A couple hints on FM:
Dont be shocked if people dont know how to do an exchange or if they dont know
their grid square. Explain the exchange to them and pass them their grid
square so they can give it back to you. They may decide this is fun
(especially the young hams) and become VHF/UHF contesters.
The chances are that you will make simplex Q's with people at distances that
they never imagined possible. They will get excited about this and want to know
about your station set up. Take the time to tell them. Tell them now far away
you are. Its not unusual for buddies to call each other and say, "get on the
air now, there is a station 200 miles away on 520 get on the air now." This
quickly becomes infectious generating a lot of contacts.
Take the time for a BRIEF discussion on contesting and your station. This
draws people in, you are a unique animal on FM, being interesting and friendly
is more effective than hammering the calling frequencies into submission by
calling CQ Contest every 5 seconds.
Honey draws more flys than vinegar.
73JohnKM4KMU
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob K0NR - email list <list@k0nr.com>
To: vhfcontesting <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Sent: Thu, Sep 6, 2018 9:23 pm
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] FM Contesting This Weekend
I'd encourage everyone to be thoughtful about how you use 146.52 MHz for
contesting. John's email below has some good ideas.
If 52 gets overrun with contesting CQs, we'll have a mob of
non-contesting FM operators petitioning the ARRL to reverse their
decision to allow the use of 52 in contests.
73 Bob K0NR
On 06-Sep-18 4:49 PM, John Young via VHFcontesting wrote:
> Jim,
> Here in Va (and out a couple hundred miles) 146.520 is the place to call CQ
> if you are running FM. In the North East a lot of folks use 146.550 so when
> I worked in Central PA last January I called CQ on both, though 520 was far
> more productive.
> On 520 contesting use is secondary as a courtesy. So if someone who is not
> contesting calls CQ but is not looking for a particular call sign I will
> answer them, try to work them, then move over to either 52.525, 223.5 or
> 146.535 (commonly used here in Va) while they call CQ again. Hopefully if
> they make a contact they will QSY for a rag chew and not sit on 520. If they
> are calling a specific station I leave them alone and QSY. Once I see them
> clear of 520 on the bandscope I will go back to 520, listen for a bit then
> call CQ again.
> If you are working SSB with FM as tertiary spending a lot of time calling CQ
> on 520 may not be beneficial unless you are in a multi-op station and can
> afford the operator. Its a great hour when I run 10-15 Q's per hour on FM
> (ignoring QSY's from contest and rover stations). 5 per hour and even 1 per
> hour is not uncommon (if you stay up too late).
> Sadly I doubt you will be North enough for a Q if you are in Ga without some
> awesome propagation.
> Good Luck73JohnKM4KMU
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Worsham <wa4kxy@bellsouth.net>
> To: vhf <vhf@w6yx.stanford.edu>; vhfcontesting <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
> Sent: Wed, Sep 5, 2018 11:35 pm
> Subject: [VHFcontesting] FM Contesting This Weekend
>
> Going to try to work some FM contacts on 2M during the contest this weekend.
> It used to be that you couldn't use 146.52 for contesting and everyone
> around here seemed to use 146.55. Now that 146.52 can be used during the
> contest is everyone using that or is everyone still on 146.55. It has been
> a while since I ran 2M FM during a contest so I am a bit out of date on what
> is the norm. Thanks.
>
>
>
> 73
>
> Jim, W4KXY
>
>
>
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--
--
Bob Witte K0NR
bob@k0nr.com
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