Need his for 222 and 1.2.
Thanks,
Ed NI6S
> On Feb 15, 2014, at 23:05, vhfcontesting-request@contesting.com wrote:
>
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: Trends in VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating (Bob Burns W9BU)
> 2. Re: Trends in VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating (Dan Evans)
> 3. Re: Trends in VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating (Jerry)
> 4. Re: Trends in VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating (Zack Widup)
> 5. Trends (Gregg Seidl)
> 6. Re: Trends in VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating (John Geiger)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 12:40:45 -0500
> From: Bob Burns W9BU <w9bu_lists@rlburns.net>
> To: vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Trends in VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating
> Message-ID: <52FFA69D.6020609@rlburns.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>> On 2/15/2014 11:50 AM, Zack Widup wrote:
>> Maybe most of the hams that are active just want radios they can take
>> out of a box, plug in and use.
>
> So, buy an Alinco DR-235T FM mobile radio and at least get on 222 MHz
> FM. There are also cheap, Chinese radios that will do 222 FM.
>
> Yeah, FM is not as sexy as doing 222 CW or SSB. But, at least, it
> generates activity on the band and there's nothing stopping folks from
> making contest contacts on FM.
>
> I haven't read all of the posts on this topic, but the harsh reality is
> that of the 700,000 plus licensed hams in the U.S., only a small number
> of them have any interest in VHF-UHF contesting. I think the ARRL may be
> swayed by their survey results that tell them most of their members are
> interested in HF, not VHF-UHF. So, they have to make a business
> decision--do they put time, money, and resources into promoting
> something their members don't care about or do they put that same time,
> money, and resources into things their members want?
>
> That leaves it to some other group to promote VHF-UHF contesting. And,
> that would be a major undertaking.
>
> Bob...
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 10:06:21 -0800 (PST)
> From: Dan Evans <k9zf@yahoo.com>
> To: Zack Widup <w9sz.zack@gmail.com>, VHF Contesting Reflector
> <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Trends in VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating
> Message-ID:
> <1392487581.44738.YahooMailNeo@web141606.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> I believe Zack is right. ?Most hams are afraid of anything less than plug and
> play. ?So they are not willing to invest in a transverter that they think
> would be too complicated to operate...
>
> And yes, you and I know that modern transverters are not that difficult to
> get on the air. ?But, do the "other guys" know that?
>
> I still think advertising is the key. ?Some experienced ops answering
> questions in the forums will help (I've posted a few times). ?But I would
> like to see some articles about station building and operating by some
> experienced ops. ?Articles in QST and CQ are great, Eham.net is a great place
> as well. ?And lets face it, Eham will publish just about anything, hi hi.
>
> For example, how about a couple of short articles on buying a modern 222
> transverter, how to hook it up and get on the air with it. ?And maybe ?what
> you did with it when it was up and running... ??
>
> 73
> Dan
> ?
> --
> K9ZF
> Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Clark County Indiana. EM78el
> former K9ZF /R no budget Rover ***QRP-l #1269
> Check out the Rover Resource Page at:
> <http://www.qsl.net/n9rla>
> List Administrator for: InHam+grid-loc+ham-books
> Ask me how to join the Indiana Ham Mailing list!
>
>
>
> On Saturday, February 15, 2014 12:15 PM, Zack Widup <w9sz.zack@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> Maybe most of the hams that are active just want radios they can take
>> out of a box, plug in and use. I don't think that's true for
>> contesters - it requires a lot of work to build even a small contest
>> station.
>>
>> I've always been a builder. My VHF+ station consists entirely of
>> transverters. I built all of them. I also built all the antennas I'm
>> using. But even if you bought a transverter from Down East Microwave
>> or somewhere, maybe it is just too much for the typical ham to figure
>> out how to interface it. I'd like to think that's not true.
>>
>> I built the 222 MHz transverter designed by Zack Lau W1VT. I believe
>> it appeared in QEX magazine in 1993. You can find templates for the pc
>> boards at the ARRL site. I made my own boards. This transverter is a
>> great performer.
>>
>> W1GHZ also sells boards for a small 222 MHz transverter designed to
>> work with the FT-817. It should work with any transceiver if you
>> connect it properly.
>>
>> Again, maybe that's just too much work for most people.
>> :-(
>>
>> In contests in this area, all the VHF contesters who have more than
>> one band seem to have 222. I usually work almost as many people on 222
>> as I do on 432 in contests.
>>
>> 73, Zack W9SZ
>>
>>
>>> On 2/15/14, Duane - N9DG <n9dg@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>> --------------------------------------------
>>> On Wed, 2/12/14, Peter Laws <plaws@plaws.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!? I, for one, am not interested in
>>> being belted *or* flayed.? But yes, that would surely be helpful if for no
>>> other reason than to make sure there is more than one point of view
>>> represented."
>>>
>>> Based on my experiences of trying to do just that for more than 10 years now
>>> on places like eHam is that you will find more than likely to be simply
>>> "unheard" than be criticized for posting information about what we do on the
>>> "ultra highs". But yes, please do chime in, it gets pretty lonely out there
>>> trying to offer information to the masses about what we do on these bands.
>>>
>>> There was a recent eHam.net article ("222 MHz the missing Band - Still
>>> Missing") posted by W4KYR asking why after 10 years after someone had posted
>>> that same question in a previous article that there are still no all band,
>>> all mode, radios with 222 in them from I, K, Y, or even anyone else. The
>>> responses were interesting. Several of us pointed out that there are a
>>> couple readily available off the shelf transverter options to get going on
>>> 222 SSB/CW. And I further pointed out that for fixed station uses where
>>> portability isn't important transverters are a better way to go anyhow. That
>>> was basically the exact same comment I made 10 years previously to the
>>> article cited by this most recent one.
>>>
>>> Then there were numerous comments that conflated FM only gear availability
>>> with the topic of the article that was specifically about SSB/CW capability.
>>> But then also many of the posters to that article were so completely fixated
>>> on the notion that only legitimate way to get on on a band is to buy it in a
>>> box from I, K, or Y they simply couldn't (refused to??) comprehend that
>>> there are others ways to get onto 222. There's this really peculiar
>>> perception out there that if it isn't available from I, K, or Y, then it
>>> doesn't exist. And that it won't exist until it can be bought from I, K, or
>>> Y.. This widely held belief out there in amateur radio land has baffled me
>>> almost more than the reality of there being 10's of thousands of radios with
>>> 6m, 2m, and 70cm in them already out there in people's hands that never get
>>> used on those bands and modes.
>>>
>>> So I will continue assert that it is not equipment availability, or
>>> availability of information about what we do that is the limiting factor for
>>> why people don't get on these bands and modes we do, it is something else.
>>>
>>> Duane
>>> N9DG
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> VHFcontesting mailing list
>>> VHFcontesting@contesting.com
>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> VHFcontesting mailing list
>> VHFcontesting@contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 11:31:08 -0700
> From: Jerry <jer.sieg@shaw.ca>
> To: vhfcontesting@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Trends in VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating
> Message-ID: <52FFB26C.2040809@shaw.ca>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> I had several locals..telling me 'I was Loco' for monitoring 6M all the
> time I am in the shack (stand alone 6M stn) I convinced a group of them
> to try 6M after the local 2M FM Net on the clubs Repeater one evening !
> Many comments were "Wow..I have never heard a signal on this Band
> before..and I have owned this Rig for many, many years" ! I gave them a
> couple /B freq. to put into memory.."Have a look every once in
> awhile..maybe you will hear the band is open" ! Then.. every once in
> awhile, one will tell me they 'Do Hear the /B off and On" ! So when I
> tell them that is MS pings they are hearing.. "What is That" is the
> Reply ! So.. many of us OT'rs are probably Guilty of 'Not Sharing Info'
> often enough..and many more are still the 'Plug and Play HF, FM Utility
> Op's that any interested young ones can't get a reasonable explanation
> of anything 'New' (well..to them !) Most of the 'Seasoned Vets' I will
> call them, locally..it's '2M is for FM, HF is the AM 40M Gang..then the
> 80M evening Traffic Net...and 10, 15, 20M for DX..(or chatting with your
> friend across the Country 'Every Day' about the same things ! ) I had a
> small group in the shack one time..showing them what WSJT can do for MS
> and EME. They were All impressed..but afterwards..they stated that
> 'None of them Owned a PC at home' to use it ! I am sure they still
> 'turn that Big Knob to change the channels on the TV as well' ! :o)
> You should have heard the 'Uproar on FM when I mentioned I have 300W on
> 2M' !
> Going to be a 'Slow Growing Process'..not sure if there is any 'quick
> fixes' !
> Jerry
> VE6CPP
>> On 2/15/2014 11:06 AM, Dan Evans wrote:
>> I believe Zack is right. Most hams are afraid of anything less than plug
>> and play. So they are not willing to invest in a transverter that they
>> think would be too complicated to operate...
>>
>> And yes, you and I know that modern transverters are not that difficult to
>> get on the air. But, do the "other guys" know that?
>>
>> I still think advertising is the key. Some experienced ops answering
>> questions in the forums will help (I've posted a few times). But I would
>> like to see some articles about station building and operating by some
>> experienced ops. Articles in QST and CQ are great, Eham.net is a great
>> place as well. And lets face it, Eham will publish just about anything, hi
>> hi.
>>
>> For example, how about a couple of short articles on buying a modern 222
>> transverter, how to hook it up and get on the air with it. And maybe what
>> you did with it when it was up and running...
>>
>> 73
>> Dan
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:07:51 -0600
> From: Zack Widup <w9sz.zack@gmail.com>
> To: VHF Contesting Reflector <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Trends in VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating
> Message-ID:
> <CANJxhWgLHO2U=uFGFw-g9PHX1vmE7Q=bV8zFWquOm7xoW615ew@mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> I have an SDR receiver (Softrock VHF Ensemble II receiver) that I
> leave displaying the beacon band on 6m. When beacons pop up, it's very
> evident on the waterfall display. At least then I know there's some
> sort of band opening and to where.
>
> Modern technology amazes me. I never dreamed of some of this stuff 30
> years ago. But it's great to have now!
>
> 73, Zack W9SZ
>
>
>> On 2/15/14, Jerry <jer.sieg@shaw.ca> wrote:
>> I had several locals..telling me 'I was Loco' for monitoring 6M all the
>> time I am in the shack (stand alone 6M stn) I convinced a group of them
>> to try 6M after the local 2M FM Net on the clubs Repeater one evening !
>> Many comments were "Wow..I have never heard a signal on this Band
>> before..and I have owned this Rig for many, many years" ! I gave them a
>> couple /B freq. to put into memory.."Have a look every once in
>> awhile..maybe you will hear the band is open" ! Then.. every once in
>> awhile, one will tell me they 'Do Hear the /B off and On" ! So when I
>> tell them that is MS pings they are hearing.. "What is That" is the
>> Reply ! So.. many of us OT'rs are probably Guilty of 'Not Sharing Info'
>> often enough..and many more are still the 'Plug and Play HF, FM Utility
>> Op's that any interested young ones can't get a reasonable explanation
>> of anything 'New' (well..to them !) Most of the 'Seasoned Vets' I will
>> call them, locally..it's '2M is for FM, HF is the AM 40M Gang..then the
>> 80M evening Traffic Net...and 10, 15, 20M for DX..(or chatting with your
>> friend across the Country 'Every Day' about the same things ! ) I had a
>> small group in the shack one time..showing them what WSJT can do for MS
>> and EME. They were All impressed..but afterwards..they stated that
>> 'None of them Owned a PC at home' to use it ! I am sure they still
>> 'turn that Big Knob to change the channels on the TV as well' ! :o)
>> You should have heard the 'Uproar on FM when I mentioned I have 300W on
>> 2M' !
>> Going to be a 'Slow Growing Process'..not sure if there is any 'quick
>> fixes' !
>> Jerry
>> VE6CPP
>>> On 2/15/2014 11:06 AM, Dan Evans wrote:
>>> I believe Zack is right. Most hams are afraid of anything less than plug
>>> and play. So they are not willing to invest in a transverter that they
>>> think would be too complicated to operate...
>>>
>>> And yes, you and I know that modern transverters are not that difficult to
>>> get on the air. But, do the "other guys" know that?
>>>
>>> I still think advertising is the key. Some experienced ops answering
>>> questions in the forums will help (I've posted a few times). But I would
>>> like to see some articles about station building and operating by some
>>> experienced ops. Articles in QST and CQ are great, Eham.net is a great
>>> place as well. And lets face it, Eham will publish just about anything,
>>> hi hi.
>>>
>>> For example, how about a couple of short articles on buying a modern 222
>>> transverter, how to hook it up and get on the air with it. And maybe
>>> what you did with it when it was up and running...
>>>
>>> 73
>>> Dan
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> VHFcontesting mailing list
>> VHFcontesting@contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 14:05:08 -0600
> From: "Gregg Seidl" <k9kl@centurytel.net>
> To: <VHFcontesting@contesting.com>
> Subject: [VHFcontesting] Trends
> Message-ID: <BABCA0319C384550ADED4D1B6A739C19@GreggSeidlPC>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> I think we may be missing the key ingredient to lack of activity on some of
> the VHF and UHF bands. I read a comment from one respondent that ? I built
> all my xverters? . That is great and if someone enjoys that that?s even
> better. Most hams have to work 40-50 hours a week and then there are the kids
> activities and the honey-do list and, well I think we get the point. I just
> think most hams don?t have the time to do that stuff,if they can?t plug it in
> and get it to work on a weekend they just won?t do it. Most hams I know of
> have several hobbies and radio is just one of them. I know I have a bunch of
> things I enjoy so I have to ?pick what I like best? in radio and go with
> that. There was a time when working most of the VHF and UHF bands was what I
> enjoyed the most but as activity on those bands dwindled I found myself
> wanting to work people so I gradually got off the VHF and UHF bands. I even
> sold my 2 meter gear and have no interest in getting back on them. However 6
> meter
a
> ctivity is growing and I plan on getting on 6 EME because there is activity
> there and its my ?next? thing. I think HF is most hams constant activity and
> the HF ham bands are full of activity.
> I don?t mean to sound doom and gloom but all hobbies ebb and flow with active
> participants.Our local astronomy club rode the technology high when computer
> aided scopes made it ?easy? to find all kinds of objects but now the newness
> has worn off and some of those astronomers have drifted away, some have
> stayed too. Same for our homebrew club.
>
> Gregg K9KL
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2014 20:05:25 -0000
> From: "John Geiger" <af5cc@fidmail.com>
> To: "Zack Widup" <w9sz.zack@gmail.com>, "VHF Contesting Reflector"
> <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Trends in VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating
> Message-ID: <E6F0FD613CEC4310BCB403EF60B7B449@acer61a4596bd3>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=original
>
> One common thread that kept running through that article on eham as well was
> how easy it would be for manufactures to add 222 to these HF/VHF/UHF radio,
> showing pretty much a lack of understanding to rig design. They seem to
> think that adding 222 would pretty much be removing a diode like you would
> do for the MARS mod. The idea that the manufactures have done marketing
> research to determine that adding 222mhz isn't cost effective completely
> escaped them.
>
> Probably 80% of the hams with a HF/VHF/UHF rig have probably never used it
> on 2m SSB or 70cm SSB. Why in the world would they use it on 222mhz if they
> won't even use it on those other bands?
>
> 73 John AF5CC
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Zack Widup" <w9sz.zack@gmail.com>
> To: "VHF Contesting Reflector" <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
> Sent: Saturday, February 15, 2014 4:50 PM
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Trends in VHF/UHF Weak Signal Operating
>
>
>> Maybe most of the hams that are active just want radios they can take
>> out of a box, plug in and use. I don't think that's true for
>> contesters - it requires a lot of work to build even a small contest
>> station.
>>
>> I've always been a builder. My VHF+ station consists entirely of
>> transverters. I built all of them. I also built all the antennas I'm
>> using. But even if you bought a transverter from Down East Microwave
>> or somewhere, maybe it is just too much for the typical ham to figure
>> out how to interface it. I'd like to think that's not true.
>>
>> I built the 222 MHz transverter designed by Zack Lau W1VT. I believe
>> it appeared in QEX magazine in 1993. You can find templates for the pc
>> boards at the ARRL site. I made my own boards. This transverter is a
>> great performer.
>>
>> W1GHZ also sells boards for a small 222 MHz transverter designed to
>> work with the FT-817. It should work with any transceiver if you
>> connect it properly.
>>
>> Again, maybe that's just too much work for most people.
>> :-(
>>
>> In contests in this area, all the VHF contesters who have more than
>> one band seem to have 222. I usually work almost as many people on 222
>> as I do on 432 in contests.
>>
>> 73, Zack W9SZ
>>
>>
>>> On 2/15/14, Duane - N9DG <n9dg@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>> --------------------------------------------
>>> On Wed, 2/12/14, Peter Laws <plaws@plaws.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din! I, for one, am not interested
>>> in
>>> being belted *or* flayed. But yes, that would surely be helpful if for
>>> no
>>> other reason than to make sure there is more than one point of view
>>> represented."
>>>
>>> Based on my experiences of trying to do just that for more than 10 years
>>> now
>>> on places like eHam is that you will find more than likely to be simply
>>> "unheard" than be criticized for posting information about what we do on
>>> the
>>> "ultra highs". But yes, please do chime in, it gets pretty lonely out
>>> there
>>> trying to offer information to the masses about what we do on these
>>> bands.
>>>
>>> There was a recent eHam.net article ("222 MHz the missing Band - Still
>>> Missing") posted by W4KYR asking why after 10 years after someone had
>>> posted
>>> that same question in a previous article that there are still no all
>>> band,
>>> all mode, radios with 222 in them from I, K, Y, or even anyone else. The
>>> responses were interesting. Several of us pointed out that there are a
>>> couple readily available off the shelf transverter options to get going
>>> on
>>> 222 SSB/CW. And I further pointed out that for fixed station uses where
>>> portability isn't important transverters are a better way to go anyhow.
>>> That
>>> was basically the exact same comment I made 10 years previously to the
>>> article cited by this most recent one.
>>>
>>> Then there were numerous comments that conflated FM only gear
>>> availability
>>> with the topic of the article that was specifically about SSB/CW
>>> capability.
>>> But then also many of the posters to that article were so completely
>>> fixated
>>> on the notion that only legitimate way to get on on a band is to buy it
>>> in a
>>> box from I, K, or Y they simply couldn't (refused to??) comprehend that
>>> there are others ways to get onto 222. There's this really peculiar
>>> perception out there that if it isn't available from I, K, or Y, then it
>>> doesn't exist. And that it won't exist until it can be bought from I, K,
>>> or
>>> Y.. This widely held belief out there in amateur radio land has baffled
>>> me
>>> almost more than the reality of there being 10's of thousands of radios
>>> with
>>> 6m, 2m, and 70cm in them already out there in people's hands that never
>>> get
>>> used on those bands and modes.
>>>
>>> So I will continue assert that it is not equipment availability, or
>>> availability of information about what we do that is the limiting factor
>>> for
>>> why people don't get on these bands and modes we do, it is something
>>> else.
>>>
>>> Duane
>>> N9DG
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> VHFcontesting mailing list
>>> VHFcontesting@contesting.com
>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>> _______________________________________________
>> VHFcontesting mailing list
>> VHFcontesting@contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Subject: Digest Footer
>
> _______________________________________________
> VHFcontesting mailing list
> VHFcontesting@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of VHFcontesting Digest, Vol 134, Issue 19
> **********************************************
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