[VHFcontesting] 222 Activity night K1WHS

[David Olean]

I have no idea how GB Ron works all those stations. He dredges them up 
and I seem to miss them every time.  I missed AA2SD, WA1LWC, and WA2LTM. 
It seems that there was some enhancement from the CT RI and MA south 
shore down the coast, but those good condx did not extend northward. You 
could see it on the Hepburn map quite clearly.  I have still not fixed 
the damage from the last Windows Update so it takes me many minutes to 
change from my logging program to the WSJT program.  I am also 
struggling with my 5 GHz internet link up to my backyard VHF ham shack. 
The distance is about 2000 ft and as the internet has avanced, I can no 
longer communicate with the link software (Ubiquiti  AIR MAX) due to SSL 
incompatibility. I have no idea how to fix it. All of this is really 
getting me down as I come to realize that I cannot really keep the VHF 
ham shack operational on my own. Everywhere I look there are problems. 
It is just getting too hard with no help here. At some point, if the 
link software has a problem.I will lose internet entirely.

My take on the evening was that condx were not so hot at least for part 
of the time. the W3CCX beacon at 320 miles is a good indicator for SW 
condx. Before the activity started, I was monitoring 222.060 and noted 
that there was some rather long QSB over a few minutes where I saw 20 dB 
fades on the beacon.  I caught WA3NUF on a low point but his signals 
were building up as we worked last night. Still Phil was a bit weak up 
here.  WA1MBA in FN51 was a bit louder then normal. I worked Tom with my 
rotatable array at 247 degrees. His heading is about 160  degrees, so he 
was almost off the back. WA3DRC called me at over 400 miles when I had 
me beam aiming quite a bit westward. I peaked him up and he was a good 
579 on CW.  I did try with WA3EOQ for our weekly sked at 502 miles. With 
the update to WIN 11, Bill Gates made sure to dumb down the OS enough to 
eliminate the clock so that there is no indication of seconds. That was 
how I timed my CW skeds up to now. I figured I would use WSJTX instead 
(that has the seconds indicated on the screen), but WSJTX managed to 
lock up when I turned it on and the seconds display was just off screen 
and, being frozen, (Thanks Bill G. You BUM)  I could not move it and had 
to restart the entire computer to regain control. Do you see a pattern 
here?  All this was going on while Howard was dutifully calling me on 
222.125. I could hear him OK at times, but then he would fade so I did 
not know when he stopped sending. Somehow we finished the contact, but I 
was severely distracted just trying to get control back on my 
$&@#?#$@!!*+% computer. I should add here that I was not wearing my red 
"Make 222MHz Great Again" ball cap.  There is an APP that can be added 
to WIN 11 to get the seconds back. I need to add it to the computer in 
the VHF shack. A better plan is to get a GPS controlled clock that is 
not connected to anything associated to Mr. Gates.   End of Rant.

I tried a Q65 sked with K3SK. Dave is about 575 miles to my SW and I 
copied him right away on Q65B-30. For the first time I sent him a better 
report then he sent me. That was interesting. Best I heard was -19 which 
is right at the minimum threshold for using your ears to decode a 
signal.  I tried another sked out west on tropo scatter to K9FW. We 
heard nil other than a few meteors. Running these impossible distances 
is probably why I miss many of the local signals.

No more big news on the Mt Moosilaukee Project other than K1PXE is happy 
now that his sculpture will depict him standing erect rather than 
doubled over with his backside facing the sky. So that is good.  I am 
aware that the plans for the gift shop are coming along, and the large 
parking lot is also being laid out as well. No news on the admission 
charge to get into the site as of yet, but I am being told by the 
Committee that prices will be reasonable and suitable to attract 
families with small children. Pets are allowed as long as they are on a 
leash. We do not want K1PXE's lower legs to turn yellow.  As for the 
gift shop, the 222 MHz Activity Committee are looking for items to sell 
in the gift shop. Let them know your ideas for products.  One idea I 
have is for a souvenir K1PXE CQ wheel so that you can send 20 minute CQs 
on 432.  There are also Milford CT  coffee mugs with the K1PXE mug shot 
on one side of the handle and the Athlete Beer Brewery on the other 
side. What a fine addition to your coffee morning!

Remember that November 17 is the 222 MHz evening in the EME contest. All 
the 222 MHz operators will be available starting at 22:30 UT on Saturday 
night. That is Moon rise in Maine, and I will be QRV looking for sked 
partners as the Moon comes up in your area. You will be surprised at 
what you might hear, especially with all the big signals there on that 
last pass of the contest. So start making plans and figure out when your 
moon rise is. If you do not have software to determine that, and have no 
one near you to fill you in,  just drop me a line and I can look it up 
for you.  If you have a single yagi, it is possible to hear signals up 
as high as 20 degrees.

CU next week.

Dave K1WHS

On 11/5/2024 9:26 PM, Ron Klimas WZ1V wrote:
> 222 conditions and activity pretty good tonight. TNX QSOs:
> WB2SIH FN31, WB2VVV FN41, WA3EOQ FM09, WA1RKS FN32,
> N1YCQ FN41, K2RMX FN20, WA3SSG FN20, AA2SD FM29,
> N1SV FN42, W1AUV FN32, WA1NLG FN41, WA1MBA FN51,
> K1WHS FN43, WA3DRC FM28, WA3NUF FN20, K3SK FM07,
> W1AIM FN34, WA1LWC FN42, WA2LTM FN20, K1PXE FN32,
> W2BYP FN14, K1FSY FN31, and K2AEP FN32.
>
> I was uplifted to hear Good Buddy Dave K1WHS on,
> vigilantly racking up QSO's despite all that's happened.
> Proof by example you can't keep a good man down.
>
> 73 Ron WZ1V
>
>
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