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[VHFcontesting] 222 MHz Activity Summary

To: "222 >> 222Activity@groups.io" <222Activity@groups.io>, "vhfcontesting@contesting.com" <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>, "NEWSVHF@mailman.qth.net" <NEWSVHF@mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [VHFcontesting] 222 MHz Activity Summary
From: David Olean <k1whs@metrocast.net>
Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2024 15:02:55 -0500
List-post: <mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Hello VHF ers,

It was a very poor night for tropo signals last night on 222 MHz as far as I could tell.  Very deep QSB fades were the norm. I could barely hear WA3EOQ on our CW sked. Howard thought I sounded about normal, but my listening periods were mostly noise with occasional signals rising up enough to be audible. That was about as weak as it gets for that path. I suspect I was in a  deep fade the entire time!  It is very far at about 500 miles, but we can work on CW most of the time.
Here is my log and note that the first four Qs are from the evening 
before, but still  12/17/24 UT.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   DATE     TIME CALLSIGN        LOCATOR TX       RX       BAND MODE PRO.REMARKS                         QRB
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/17/2024 00:12 K3SK            FMØ7TJ  -21      -21      220 MHzQ65  EME                                          915 12/17/2024 00:52 KMØT          EN13VC  -12      -21      220 MHzQ65  EME                                       2037 12/17/2024 01:06 WQ5S          EM13CI  -21      -20      220 MHzQ65  EME  single yagi                   2576 12/17/2024 01:36 W5EME       EM32AI  fn43     em32 220 MHzQ65 EME                                      2350 12/17/2024 23:55 WA1RKS      FN32IN  559      599      220 MHzCW TR                                            211 12/18/2024 00:02 WB2VVV     FN41CR  559                   220 MHzCW   TR  portable in FN43                197 12/18/2024 00:11 WW1Z         FN42    59       59             220 MHzSSB  TR                                   97+- 12/18/2024 00:12 K1PXE          FN31    59       59           220 MHzSSB  TR                                  265+- 12/18/2024 00;15 WA3EOQ    FM09    329                   220 MHz CW  TR                                   805 12/18/2024 00:29 W1UJ          FN42    59 220 MHzFSK  TR                                   97+- 12/18/2024 00:33 K3WHC       FN1Ø    -14                    220 MHzFSK  TR                                  590+- 12/18/2024 00:36 WA3NUF    FN20    +18      +26       220 MHzFSK TR                                  550 12/18/2024 00:43 K1ZK           FN34JJ  -14                   220 MHzSSB  TR                                  212 12/18/2024 00:43 W1GHZ      FN34    -14                    220 MHzSSB  TR                                  203+- 12/18/2024 00:44 VE3KG        FN24AV  -14                220 MHzSSB  TR                                  432 12/18/2024 01:32 K3SK           FMØ7TJ  -23      -20      220 MHzQ65  EME                                 915 12/18/2024 01:59 W5EME      EM32AI  -24      -21     220 MHzFSK EME single yagi         2350 12/18/2024 02:06 WQ5S         EM13CI  -21      -23     220 MHzQ65 EME single yagi          2576 12/18/2024 02:23 KMØT         EN13VC  -15      -21     220 MHzQ65 EME                                2037 12/18/2024 02:36 NØAKC       EN44    -18      -21      220 MHzQ65 EME                                1601+- 12/18/2024 04:14 VE6TA         DO33GS  -15      -19   220 MHzQ65 EME                                3273 12/18/2024 04:36 KMØT         EN13VC  -15      -18     220 MHzQ65 EME                                2037
Stations heard but not worked: K9MRI, AI5I, W7TZ, W6TCP all on EME

Stations that heard me on EME but not worked    WA3EOQ (90 watts)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of QSO listed: 22

I was surprised at how many stations I did *_not _*work via EME. I heard K9MRI for well over 45 minutes and Joe,  K9MRI, heard zip/nada from me. This was on his Moon rise in Indiana. At the same time, WA3EOQ in Western Maryland was copying me just great and said I was actually audible at times in his headphones. I did not copy WA3EOQ with his very low power this time. Later on, I heard AI5I very well at his Moon rise in New Mexico. Same deal though, he could not hear me.  We tried over about 30 minutes or more but things never changed.  Then I tried with W7TZ in Oregon and W6TCP in California. They both had reasonable signals here, but they never heard me. It was a rather frustrating night as a result. My echo here was audible all evening. All this points up the problem with using fixed polarization. If the polarization is not lined up, you cannot make a QSO. If you have a very good setup, it does not matter as there will always be a 30 dB null when you are cross polarized. When I once had a huge antenna for 144 MHz I noted hat those times were greatly reduced but they were still in evidence.
My 222 MHz antenna in use since 2007 has been a quad yagi array of HB 
K1FO 22 element beams. The boom length is just under 30 ft and 
advertised gain is around 16+ dBd per antenna. (I did not use the 
handbook dimensions.) I use 22 ft lengths of 1/2" LDF for phasing lines 
and a 4 way divider. There is a short jumper from the divider to the 
cavity preamp box located on the main mast at the 106 ft level.  In 
2021, I modified the array with elevation and the tower mounted preamp 
was added after noting that my hearing on EME was not good. I only had 
about 0.4 dB of feeder loss but that attenuation was a killer with such 
low noise levels as seen on 222 MHz. By using a preamp near the antenna, 
I started hearing very well on EME and even saw improvements on more 
noisy terrestrial paths. So why am I saying all of this?  It is a bench 
mark of what a typical system can do. Four big yagis is rather large 
these days, but before digital modes, a four yagi array was SMALL!  Many 
people have said that a two yagi array is a great antenna for digital 
modes. I would agree with that, and add that polarization switching 
should be employed with such a small array.
It seems that I can work a single yagi station on the horizon if you are 
running about 150-200 watts. I would love to try with anyone so 
equipped.  Tonight would be a good night for me. Let me know if you are 
at all interested.
73

Dave K1WHS

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