ARRL January VHF Contest - 2020
Call: K2EZ/R
Operator(s): K2EZ
Station: K2EZ/R
Class: Rover LP
QTH:
Operating Time (hrs): 31
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
6: 64 18
2: 87 22
222: 64 16
432: 63 16
903: 45 11
1.2: 46 10
2.3: 16 7
3.4: 3 2
5.7:
10G:
24G:
-------------------
Total: 388 121 Total Score = 111,199
Club: Mt Airy VHF Radio Club
Comments:
This was first serious effort as a classic rover. I had run two other contests
in the classic division with six bands, but I was really feeling my way with
using micros along with the VHF and UHF bands. This contest I had eight bands
and an ambitious plan to hit 25 to 28 grids starting in Pennsylvania and
finishing in Oklahoma.
I did make it to Oklahoma but due to snow in Pennsylvania, and slow travel in
the weather, I had to chop off four planned grids then bypass two optional
grids. Given I traversed some grids very late at night, I failed to activate
them. As a result, I only activated a total of 19 grids.
General CQ activity on SSB and CW seems to continue to decline. After the first
couple hours I heard almost none till the last couple hours when I was
approaching Tulsa Oklahoma. I called CQ on 6m and 2m using SSB quite frequently
but with very little result. Not counting the first two hours and what I worked
approaching Tulsa, I worked no more than a dozen stations on SSB/CW. These are
stations that either answered my CQ, or I heard them calling CQ.
It makes one wonder what potential newcomers to weak signal, and specifically
roving, are going to think when they can’t find anyone on the band. Or will
it become like EME where JT65 is the norm and only a few bothers with CW
anymore? It seems like soon FT8 (and perhaps MSK144) will be presumed and few
will venture to other modes.
As an established rover, I know many of the players in the areas I rove and have
a fairly large contact list. I know the other tools which can be used to find
other stations and set up skeds in real time. I’ve given talks on roving and
have seen people get excited about getting out. How are these newcomers going
to find out who is out there? Or will they have to jump right into digital
modes with all the headaches unique to mobile and in the car use?
I got into roving on a lark. I knew a VHF contest was on when I was starting a
road trip so I put VHF equipment for it in the car not expecting much. If I had
encountered the sort or dead air during that contest in 2015 that I saw this
contest, I probably would have written off the idea as uninteresting.
The SSB/CW activity was so sparse that during my 1600+ mile run I had more
un-scheduled/un-solicited contacts on FM than I had on SSB and CW combined.
Speaking of FM, John KM4KMU was just lighting op the airwaves on FM in Northern
Virginia. I heard many other stations and some idle conversation on FM while
passing thru that area. John’s activity seemed to bring out others. It
reminded me of how it used to be on SSB before the rule changes put a premium on
skeds arranged in real time and before FT8 shifted operating patterns to
digital. It also occurred to me that it isn’t so surprising to have found
more phone activity in FM since the FM don’t have the option of using FT8.
On the subject of FT8, I have FT8 capability on 6m which is about as much as I
can do in motion. This contest FT8 completely failed me. At the start of the
contest, my GPS dongle wouldn’t lock onto satellites and thus I couldn’t get
an accurate time sync. When I finally got out of the storm, my 6m antenna had
developed an intermittent connection. That connection issue didn’t seem to
interfere with SSB or CW operation. The rig complained when the SWR glitched,
but it worked. On FT8 I was pretty much unable to copy stations. I
infrequently got a decode and nobody would copy me. At one stop I got out and
banged the antenna which temporarily resolved the connection issue. I suddenly
started coping FT8 and worked a couple stations. Unfortunately, when I got
moving a again, it wasn’t long before a bump caused it to get intermittent
again. I worked only 2 or 3 contacts on FT8 in the entire contest. All were
during that brief period.
With so few stations CQing on SSB and CW, and FT8 not working, I pretty much had
to fall back on my telephone sked list. It is just horrible seeing my
VHF/UHF/Microwave universe shrink to the contacts in my phone. I suppose I need
to get to automating FT8 so I can operate it and drive at the same time. I have
a way to meet the ARRL’s new requirement for contacts to be
“contemporaneously” manually initiated. On that subject, I wonder how many
are aware of that rule change, and that it potentially prohibits use of the
“Answer 1st" checkbox since that could automatically complete a contact
well after the initiation of a CQ.
Memphis TN continues to be a highlight of these long runs. A nice hotbed of
activity. Unfortunately had to chop off the two grids on the south side of
Memphis and only activate the two I was passing thru. By the time I hit Memphis
I was running out of time to get to Oklahoma.
Working Steve AG4V/R was a pleasant surprise. I had hoped to at least work him
from Memphis grids again like the last time I came thru, but it got better. He
decided to come East from Memphis while I was going West towards Memphis. We
were able to connect for a few grid combinations. This is when having more
bands paid off since Steve had all the bands I had. I made my first 3456 MHz
QSOs with him. At one point I passed him while he was stopped on the other side
of the road. Steve said he tried to take a photo as I passed but somehow only
got a red car instead of me. Apparently, I was driving too fast to capture!!
When I got to Oklahoma I joined up with N0LD/R and K5SRT/R and we had some fun
to cap off the contest.
A couple lessons learned in this rove:
1) It is quite practical to operate the microwave bands I was carrying (33cm,
23cm, 13cm and 9cm) while in motion. I had noted that the 6ft yagis on these
bands were very tight compared to the lower frequencies. I believed too tight
to use while moving. It turns out that it is quite possible. It depends on the
roads however and local obstructions. It worked very will getting W5VY/R who
was a good distance away. The highway in that part of Arkansas was a bit
elevated from the surrounding area.
2) At highway speeds, if I rotate the yagis from pointing forward to the side
perhaps 50% of the time, it adds enough additional drag to cost me two to two
and a half more miles per gallon. Stowed forward it cost me 5 mpg from what I
got with no antennas. In the contest it cost me 7 to 7 1/2 mpg. Net mpg was
down to 12.5 mpg. When I drove from Oklahoma to Texas the next day and kept the
antennas pointed forward fuel economy was back up to 15 mpg.
A few stats from this rove:
Roughly 3 Qs per gallon of fuel
85 cents of fuel per Q
4.1 miles per Q
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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