ARRL June VHF QSO Party
Call: K2DRH
Operator(s): K2DRH
Station: K2DRH
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: EN41vr
Operating Time (hrs): 30
Summary:
Band QSOs Mults
-------------------
6: 214 86
2: 164 47
222: 67 29
432: 97 28
903: 40 17
1.2: 51 21
2.3: 10 2
3.4:
5.7:
10G:
24G:
-------------------
Total: 643 238 Total Score = 241,503
Club: Society of Midwest Contesters
Comments:
This year was a tough one to get ready for at K2DRH. I added 2304 and this
proved to be no trivial task. Just scrounging up all the stuff I needed from
the vendors, the ham community and the internet to put together a first class
installation took more hours than the contest itself did. And it took twice
that long to design and fabricate the tower brackets for the antennas, mount the
pair of 76 el loopers in between all the other stuff, hang the 1-5/8? coax,
install the 1/2? superflex rotor loop, roll my own mast mounted preamp box with
surplus 28V relays, design and build a switching box/sequencer ? the task list
seemed to go on and on.
But it finally all came together the week before the contest, only to blow up
the transverter receiver during my test QSO with K3SIW. It was just amazing how
fast Steve and Sandra at DEMI turned it around so I could have it in time for
the contest, only for me to blow it up again! This time I was able to cobble in
an external receiver bypass. It was good enough for a few QSOs, but was
noticeably down on receive. Aside from K3SIW, who is really loud here, nobody
else moved the S meter!
I started the contest with a 6 band sweep with K0PG/K9ILT rover. Tim and Pat
provided me with 9 grids on 6 bands during the contest, quite a lot of QSO?s! I
was able to find and work W0AMT/R on 7 bands in a few grids on Saturday too, but
never heard them at all on Sunday. 6M was spotty at best, alternating between
Texas and Florida with very short openings. I was thrilled when I found ZF1DC
on 50.125, and Ron W4WA told me it was him at the mic. I kept hoping for a good
run like last year, but none ever materialized. 2M was in reasonable shape, and
things seemed enhanced on 432 and above so I proceeded to work it more like a
January contest. One QSO at a time.
WSJT was really good and I managed to work most of my skeds. I missed
completing with W2FU on 2M when we ran over into the next time slot and K9NS
started up a schedule on the exact same frequency we were already on. Of course
as luck would have it theirs was the opposite way and on the opposite sequence.
K9NS Limited Multi is a dominant force on the bottom four bands here in the
Midwest, and very loud at my QTH! I don?t think they even realized what was up
and since they?re fellow SMC?ers, I yielded after a couple sequences. Sure hope
they made it!
Despite what I?ve said before, I tried FSK 441a again on 222 with W2SZ and never
heard a ping. Low percentage 222 skeds are just not a good option for SOLP
stations! I tried to work them on a 6M sked and curiously never heard a single
ping there either. W1TEO however, was in several times every sequence and we
completed in less than 2 minutes on 6 using 15 second sequences, then again a
few minutes later on 2M. Likewise W3CCX and K7BV/1 were a breeze with several
good bursts every sequence. I did work W2SZ on 144.170, unfortunately that was
also K0PG/K9ILT?s com frequency, but they were kind enough to QSY for a while.
Need to schedule those WSJT QSO?s lower in the band or I can?t accept them
anymore!
6M was open even less on Sunday, and the openings were to pretty much the same
places and were even shorter. I concentrated on 2M and moving everyone I could
around the bands. Seemed like there was fairly weak, but really nice tropo
enhancement 2M in the afternoon. I was really happy when KY4R in EM64 AL came
back to my CW CQ. I had ask for his call a few times to make sure it wasn?t
KY5R in EM64 whom I also worked! Of course Goose K1LH in EM76 TN was there on
2M , 6M and I even heard him on 432! Wish more of y?all had your antennas
pointed up my way!
The last hours of the contest ended with the usual flurry of local stations on
144.200, many of whom I?d not yet worked. Yet calling CQ on 144.197 usually
yielded only receiver noise in return! Only by getting right on the call could
I get anyone?s attention. Repeated scans of 6M for a last minute Es burst were
likewise disappointing but I did find a lot of local stations there too. In the
end I worked a lot less QSO?s than last year, especially on 6M, but was able to
bring up the score with a good showing on the higher bands. It was more work
than most June VHF contests, but I?m happy with the results.
Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.hornucopia.com/3830score/
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