K1SIG has operating as Limited Rover in the previous 2 September contests.
Time is a major factor, something we're fighting a lot. We do stop and
shoot, and the set up/take down time is a bit long. We're working on
improving that. Homemade 2el moxon on 6, M2 7el yagi on 2, DSE 9?el yagi on
222, and a 15el diamond yagi on 70cm. The most recent contest we had an
IC7000 @ 100W on6, an IC746 @ 100W on 2m, an HTX100 with one of the
ukranian transverters @ something like 5W on 222, and an FT790RII @ 25W on
70cm.
The moxon is made of PVC pipe and some thin wire. It works really well, and
was pretty easy to build. I need to reinforce it a bit, we had some
problems both contests with my solder joints on the UHF connector not
holding. Next time out that'll be re-soldered and epoxied down.
In January we'll be doing a run and gun setup instead, the IC7000 and
HTX100/xvrtr to cover all 4 bands, and likely FM mobiles as well for the
top 3. We have loops for each band, and will have verticals for FM. January
is interesting because the mountaintops we operate from in New England are
all closed. We're fixing that by driving from NH to VT via MD.
Just watch your antenna height for bridges and trees and such. Clipping
such a thing will put you out of action.
You might want to go simple for your first time, but we didn't and it
didn't hurt us that much. You'll hit snags. Things won't go right. It'll
still be fun. You'll think you're insane. You'll know you're insane. It'll
be even more fun. The addiction will grow.
One thing we've started doing that really helps is to create a custom map
on Google Maps. We laid out the grid corners on it, and have started taking
notes on sites that work and don't (I probably should translate this to
something share-able...). We have stations that we like to work - big
stations that we know will always be there, like Dale AF1T - so that we can
both plan where to aim our beams and determine if we'll actually be
anywhere near anyone. Sites are marked as green (good), yellow (workable
but have issues of some sort), red (bad for one reason or other, which very
well might just be because there is a fixed station, like W2SZ, that lives
there every contest), or black (requires scouting before opinion is made).
I'm terrible at timely updates, but you can read of our first two rover
adventures here:
http://www.irrexpr.com/
The 2 most recent posts are a year apart, and are the 2 september contests
we worked as K1SIG/R.
Good luck and 73,
Sean Waite, WA1TE
On Tue, Dec 26, 2017 at 6:12 PM K7XC Tim Marek <k7xcnv1@gmail.com> wrote:
> Mike (KA5CVH) Urich via contesting.com
> 4:20 PM (6 hours ago)
> So I'm considering trying to mount a limited rove in. January.
>
> For a rig I'll use my FT991. However antennas is less than firm. I have
> a KB6KQ loop and a Diamond DPGH62, both I can easily get up @ ~20-22'. Not
> good choices, but any signal is better than no signal.
>
> So I'm sorta looking at building a moxon, quad or equivalent. And I was
> also just looking at commercial built as well.
>
> Soooooo, I stumble across on DX Eng, an EAntenna 50DDO-R2. It's ~sorta a
> squashed down quad. So I'm thinking about a slightly modified mounting
> version. The short boom and height are pluses as I can turn is sideways in
> transit. My only real question is ..... Would a traditional dimensional
> design be superior and if so, marginal or significant.
> -------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> Hi Mike,
>
> Is the loop for 6 or 2 Meters as you never said what bands your trying to
> cover.
>
> A KQ 6M Loop is PERFECT for use as a rover. Mount it in the clear, 8' to
> 10' above the road on the rear corner, let it hang off the back and your
> perfect.
>
> KQ 2M Loops are perfect for Rover use as well with the same caveats.
> stacking 2 loops gives close to 5 dB gain over a single. Yes its more than
> 3dB when stacking simple antennas as my experience shows and a obscure
> antenna engineering textbook verified.
>
> Short (8 to 10 ft) yagis can be mounted securely while going down the road
> (W/O the reflector) and you switch between the omni/yagi while in motion.
>
> Don't forget to cover the FM channels too (146.52, 223.5, 223.5, 1294.5)
> which means a good vertical for each band as well.
>
> Radios are always a personal preference but mine is an IC-706mkIIg with a
> pair of diplexers separating the 2 ant ports to 4 (28,50,144,432) with a
> 222Mhz xvtr attached to the 28MHz port for a very easy to operate yet very
> effective 4 band rover that uses one Mic, one key, and one headphone. The
> FM radios never have to be seen as their one channel devices as far as the
> contest is concerned so put them somewhere out of sight and label the mics
> so you know which radio is which.
>
> My ROVER was a either a Ford Ranger or an F150 4x4 with loops for 2, 222,
> and 432 on the front passenger corner of the bed, Yagis for 2, 222, and 432
> on the front drivers side of the bed, the 6m loop was on the drivers side
> rear corner of the bed, the roof covered in mag mounts for 4 bands, and a
> HF whip on the Passenger side rear corner of the bed. You want the wide
> antennas on the part of the vehicle that is farthest from obstructions like
> trees, signs, etc.
>
> Never stop and setup antennas as the one thing a ROVER never has enough of
> is TIME! ALL antennas are mounted and operate while in motion and when
> stopped you turn the truck in a circle to aim the yagis. With no reflector
> on the yagis you loose 1 or 2 points of a dB forward gain but now have a
> large lobe off the rear that allows you to work stations in that direction
> with more gain than the loops, hence not stopping to aim the antennas.
>
> Amps for 2, 222, and 432 to get you to the 150W level are indispensable. 25
> - 50 watt FM radios are perfect.
>
> Plan your route well ahead of time and publish it weeks before the contest
> so people are looking for you. Dont get hung up on keeping an exact
> schedule but rather a precise route and do your best each day to meet your
> goals for each nights stop. Try to go thru a grid only once or your wasting
> your time as people with dupe you.
>
> I can go on and on about being a Winning ROVER as I was often finished in
> top ten for almost 15 straight years before a car crash on the way home
> from work one day slowed me way down. I miss it tremendously as there is No
> More Challenging Class Of Competitor Than Be A ROVER! The top ROVERs have
> years invested in their machines, learning from each trip and improving
> in-between. Your goal for each trip will determine the best strategy to
> pursue, how many grids to attempt, your route, planned Motel stops, gas
> budget, and on and on.... The route that you wll plan & publish before
> leaving is your best weapon for a successful trip.
>
> I managed one time after 5yrs of trying to break N0LRJs record of 20 grids
> in one weekend and made it from the DM 04/05/14/15 grid corner in the CA
> desert all the way to a hill in CN92 near Bend OR after touching every grid
> corner along the way. it was quite the ride with wind, head, dust, rain,
> and finally snow at the end.
>
> So... trust me when I say that being a competitive ROVER has sure changed
> from I started in the 80s. So do some reading, study the results going back
> 20 yrs, and pick a category you feel comfy starting with and just go for
> it! Have Fun! and if you planned well the competitive score is possible if
> you pay attention to ALL the opportunists the route gives you during the
> event.
>
> Above all else, remember to have fun!
>
> 73s and GL de Tim - K7XC - DM09jh... sk
>
> Adapt, Overcome, Succeed!
>
> On Tue, Dec 26, 2017 at 4:20 PM, Mike (KA5CVH) Urich <mike@ka5cvh.com>
> wrote:
>
> > So I'm considering trying to mount a limited rove in. January.
> >
> > For a rig I'll use my FT991. However antennas is less than firm. I
> have
> > a KB6KQ loop and a Diamond DPGH62, both I can easily get up @ ~20-22'.
> Not
> > good choices, but any signal is better than no signal.
> >
> > So I'm sorta looking at building a moxon, quad or equivalent. And I was
> > also just looking at commercial built as well.
> >
> > Soooooo, I stumble across on DX Eng, an EAntenna 50DDO-R2. It's ~sorta
> a
> > squashed down quad. So I'm thinking about a slightly modified mounting
> > version. The short boom and height are pluses as I can turn is sideways
> in
> > transit. My only real question is ..... Would a traditional dimensional
> > design be superior and if so, marginal or significant.
> > _______________________________________________
> > 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
>
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