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[VHFcontesting] Working K5QE in the CQ WW VHF contest.....

To: VHF Contesting <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Subject: [VHFcontesting] Working K5QE in the CQ WW VHF contest.....
From: Marshall-K5QE <k5qe@k5qe.com>
Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2022 15:57:36 +0000
List-post: <mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Hello to all our friends in the VHF / WSJT world from the K5QE contest team....K5QE will be operating in the CQ WW VHF Contest and would really appreciate any contacts that we can make via MSK144, FT8/4, or EME for that "rare" grid.  The contest  begins 1800 UTC Saturday and ends 2100 UTC Sunday (July 16-17).  For those of us still on local time, that is 1PM CDST on Saturday to 4PM CDST Sunday afternoon.

Stations attempting digital meteor scatter or digital EME contacts are allowed to post Call, Frequency, Mode, and Sequence ONLY to the various reflectors.  THESE ARE THE CQ RULES.  This means that a station calling CQ on 6M MSK144 in the contest will be able to post something like "50.260MHz....CQ CQ CQ de K5QE First Sequence MSK144" to the PingJockey reflector.  That is what I usually post anyway.  Stations in the contest will not be able to post if they are making contacts via CW / SSB or FT8.

Full information at http://www.cqww-vhf.com/. ; Please check out these new rules.

GENERAL OUTLINE OF OPERATIONS FOR SIX METERS:

1)When the contest starts, we will be on SSB, usually 50.125-->50.140MHz.  You can make a lot more contacts on SSB than you can on FT8 if the band is open, so we will take the maximum advantage of that, conditions permitting.  Everyone should always be checking to see if SSB conditions exist.  A suggestion that has been made by others is to check at the top and bottom of every hour.  ASIDE:  We are going to try this as an experiment this time:  We will set our main VFO to 50.313MHz and the secondary one to 50.125MHz for SSB.  Then we will engage the "Dual Watch" feature.  That way, if we are running FT8/4, we will hear an SSB opening if it happens.  This may or may not work, but it does, we will allow us to find an SSB opening quickly. 2)We will switch to FT8/FT4 if SSB is not working.  We will continue on FT8/4 until the band is "dead" for these modes. 3)We will run meteor scatter on MSK144 after that.  Usually, this happens in the 7-8PM time frame.  We will be looking at and posting to PingJockey when we are running meteor scatter. Actually, we often just monitor PingJockey for informational purposes to see what is going on.
4)On Sunday morning, we will start looking for SSB or FT8/4 once again.

GENERAL INFORMATION:  When running FT8/4 or MSK144, be sure that you are using the NA Contest Mode and that you send *GRIDS* not -15 or -09.  Check to be sure that you have the latest version of WSJT-X too.

FOR MSK144 Meteor Scatter on 6M:

We will follow "normal" sequencing.  This means that if we are pointing East or NE, we will take First Sequence.  If we are pointing West or NW, we will take Second Sequence. Sometimes, we will call CQ on 50.260 with a message like "CQ K5QE 265".  This means that we intend to work stations on 50.265MHz--please call us there.

FOR FT8/4 on 6M:

When we are operating FT8, we cannot post to any of the Internet resources.  We can look at PingJockey, but we cannot post there.  We will most probably operate on 50.313MHz with everyone else.

GENERAL OUTLINE OF OPERATIONS FOR TWO METERS:

1)We will do normal tropo type operations from the beginning of the contest at 1PM.  This means we will be running locals and rovers on 144.200MHz.  If tropo is "dead", we will probably move to 2) early. 2)From 7PM until 11:30PM CDST when the moon rises, we will operate either FT8 or MSK144 meteor scatter.  Check our CQ post on PingJockey to see which. 3)We will run 2M EME from 11:30PM until about 7AM Sunday morning.  When the moon is up, we will be watching the N0UK EME-1 reflector page and posting our CQ messages there. Occasionally, during EME operations, we will check for local tropo contacts or FT8.  4)After 7AM, we will resume normal tropo type operations--look for us on 144.200MHz as usual. The early morning hours can sometimes produce some DX contacts before the sun rises too high and burns off the tropo, so from 7AM to about 10AM, check for tropo ducting, especially if you find FT8 signals are loud.

FOR MSK144 on 2M:

We will operate MSK144 meteor scatter on a frequency of 144.150MHz and we will use "normal" sequencing.  If we find someone calling CQ elsewhere, we will work that station on their frequency.  MSK144 is digital meteor scatter, so you can post to PingJockey(Call, Frequency, Mode, and Sequence ONLY). PingJockey is a valuable resource--USE IT!

This is a good chance for smaller stations to get some good 2M DX and a "rare" grid during the contest.  We get one too...a WIN-WIN situation!!  We run a stacked pair of 17el M2's at 160ft and 1KW output on 2M MSK.  Again, be sure to send your *GRID*, not -15 or -09.  Also, be sure that you are using the NA Contest Mode.

FOR FT8 ON 2M:

When we are operating FT8, we cannot use the Internet resources.  So, we will use 144.174MHz like everyone else. Remember, *GRIDS* are the exchange.

GENERAL COMMENT:  With the new rules, everyone in the contest can look at PingJockey and the N0UK EME-1 reflector.  These are great resources--USE THEM!!  If you work us, please spot us AND our frequency--that way, others can find us.  If you are not in the CQ contest, you can post to the reflectors freely.  So you can talk to us, we just cannot answer back.

Thank you in advance for spending some time to work us in the contest.

73 Marshall K5QE, EM31cj
www.k5qe.com
k5qe@k5qe.com

East Texas

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