there was plenty of activity. I was very pleased to see Good Buddy Buzz 
WA4GPM, show up in a 222 log. Buzz is just south of St Augustine in 
Florida. I also saw that K2AEP worked WA3NUF. I think that is a really 
good contact too.

Starting  on 12 February, PE1ITR will be in Aruba, P4, and will have 222 
MHz gear. He has a bit over 100 watts and a decent 12 element yagi 16.5 
dBi.  Just for grins, I set up an EME sked for his rising Moon on four 
days starting on 13 Feb.  We will use Q65B and see what happens. The 
Moon will be up about 10 degrees here when I start each morning.  It is 
a long shot, but I really do not know what the limits are with what is 
workable on 222 MHz via the Moon route. I have been surprised by 
numerous signals. They were quite loud. W5ZN took a single 16 el yagi 
and 300-400 watts to Oklahoma for my last state needed on 222 and it was 
a slam dunk easy contact. I have worked several single yagi stations on 
their rising moon and signals have been surprising. That was the reason 
for setting up this sked. A 100 watt brick and a single yagi is pretty 
simple to carry around.  500 watts would be much better, but I think 100 
watts might actually make it. We shall see.

Hopefully I will be back on for next week, Feb 6th for another block 
buster 222 activity night. As far as I know the 222 Activity Committee 
has no prizes lined up for that night, but "we don't need no stinkin' 
prizes do we?"

73

Dave K1WHS

On 1/30/2024 9:13 PM, Ron Klimas WZ1V wrote:
> Got a late start but logged the following on 222 tonight:
> N1LHP FN42, WA1RKS FN32, VE2XX FN25, K1PXE FN31,
> K1FSY FN31, W1GHZ FN34, WA1PBU FN42, N1SV FN42,
> WA1MBA FN51, AA2SD FM29, N2SLO FN30, WA3NUF FN20,
> WA3DRC FM28, K2AEP FN32, N1NXT FN42, and K1TEO FN31.
> I was in Westerly, RI earlier this evening with my XYL, so guess I
> could include myself for an in-person FN41 contact HI.
> Good Buddy Dave was conspicuous by his absence,
> WA3EOQ dissapeared before we could try.
> Decoded K3SK several times on Q65 but no QSO tonight.
> Always fun to see what the night will bring, no 2 weeks exactly the same.
>
> 73 Ron WZ1V
>
>