ARRL June VHF QSO Party [Archive]

K4GUN

05-31-2008, 05:45 PM

K4GUN/R will be activating grids FM27, 16, 26, 17, 07, 08, 09, 19 and 18 (in that order). I'll be a Limited Rover with beams on 144, 222 and 432 and a moxon on 6 meters. The rover is completely reconfigured since January and with lessons learned, I should be able to make a big improvement over that effort.

I'll tell you what can make a big difference. That is for people who normally don't contest to just switch on and make some contacts. It doesn't have to be a big effort. If you have side band capability on any VHF or UHF band, tune in near the calling frequencies and hit a few stations. Every contact helps and will be appreciated.

NN3W

05-31-2008, 08:27 PM

This would've been a great weekend for the VHF....Apparently the eskip on 6 was rocking.

kg4kww

06-01-2008, 03:09 AM

True true true.
Dx cluster is showing good activity on 6m

I will be on 144 and 432 and maybe 6.

Hope to hear you all.

w2ajw

06-01-2008, 06:32 AM

WA6MHZ

06-01-2008, 05:26 PM

N2RJ

06-01-2008, 06:43 PM

My 21 el VHF beam isn't up yet. When it is I'll be rolling with the big guns.

KC6ZLV

06-01-2008, 07:49 PM

I"m thinking about a trip into the mountains here for at least a day. I originally wanted to make a weekend out of it, but work got in the way of preparing for the event.

I'm seriously thinking of buying a DC to daylight rig for these kind of things. I just have to make up my mind between the FT-857D, IC-706MKIIG, or the IC-7000. The FT-736R is kind of a pain to haul around as a portable, although I do have 1.2Ghz capability with it.

w2ajw

06-02-2008, 03:29 AM

you must live here close to me somewhere. hope to work you in the contest. DM12 is very very rare! Lots of DM13 activity. Will look for U on 6 to 1296!
Some guys will be on the mountaintops like Mt Laguna probably, they get to look out over the cliff to AZ! I am in Crest, just east of El Cajon, and probably have the best home QTH for a VHF contest. But I always get beat by the mountaintop portable guys.

Right-o, I live in Mira Mesa. There's a couple decent hills near me, and I may just drive up Mt Soledad, though that's kinda an RF unfriendly environment, but it's just FM for me, so what the heck. I just hope the big guns (and everyone else) take a look at 146.55/58 and 446.00 every now and then. :p

I'll definitely look for you in the 'test! And boy do I miss the mountaintop portable days... =)

WS2L

06-03-2008, 11:51 AM

I will be active on 144 and 432 and possibly 50 MHz.

At my previous QTH my antennas were only about 45 feet above sea level. At my new QTH my antennas are now roughly 350 above sea level with minimal higher terrain in all directions. I'm really looking forward to see how I do at the new elevation especially on 2 meters. Also I am operating from FN20vt

Hope to work some of you folks.

Good luck in the contest.

ki4urm

06-03-2008, 12:50 PM

will be active on 6 and 2 ssb hopefully the antenas i got will work out

4 ele commet for 6 meters

10 ele for 2 ssb

KB2FCV

06-03-2008, 01:00 PM

I am going to try to get on. I'm not sure of the antennas yet since currently I'm living in a townhouse. I may put a 4 el beam for 2 meters in the attic. Currently I have a j-pole for 2 and a dipole for 6. I worked PA on the indoor J-pole on CW! I hope to have some improvements made for this contest.

73,

James KB2FCV

WA6MHZ

06-03-2008, 01:51 PM

Right-o, I live in Mira Mesa. There's a couple decent hills near me, and I may just drive up Mt Soledad, though that's kinda an RF unfriendly environment, but it's just FM for me, so what the heck. I just hope the big guns (and everyone else) take a look at 146.55/58 and 446.00 every now and then. :p

I'll definitely look for you in the 'test! And boy do I miss the mountaintop portable days... =)

Mt Soledad is an excellent VHF location, but the RF is gong to just killl you
unless you have a great Intermod filter ahead of the receiver. Another place not too bad is Mt Helix, though parking might be a problem.Pt Loma is always good but the best locations on it are on the USN base. Think you can drive through there with no problem. The San Diego DX CLub runs out of there on Field Day, and sometimes some contesters run the VHF contest from there too. Haven't heard if they are this year. I can't get my 1296 transverter to work, so I might be SOL on that band, but 6-432 work great. Since you are so close, maybe you would like to stop by and see the Crest Radio Museum sometime. 73!

kg4kww

06-04-2008, 03:27 AM

Maybe there will be some good tropo the day of the contest.

wu8y

06-04-2008, 05:19 AM

At my previous QTH my antennas were only about 45 feet above sea level. At my new QTH my antennas are now roughly 350 above sea level with minimal higher terrain in all directions.

It's not necessarily AGL, it's HAAT that matters...

If I'm lucky, I'll be on the two meter band, but from a lake shore park. If not so lucky, six and two from home. If really unlucky, QRT.

kg4kww

06-12-2008, 03:22 AM

72 hours till the Saturday and the VHF contest.

KI4RVH

06-12-2008, 03:39 AM

Will try to get on 6m and 2 m ssb. I made a contact on my homemade 6m H double bay tonight. Then we had a big storm come in and I had to shut down. Hope there is good propagation over the weekend and hope to work some of you guys.

73

Chris

K4GUN

06-12-2008, 01:23 PM

72 hours till the Saturday and the VHF contest.

I can't wait. I have changed my rover route to avoid getting in the way of a couple of other rovers. I'll be starting on Skyline Drive in FM08us and staying until the park closes. I'll then head for Williamsburg for the night with a brief stop at a truck stop in Louisa in FM07. Sunday morning, I'll make a very brief stop in FM26 in Virginia Beach before heading to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. I'll be on Island 1 from noon to 1 in FM16 and from 1:30 until about 4:00 (unless things are dead before that) at the Northern end of the bridge in FM27. I'll then head North with a brief stop in FM28 and a bit longer at a rest stop on Route 301 near Dover in FM29. I then head home to finish the last hour at my neighborhood in FM18iq.

My rotator isn't working so the truck will be used to aim the antennas. I have Directive Systems antennas for 144 222 and 432 and a Moxon for 50. I also have omni directional antenna for 50, 144 and 432 so I'll have some ability to operate while driving from spot to spot. I have 100 watts on 50, 160+ on 144, 10 on 222 and 100 on 432.

NA5Z

06-12-2008, 01:53 PM

I'll be on 6. I doubt I'll have any kind of 2m setup ready by this weekend.

N3AWS

06-12-2008, 03:22 PM

I'll be on from EM50 in the Portable SO (QRP) class. Bands: 50, 144, 432 MHz. Rigs: Icom 706 MkIIG (144 & 432 MHz), Yaesu FT-817 backup, and Icom 756 Pro II (50 MHz). Ant: Elk 5 element (144 & 432) and dipole (50).

I'll be off the air Saturday evening, though to watch my two daughters in a fashion show.

This will be my last contest (might get to operate a little FD 2008) before leaving for a year at Kunsan AFB in South Korea.

73, Jim N3AWS

wb9jtk

06-12-2008, 03:29 PM

K4GUN

06-12-2008, 04:02 PM

This will be my first VHF contest. New rig includes CW on 6m, 2m and 430. I will at least be on with the screwdriver antenna on the truck. If I have time to make other antennas, than that will be even better.

I have looked at the band plans. It would be helpful if someone would post the typical CW contest frequencies for 6m, 2m, and 430 for me. Thanks.

My first rove was with vertical antennas. My friends warned me about "20 DB loss" and it didn't quite sink in as to what that meant. I made a whopping 16 contacts and most of them to the same station (a big gun running lots of power) but it taught me a LOT about contesting and setting up for one. The screwdriver will work, but you're severely handicapped. Even a simple dipole will work better.

wb3bel

06-12-2008, 04:17 PM

I agree with K4GUN advice for horizontally polarized antenna. But if vertical is all you have use it! The stations you work will be happy for the contacts no matter how strong or puny your signal might be.

But to answer your questions about frequencies.

50.090 to 50.200 with most CW on the lower end. If E skip gets really rolling the upper end could expand up to 50.300.

144.100 to 144.300 with most activity near 144.200.

432.100 to 432.200 With most activity near 432.100.

You will find CW traditionally near the bottom ends of these ranges. But often you will also find the bigger contest stations will switch to CW to make contacts with weak stations on their run frequency no matter where it is in the band . You can try to call SSB stations using CW and some of the superstations wont bat an eyelid and will send their part of the exchange in SSB. Others will switch to CW.

Good luck,

Harry WB3BEL

WB2WIK

06-12-2008, 04:23 PM

Sadly, all I have left on VHF right now is 144/446 FM, but I'll most likely hop from DM12 to DM13 and call myself a rover. I'm more than happy to hand out points and get some activity going. I've never worked a VHF 'test from SoCal, I'll be interested to see what it's like.

::DM12 isn't "very rare." That's nutty. I always work it easily from here in DM04, usually within the first hour of any VHF contest, on all bands I'm on. Not just hilltoppers but several home stations are active from there.

I wouldn't get my hopes up too high for the "FM" activity, there isn't very much of that. There's a bit on 223.5 and 446.0, but not much on 146.55 or .58 or any other 2m frequency, and usually just about nobody on 52.525.

For any sort of contest work I'd avoid any mountaintop that has a lot of transmitters! Mt. Wilson, for example, sucks badly as a location even though it's LOS to everywhere. Mt. Pinos is the best VHF contesting location in southern California because nothing's up there, and it's almost 8900' high with a clear shot all the way up the San Juaquin Valley, over to Nevada, down into Mexico and a 180 degree view of the Pacific. All the transmitters are over on Frazier Peak, which is miles away and they don't cause problems up on Pinos. When I've operated from there, on 146.55 I could work "hand helds in their living rooms" down in Orange County, 100 miles away -- easily.

But it's a difficult access (no paved road to the summit).

N6NB's place up in Tehachapi is very good at 6800' asl with a road to the top, and it's in DM05 which of course is rarer than DM04. (Anything's rarer than DM04!)

Stuff that's rarer mostly 'cause it's farther away and has a lot less population are DM06 and DM07. I still always work those, but sometimes only 2-3 guys in each, from down here in 04.

Avoid hilltops with transmitters!!!!

95% of the activity on 2m is SSB.

Have fun! I won't be in the contest other than perhaps for a very short time to give out a few points -- my daughter's graduating UCSB this Sunday and we have a lot of company for the "celebration" of that. Plus, Sunday is also Father's Day. Just bad timing.

WB2WIK/6
DM04

KB2FCV

06-12-2008, 04:34 PM

I am hoping to get a little time in the contest this weekend. I'll probably work 6 and 2 SSB/CW. My antennas are all indoor due to restrictions but I am hoping to make some improvements before the contest starts (going to try to get a 4 el beam or quad thrown together..)

K4GUN

06-12-2008, 04:44 PM

If you want a quick and easy antenna for 6 meters that is compact, directional and has gain, take a look at a moxon. Do a search. You can do them for 2 meters as well, but they are pretty popular for 6 meters because they are small enough to be mounted just about anywhere.

K4GUN

06-13-2008, 06:24 PM

Less than 24 hours to go.

kg4kww

06-13-2008, 07:14 PM

K4GUN, I will be listening for ya OM on 144mhz usb.

KC9ECI

06-14-2008, 12:52 AM

I just came down from doing my annual pre-contest 6M and 2M antenna maintenance. If I can find my tap and die set, I've got some 3/8 round aluminum stock and one of those hamstick dipole mounts, I may cobble together a rotatable dipole for 70CM in the morning and put that up. If not, I'll stay on 6 and 2.

kg4kww

06-14-2008, 04:26 AM

Sounds good Tom, Just ordered a M2 6m beam when it gets here it's going up on the tower with the other beams.

k6jpd

06-14-2008, 12:54 PM

dm12 rare??? gee, i dunno. :D i moved from dm12 to EL86,
BTY, EL86 is not "rare" either, but, it is 95 % water and there are only 2 of us in this grid that are really active on six .

AF9J

06-14-2008, 02:43 PM

I'm taking a quick break, then it's back to radio stuff. I'm desparately trying to get an ancient KLM Echo 70 (hey, it's all I could afford working), so I'll have 432 capability to go along with my 6 & 2m capability. But I have a bad feeling that a stupid mistake I made while working on it on Wednesday night, may have trashed it for good.

I'm also considering quick and dirty gain wire antennas for 6m I can set up on the balcony of my apartment (I'll operate portable from there rather than running back and forth to the balcony to rotate the 2m/432 log periodic), with the limited materials I have on hand. I originally wanted to try something a little less run of the mill - a Bruce array. It's easy to set up, and has gain. But I checked the file I have on them, and they're a broadside array, that basically work vertically polarized. Blast! That's fine and dandy when E-skip is happening, but when 6 gets dead, it's hard enough to work other stations via troposcatter (much more so than on 2 or 432 in my experience), without having to deal with 20-30 dB of cross polarization losses. So far, it's looking like Extended Double Zepp time, in spite of the fact that those work best with balanced feedlines (and no, I don't have a balun).

I wish I'd had more time to work on these things before the contest.

73,
Ellen - AF9J
Feeling very frazzled

KC9ECI

06-14-2008, 07:11 PM

Don't know about you Ellen, but it's deader than a cat taking a nap on the double yellow line here.

ab9lz

06-14-2008, 09:17 PM

Purdy dead down here also.

73 m/4

k2nrc

06-14-2008, 09:21 PM

i second 'ECI's analysis of the situation :(. it's so quiet, my loops @ just above sea level are hearing stations 75 miles away off the backs of their beams.....

NA5Z

06-14-2008, 10:58 PM

Boy it slammed shut harder n' an outhouse door today....

here's to hoping for a bit more this evening
(hey, a guy can hope!)

KC9ECI

06-15-2008, 01:06 AM

I think it might be coming back to life. I just worked an AZ station from WI with my puny QRP signal.

wb9jtk

06-15-2008, 01:13 AM

No one wants "dead" bands for a contest. But I hope they are 'dead'. I worked for about 2 hours and worked 6 stations on 6m. Mexico, 3 Louisiana and the rest were right here in southeast Florida. Haven't heard a thing on 2m or 430. So I am wondering if it is me, my rig, my antenna, or propagation. If VHF is dead this evening then it might not be 'me'.

I will try again in the morning.

KC9ECI

06-15-2008, 01:14 AM

Flash in the pan. Nothing now. I can turn 6M back on though. I'm going to pull the plug, go upstairs, find a cold pepsi and watch a movie. That should provide the most exciting band conditions seen on 6M in years for the next 90 minutes or so.

WB2WIK

06-15-2008, 01:36 AM

I've only dabbled a bit and operated maybe 2 hours of the contest.

Worked 101 QSOs in 17 grids, from CM95 over to DM26, down to DM11 and DM21 and that's the whole ball game. Nothing beyond 250-300 miles, no E-skip heard at this point. Everything I worked, I worked on both 6m and 2m.

Figures.

Band was open half the week on six, and today "nada."

Maybe later, or maybe tomorrow but I won't be home much.

When I'm at least 90 miles from the rig, which I will be for half of tomorrow, that's when the band will open -- count on it.

WB2WIK/6

WA6MHZ

06-15-2008, 02:15 AM

At 7PM, 6 is still terrible, I worled only 1 E skip to EL17, not a bad hop but that came and went and stayed gone. Meanwhile, the rest of the country seems to be going beserk according to the DX Summit. SoCal gets the bad end so far, but there is always another chance tommorrow. Did work lots and lots of LA and on up stations on 6-432. SO its time to see what the Padres are doing and get some dinner. Hopefully I won't miss an opennig

AF9J

06-15-2008, 02:26 AM

What a trainwreck! My noise level on 6 is S9, due to a T-storm that passed through the area an hour and a half ago. All I'm hearing is bits and pieces on 6, and what I am hearing, is full of pileups that I'm not breaking. Within 5 minutes the station is gone. 2 is also a big flop - only 1 QSO with the N9UHF multiop, south of the state line. Ugh!

73,
Ellen - AF9J

KC9ECI

06-15-2008, 02:28 AM

It's picking up here. I think I can hear every station in DM79. EL96 is big now.

WA6MHZ

06-15-2008, 03:42 AM

Padres beat Cleveland on a Kevin Kouzmanoff grand slam, so it was back to the radio to see what I missed. I heard about a mini openning to Montana but it came and went in a hurry. Looks like everyone is packing it in for the night, and will try again tommorrow. N6IEF is well ahead of me, so he looks to be the clear winner unless I get a great openning tommorrow to pull ahead. He's got 100 contacts to my 80 and alot more grids.

KC6ZLV

06-15-2008, 04:35 AM

Well, there is no shortage of idiots on FM in the SSB portion of 2 meters here locally.

WA5VQM

06-15-2008, 05:40 AM

6 was open around midnight local time. Worked FL, GA, NC, & SC with my 10W and a dipole here at EM13. Signals are either in the noise or 59++

73, Mark

ka5s

06-15-2008, 05:54 AM

6 was open around midnight local time. Worked FL, GA, NC, & SC with my 10W and a dipole here at EM13. Signals are either in the noise or 59++

73, Mark

Yes, interesting propagation. Worked into dm69 en73 el29 em70 el87 em10 el29 em00 and em31 This, using an FT920 and a 200 ft dipole fed with a tuner, a 1:1 balun and ladder-line. When the band is OPEN...Heh! It's 0552 now and there is some very weak SSB above 125 and a guy in CW in the noise on 125.

FWIW, my 920 hears a LOT better than either an FT857 or an FT450. Got to get a 6 meter beam up; the TV antenna is coming DOWN.

Cortland
KA5S
EN72

k9kjm

06-15-2008, 08:44 AM

Well, Saturday was BAD. About the worst I have ever seen.
Years ago I could at least work some midwest stations on two meters and 432, Almost none on for this year!
A few little openings on 6 meters, And a unusually high noise level on 6 made for a very poor day.

KC9ECI

06-15-2008, 02:18 PM

Phone activity all the way up to .300 now. Wow.

W0LPQ

06-15-2008, 02:45 PM

Tuning across some of them, with 12 dB of attenuation, they are STILL in excess of 10 Kc wide .... simply amazing. Over processed audio and the whole scheme..

6 is active to be sure ... some of them above .200 are not bad..

wb9jtk

06-15-2008, 04:35 PM

Conditions definitely better today (Sunday).
Worked 35 stations in a bit over an hour. Worked stations about as fast as I could log them.
I will be sure to have a 'real antenna' next year :-)
I was using the Tarheel screwdriver antenna on 6m from my truck.

kg4kww

06-15-2008, 08:48 PM

Have worked stations on 144mhz usb, 432 mhz usb and 6m usb.
Conditions good both days.

KC9ECI

06-15-2008, 09:00 PM

Must be nice to be blessed by the gods of sporadic E Greg. The bands here are dead. Everything I've got is on 6M. The one station I heard on 2M, by the time I got the beam turned towards him he'd given up calling CQ. None of the locals that I usually count on for a few points are anywhere to be heard.

WA6MHZ

06-15-2008, 09:17 PM

6M just a little better than yesterday, very hard to pick out DX contacts, few and long and far between. Did get some double hop into E TX, LA and FLA, heard a 1 in MD but he went as fast as he came. A few 0s and a few more 5s. So I am taking a break, still alot of hours to go but condx still suck.
No Air condx in shack, fan doesn't help much. Long long waits between QSOs so this year is hurting bad. Atleast for SoCal. Sounds like most of the rest of the country is getting continious spectacular Es!

WA5VQM

06-15-2008, 09:28 PM

6 is dead here in North Texas at 2130Z but it was hopping earlier. Got Mexico twice. Hopefully it'll pick up later this evening like it did last night.

W0LPQ

06-15-2008, 10:32 PM

FL and TN still pounding in here.

TX does seem to have dropped off...

KC9ECI

06-16-2008, 12:16 AM

6M is one fickle mistress.

KC9ECI

06-16-2008, 12:33 AM

KI4ITV, thanks for the points on 6M!

KI4ITV

06-16-2008, 12:52 AM

KI4ITV, thanks for the points on 6M!

Hey, Thank you!
That opening only lasted for a few minutes here. Glad I was able to find you in the confusion.
:cool:
everything has cooled down again in FM17

kc4umo

06-16-2008, 01:27 AM

I logged around 80 contacts off and on today. Worked a lot of texas, some VA and a few in Florida. No telling how many I could had got if I stuck with it.

KC9ECI

06-16-2008, 01:29 AM

I'm sure I could have worked a few more than I did, but I stuck to the 5W QRP level. I know they don't have a QRP class, I wish they did.

kc4umo

06-16-2008, 01:35 AM

I'm sure I could have worked a few more than I did, but I stuck to the 5W QRP level. I know they don't have a QRP class, I wish they did.

5 watts eh? Man I ran full power myself. I gave her all she had. 10 watts.

KC9ECI

06-16-2008, 01:44 AM

I was uing the 706 so I'd have access to 2M and 70CM. I should have set the 703 up on 6M and the 706 on 2M but the way the bands were, I don't think it would have much mattered.

ka5s

06-16-2008, 01:46 AM

Between chores wandering into the house, ended up with 58 stations, 39 grids on 6. Fun, if not exactly (hah!) a contest score.

Cortland
KA5S EN72

AF9J

06-16-2008, 02:32 AM

I was uing the 706 so I'd have access to 2M and 70CM. I should have set the 703 up on 6M and the 706 on 2M but the way the bands were, I don't think it would have much mattered.

Tom,

You didn't miss much on 2. It's been so quiet, it isn't even funny. That's the one downer about the June VHF QSO party - if there is any hint of propogation on 6m, it basically becomes just a 6m contest, and the only reliable source you'll have for 2m & higher will be the multi-ops, and the Rovers. Most of the single ops will want to stay on 6 and work it dry. It's been like that as long as I've done this contest (since the late 80s). Last year was sort of an anomaly. Because 6 never really got around to doing its thing, there was more activity on the higher bands.

Me, I must have been on the northern edge of the Es propogation for this part of the country. I even checked the spots, and they were mainly from ops to the south of me. I know there's a half hour to go, but I'm on the verge of going QRT.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

WA5VQM

06-16-2008, 02:55 AM

It's been dead here the last hour or so on 6. I was hoping for a bit of a rally here at the end.

It's my first season on 6 and will say the 'test was a lot of fun.

73, Mark

WA6MHZ

06-16-2008, 03:01 AM

OK I quit 15 Min early. Had a wonderful pileup to the 7 area that lasted almost an hour! Sure is great and exciting to work all those 7s who are thrilled to work a 6! Heard alot that got away, had some interesting short skip to the Bay area and around which meant 2 meters could have been open too, but I was too busy on 6 to check. Some sigs were weird, like aiming towards Floirida to work the Bay area. (backscatter?) So I am dog tired, have something like 73 multipliers and who knows how many pages, maybe about 10 full of contacts. Will count it all up and see how I did. It is so tough to go up against these mountaintop stations with a house station, but we gave it a good try. It sure takes ARRL a long time to figure out the results Probably won't know who won until around next February!

NA5Z

06-16-2008, 03:37 AM

Went lights out here this evening... of course the storms that blew through didn't help the situation, but I can't complain. My goal this weekend was to work a lot of grids and boy howdy... This morning's opening was a handful!

When the bands apparently died off this evening, I also managed to somehow
scoop up a few islands for some DX grids.

But I definitely enjoyed it. Was hoping to see a stretch out to Cali, but maybe next time!

I'm hoping by next year's contest to have a new QTH and a tower up befitting a an honest VHF contest run. Where I live right now, even if there weren't trees towering over my pitiful little chimney mounted antenna, you still wouldn't see it from the end of the street. Let's just say all I was thinking about when I bought this place was the mighty large garage and shop area. :cool:

kc9lwc

06-16-2008, 05:07 AM

Contest Log:

Contacts (1)

K8GP - FM08 - (De EN44)

1st 6 meter contact ever via KB9PJL station in Elk Mound, WI. 7 element beam at 85 feet .... Thanks Bob. ...

KC9ECI

06-16-2008, 10:18 AM

KI4ITV

06-16-2008, 10:49 AM

K8PG was a huge signal here. Did you guys work any 2M? I turned the antennas to the North several times and called CQ on both 2 and 6 but got nothing. I didn't even hear Justin, K9MU and he's generally working from EN44 as well.

I really need to get some antennas up for 2/70. It was tiring telling the serious vhf/uhf stations "Only have sideband on 6m and down, Sorry". I just don't play around up there enough to justify the effort yet.

Hehe, I worked a guy up state from me who inquired about 2/70 and he asked if I had ANYTHING that worked up there. I told him about my larson magmount on the pie pan, and he said "lets try it, let's have some fun!"
So he aimed a 14 element 450W death ray at me to see if he could hit my pie pan from about 70 miles away. heheh...I could hear something but couldn't make it out. It was fun trying though and I enjoyed the effort.

I had fun in the test, even though conditions were sporadic at best, and 6m is always a pleasure when people are trying so hard to use it.

n2zpy

06-16-2008, 12:22 PM

This was my first VHF contest. Between all the other stuff to do this weekend I was able to work about 40 stations in 30 grids. All on 6M. Next year I will have a 13B2 up and be able to play on 2m as well. The band opened up a little from FN22 yesterday afternoon. Sat was not too great.

Kevin

KB2FCV

06-16-2008, 02:30 PM

I was able to put in several hours on 6 and 2 meters for the contest. I didn't hear as much as I did in the January contest.. but then again the nice weather, the Golf Masters, Fathers Day may have had something to do with less signals on the air... not to mention I am still using indoor antennas in my townhouse.

I definitely had fun with it. There were a few openings on 6, worked into Georgia. For the most part most of my QSOs were into CT, NY, PA and of course NJ on both 6 and 2 meters. About 3/4's of my QSO's were CW. I did end up having a very nice 45 min CW QSO on 6 - heh the last band I ever thought I would have a CW rag chew! The upcoming CQWW 6 and 2 meter contest is going to be a fun one, as our club will be taking part and will have a nice hilltop site!

73,
James KB2FCV

K3UD

06-16-2008, 02:42 PM

Very good conditions on 6 meters Sunday morning and into the afternoon. Pipeline to Florida and the west coast.

I did have a very interesting 2 meter contact. I noticed that 6 meter e skip had shortened to 400 - 450 miles to the north and west and decided to see if conditions on 2 meters was supporting E skip. I pointed my old Cushcraft 11 element beam to the west and immediately had contacts into south central New Mexico from EM66 to DM84. I don't think it was extended tropo over that path.

Very Interesting prorogation.

73
George
K3UD

kg4kww

06-16-2008, 03:36 PM

KC9ECI--Must be nice to be blessed by the gods of sporadic E Greg.

Tom, I worked all way to FN32 (Troy NY) on 2m ssb and 432 ssb and as far south as the FL panhandel on 6m ssb.

Funny thing is, on 6m I just used a dipole. I have a M2 6m beam on order, when it arrives it will go on the tower with the 2m and 432 beams.

I guess going to church on Sunday pays off. :)

K4GUN

06-16-2008, 03:47 PM

Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!

I'll be doing a full soapbox entry later, but I'll give a recap here. K4GUN/R opened 10 grids made 251 contacts and got 81 multipliers. This was my first ever experience with E-skp and I must say... I was shocked. I got bored working Texas stations. At several points, I didn't bother to work a few of them because I already had their grid and there were plenty of other stations in unique grids still calling on the band. I managed 30 mults on 6 meters, including Cuba, Arizona, MT, IL, MO, IL, TN, KS, OK, AR, FL and LA.

Ths signals were so strong that it didn't seem to matter where my moxon was pointed. I could be beaming North from the East coast of VA and still was getting S4 to S6 signals from Texas.

My moxon was eventually eaten by a roadside tree and I was left with a halo at a lower height. It still worked.

The other bands were OK, but I ran into a near dead zone in FM28. I think I'm done with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. Nobody will aim a beam this way. In the future, I'll concentrate on Skyline Drive and then head up the Northeast corridor where there are actually people to work.

I've still got to sort through the log, but it looks like I doubled the number of QSOs from January and more than trippled the total score. It was a hell of a good time.

WA6MHZ

06-16-2008, 03:49 PM

PHEW!!! Glad it is over, that was a long weekend in the shack with no Air Condx, but it worked out pretty well. Looks like I have 230 QSO points (210 contacts) with 74 multipliers for a score of 17020. I am sure all the East coast stations have many many times that, but we had to wait till Sunday night to get a decent opening, and I worked just about every 7 up there, but still only a smattering of contacts to the east. Did score a couple of FLA stations, a few TX and midwest stations and thats about it. Didn't do as well on 222 and 432 this year, think people didn't want to spend the gas to go to mountaintops.
If it hadn't been for the opening to the 7s, the contest would have officially sucked! But that openning made up for a long and tiring wait with really digging to score a very few contacts. Was pleased to work QRZ Regulars WA9SVD and WB2WIK, didn't recognize any other calls, maybe I worked some of you. Also great to work Mary N6VI, our SW Division vice Diector. If you worked DM12, you probably worked me or N6IEF, my primary competition. Mike was well ahead of me until the 7 land openning, don't know yet if that evened us up or if he pulled even farther ahead. I am still hurting for a decent 1296 station. I need one of these rigs like an Icom IC-1275 or such. No one could hear my 1W Icom IC-120. And my transverter didn't work. So I missed atleast a few extra multipliers by not making 1296 contacts, but in the June contest, the whole works really depends on how 6 does. For the January and Sept contests, thats when the higher bands really pay off.
So, did any one else out there hear WA6MHZ on 6? I sure was calling for you!!

EDIT: Update
RATS!!!!! N6IEF beat me by 3K!!! well, may be next year!

kg5un

06-16-2008, 09:22 PM

After being off of the air for about8 years or so I started putting a station together and of course, I waited until I moved into an apartment to do it! Anyway I picked up an 857D and an M2 loop for 6 meters and with the antenna indoors, the rig at about 25 watts I messed around and made 26 contacts in 18 grids over a couple hours of sporadic operating. FN44 was a surprise!!

Ed Maikranz
KG5UN
Abilene, TX
EM02

ka0sog

06-16-2008, 10:47 PM

WA6MHZ

06-16-2008, 11:09 PM

I don't have the greatest situation antenna location wise but I was still able to get on Sunday and make a few contacts on 6. There was a So. Cal. (K0DI maybe?) and a XE3 that I tried and tried but it wasn't in the stars or should I say in the atmosphere. My hops were stuck pretty much in the midwest due to station limits. None the less I had fun and hope to be a better contact for Field Day. Sometimes I think doing with less successfully has more reward than squirrel hunting with artillery.

I just got to get the KU4AB loop out of the attic!

Sure wish I had heard you, I would have even sent CW to you to make the QSO! I know, no one does CW anymore, but if I send it slow, it will come through and we could have made the QSO. I didn't call many cqs, thats why you didn't hear me. I am always tuning around looking to pounce on new ones. If you heard K0DI, who was in DM14, and the XE3, you had an E cloud to SoCal and we could have worked. I sure needed your Grid!!! And a DM12 might have brightened your day too. I have a 35ft beam aimed your way much of the event, and worked quite a few other 0s in your general vicinity, so we could have done it. Maybe next year. Call a CQ and I will come back to you.

WB2WIK

06-17-2008, 12:26 AM

Was pleased to work QRZ Regulars WA9SVD and WB2WIK, didn't recognize any other calls, maybe I worked some of you. Also great to work Mary N6VI, our SW Division vice Diector. If you worked DM12, you probably worked me or N6IEF, my primary competition.

::Good to work you, too. Big signal here in northwestern DM04.

I didn't stick around for any of the Es openings. My daughter's college graduation Sunday morning occupied us all of Sunday, and by the time we got home the contest was over.

Did work some XE2s, Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Luis Obispo, Fresno, stuff like that. Nothing at all farther -- just normal tropo in my 2 hours or so of "contesting." Hopefully next year I can be on all weekend, maybe from a portable hilltop site like Saddle Peak.

WB2WIK/6

KI4ITV

06-17-2008, 12:55 AM

I did some looking at the log today and the longest shot "as the crow flies" was to KE7V in CN88 Washington state (2300 mi) from my FM17 Virginia, just after I found Tom in EN44.
Then everything shut down here. Went from one of the longest possible shots in the continental US, I could possibly make....to nothing anywhere.
Amazing band.
:)

KC9ECI

06-17-2008, 02:10 AM

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2292/junevhfcontestji0.jpg

This is what it looked like from my location.

WA6MHZ

06-17-2008, 01:56 PM

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2292/junevhfcontestji0.jpg

This is what it looked like from my location.

That is really a great map!!! Wonder how you surimposed all those calls on there llike that? Great great graphics. Most of the contest, the E cloud just wouldn't make it over Arizona into SoCal, only late Sunday afternoon did if finally squeak through and then for a smattering of contacts. Early Sunday morning, I could hear bursts of signals, but not long enough to make a contact. Almost like they were meteor bursts. The farthest I heard East was a 1 station in a grid that covered the Baltimore area. He was on a burst too, too short to work. The E's can be as frustrating as they are exciting. I listened to LA area stations working all kinds of Midwest and East coast while we weren't getting a peep down here in San Diego. Sometimes even a few miles makes a difference. N6IEF worked a few stations I couldn't hear and he is only about 10 miles West of me. Maybe Altitude is fickle too. I, at 1650 ft, sometimes couldn't work stations he was working at 500 ft. I was out looking at the hardware this morning before coming to work, and found I have another 18 element 432 beam, so maybe if I stack those, I can squeak out a few more dB of gain. Of course, the more metal you put up, the harder it falls when the wind blows the array down, but that is the price for a few more contacts in the log. I looked at the M2 website for another 2 meter beam, and it looks like I would have to pay over $300 for it! The beam I want is the 2M8WLHD, but it has a 55ft boom!!!! (17dB gain though!) That is just too big! They have the 2M5WL on a 33' boom, that might be more reasonable. (14.7dB gain) and the 2M18XXX on a 36' boom (15 db gain) Not sure the extra .3dB gain is worth another $50! I would loose that in coax runs! So, that is another point to consider in antennas. And it is Antennas that win the contest, not the radio. Currently I have old RG-8 running up to the 6 and 2 meter beams, and RG-8X to the UHF stuff. Replacing all that coax (hundreds and hundreds of feet) would buy many dB of gain but cost hundreds of dollars too. Looks like LMR-400 or so is the way to go. (RG-9913 has water problems) I also have some Mast mounted preamps that might help, though I worked everyone I heard on 2 and up. I have a Landwehr preamp for 2 and 432, but they take fancy switching and another run of cable for power. So there are alot of upgrades that would help in this contest, but how much will it cost to squeak out a few more contacts? The June VHF contest is won on Sporadic E, the others on 2M and up.

KC9ECI

06-17-2008, 04:44 PM

I used the N3FJP software to log the contest. When the contest was over, I exported it as an adif file, imported that in to Ham Radio Deluxe, and sent it to Google Earth. Then just saved the image.

K4GUN

06-17-2008, 04:59 PM

I uploaded some pics.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e217/cliffy109/June%2008%20VHF%20contest/IMG_0177.jpg

Started the day at Skyline Drive in FM08

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e217/cliffy109/June%2008%20VHF%20contest/IMG_0184.jpg

had to make some adjutments at a truck stop in FM07 after the moxon hit a few overhead branches (later lost the reflector in Delaware)

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e217/cliffy109/June%2008%20VHF%20contest/IMG_0173.jpg

Wires, swtiches, transverter and amps. The 746 Pro was only used with the transverter on 222. Most of the work was done on the 7000 in the front console.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e217/cliffy109/June%2008%20VHF%20contest/IMG_0188.jpg

Beautiful day at the CBBT in FM16/17/27

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e217/cliffy109/June%2008%20VHF%20contest/IMG_0190.jpg

Me and my co-pilot KJ4ELW in FM29.

WA6MHZ

06-17-2008, 05:53 PM

WOW! Thats an OUTSTANDING Rover setup!!! Congrats on a great job running all those rare grids. Nothing around California is that rare, except maybe DM22 and DM23. But looking out West, there are several Unobtanium grids I am sure folks would just DIE for!! DM02, DM01, DM00, DM10 and DM11 are all within an easy boat ride of San Diego and thats the only way to get to most of those. DM10 and 11 also have part of Baja in them, so that might not be so rare. Even CM90, and CM91 are doable if we had a fast boat. All are within 2 and 432 range of all the San Diego, Santa Barbara and LA area so not just 6M for the rest of the country. So I need a boat, a FAST Cruiser to get out to these Ultra-Rare grids and get them on the air in a June contest. Anyone have a spare boat?

K4GUN

06-17-2008, 06:13 PM

Funny story on Skyline Drive. That road is part of the Appalachian trail. While I was sitting there, an older guy knocked on my window. I'd been answering questions all afternoon so I figured it was just another curious tourist. The guy was hiking the trail and had been for quite some time. He had made it all the way from Georgia where he had undergone a 6 way bypass surgery.

The OM introduced himself as Dennis, K1YPP. He knew what I was doing and we chatted for several minutes. As he was leaving, I asked him if he had an HT with him. He did, but back at his camp. I asked him to call me on a simplex frequency that I was monitoring and he was happy to add to my score. He hiked away and I thought his camp must be a ways away, but just 1 minute after snapping this picture, my dual band squawked "K4GUN from K1YPP".

If anybody knows Dennis, he's doing quite well.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e217/cliffy109/June%2008%20VHF%20contest/IMG_0183.jpg

kg4kww

06-17-2008, 06:51 PM

K4GUN, I heard a station on 6m Sunday work your rover however, I didn't hear you. I worked the station you worked that was in FL on 6m.

Didn't hear you on 2m or 432 ssb

K4GUN

06-17-2008, 06:59 PM

K4GUN, I heard a station on 6m Sunday work your rover however, I didn't hear you. I worked the station you worked that was in FL on 6m.

Didn't hear you on 2m or 432 ssb

I was hoping to run into you. You wouldn't think FM17 would be rare, but I didn't get it on 6 and only one station on 144, 222 and 432. You would have been a mult for me from anywhere.

WA7KKP

06-17-2008, 07:33 PM

Wow, what a band opening . . .

I copied wall-to-wall signals from 50.1 to 50.3+ (my vfo quits there) and heard more activity, more than 20 meters of days gone by. Even with my QRP and a dipole, I did work about a dozen stations, including Idaho, from my home outside St. Joseph, MO.

I was a bit miffed though, about one ham. While listening to XE2WWW work a pileup, he did a pretty lame whistle right on frequency . . . thank goodness he wasn't a serious QRM threat. It was just the fact that he was doing it that bothered me. I'm sure others heard it and agree with me.

Can't wait to do it again, but this time with a little extra ragchewing for good measure. I don't really care for contests, but this one was nice, with God's help and the E layer of the ionosphere doing the work.

Gary WA7KKP

10 watts from MFJ-9406 into a twinlead folded dipole.
Who says QRP can't be fun?