[VHFcontesting] Oh, the dilemma and decisions

[K3SK at buckwalter.co]

Several years ago I discovered LFAs and went on an antenna building binge.
I built 4 each LFAs for the 144, 222 & 432 bands.  222 and 144 were the
easiest to get going with a decent match & SWR.   Last year I modified the
222MHz 12 element LFAs into dual polarization. They work ok and having
switchable polarization has helped with some EME contacts, but I am just not
satisfied with the overall performance.    The 432 LFAs were real challenge,
and I just struggled until I had something that worked.  I was not impressed
with the performance at all and last fall I replaced them with 4 newly built
21 element K1FOs (Hpol only) and it made the world of difference, both
terrestrial and EME.   I am amazed how many new stations I have worked on
70cm, both off the moon and terrestrial, and I get great signal reports most
of the time.   This is what I remembered from the K1FOs I had built and used
in the 1980s & 90s.    The 144 LFAs on the other hand seem to perform quite
well and I have had little concern with them, other than they are not big
enough!   But what antennas really are big enough?   They are H-Pol only and
I use them for both terrestrial and EME and am currently 8 states from
completing 2m WAS.   

 

Today I started the process of building 4 new 5wl K1FOs for the 222 band.
I have struggled mentally with deciding if I should build them dual
polarization or H-Pol only.   I have 36 states confirmed on the 222 band.
Of the remaining states needed, 8 or possibly 9 will have to be worked off
the moon.  The remaining can be worked via meteor scatter.    Even though
dual polarization has proven an advantage for EME, I have decided the new
K1FOs will be H-Pol only.    Did I make the right decision?

 

Dave - K3SK