Hi Jim,
Let me give you my perspective on how the band is "packed" here in
Connecticut, where I believe I am in an above average 2M location,
The WSJT calling freq is 144.140, and usually no CW or SSB ventures below
about 150. The 144.200 +/- 2 or 3 kHz is usually respected. The beacon
segment starts at 144.275 and I don't think I've ever heard any contest
activity in or above that region.
Typically there will be 5 or 6 "serious" locals calling CQ, plus a few more
part-time contesters calling away in that 125 kHz of spectrum. These
stations spread out, most of them have clean signals, usually only 1 or 2
are spilling out a bit wide. It has really not been a big problem to find a
clear frequency. (That was not true before I upgraded to a receiver and
transverter with excellent close-in 3rd order etc specs- the old FT897 was
quite a different story, each strong local on it would obliterate 20 kHz)
The trick though is that what seems to be a clear freq in what you hear now,
may not really be clear, because a station a couple of hundred miles distant
may be using it too; but either his yagi is turned away or tropo is NG at
that moment. When you eventually do hear that station, he will likely be
weak; but you do need to shift away because he is loud in the regions where
you want his locals to hear your weak signal there. It is not unusual when
listening to some frequencies to hear a couple of stations calling CQ,
neither hearing each other. So in this sense the band can occasionally seem
packed, but it's not the same as you'd call packed if tuning say, 20M.
Further, I find it very interesting to read how the rovers say they are
calling CQ. I tune A LOT, often in between my CQ's, and it is quite unusual
for me to come across a rover calling CQ. And I do deliberately turn toward
the grids and freq.'s that they have announced, hoping to find them (it is a
treat to get a rover contact) but almost never seem to hear anyone there.
Perhaps that is due to them only being in one spot an hour or two, their
going off to run the bands or S&P, or our beams only toward each other a
short amount of that time, not like the fixed stations that I will
eventually encounter sometime or other over the weekend.
GL this weekend and 73,
Chet, N8RA
-----Original Message-----
From: vhfcontesting-bounces@contesting.com
[mailto:vhfcontesting-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jim Worsham
Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 10:20 PM
To: 'John D'Ausilio'; vhfcontesting@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Common rover frequency
You know, I am going to have to sign on with one of the multi ops in the NE
corridor for one contest. Before I die I would like to see what it is like
for 2 meters to be packed all the way up to .300. Down here we get excited
if we hear a couple of stations on .200! We stay close to .200. If you get
more than a few kHz away you might as well be transmitting into a dummy
load.
73
Jim, W4KXY
-----Original Message-----
From: vhfcontesting-bounces@contesting.com
[mailto:vhfcontesting-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of John D'Ausilio
Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 5:58 PM
To: vhfcontesting@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Common rover frequency
sounds like rover nirvana has been achieved ;) Unfortunately I think it
would only work when roving around a central activity center with a small
number of fixed stations. In the summer VHF 'tests in the Northeast Corridor
144 Mhz is pretty well packed from .170-ish well up towards .300
Different area of the country require different strategies, as many before
me have observed. Up here we have a large number of participants and a lot
of water paths and accessible mountains within range of those participants
so the rover can benefit from camping out somewhere well-known and making a
lot of noise. If we arrive at a spot and someone's on or near .247 then we
just squeeze in wherever we can nearby and people who are looking for us
will find us. 5 kHz spacing would be wonderful, but sometimes it's tough ..
de w1rt/john
On Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 3:55 PM, Bruce Richardson <w9fz@w9fz.com> wrote:
> What has worked for us is to spread the rovers out on about 10kc
> spacing. Every rover understands that they don't "own"
> the frequency but it sure helps the fixed stations find them.
> 144.230, 144.240, and 144.250 are common as well as .150, .160 and
> .170. Sure in some contests, we go to 5 Khz spacing but prefer the 10
> khz for QRM reduction. Some rovers make one long "announce"
> transmission on .200 when they get to a new location and then QSY up
> to "their" freq hoping to be found.
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