WW7D/R Limited Rover. Grids activated: CN76 CN77 CN85 CN86 CN87 CN88 CN95 CN96 CN97 CN98
This was a terrific contest, with good VHF conditions, but lacking in
Es. The weather was almost perfect, so that the high-elevation
rover spots were snow-free. The one negative was
competition with an NFL playoff gave, with the home town team playing
for a Superbowl spot. But fixed stations were quite good about
returning to the airwaves during breaks in the action.
My full write-up is here: http://tinyurl.com/WW7DJanVHF14
K5QE Limited Multi-Operator. Operators: K5QE N5KDA K5MQ KN5O KE5VKZ N5YA AE5VB K5YG N5NU K5AIH AF5JA
Conditions were really bad. Our only bright spots were digital MS and EME.
K7ATN Single-Operator Portable: What a great time! My first VHF Contest...it won't be the last!
N6ZE/R Rover: Pete,
N6ZE, & Woodie, KJ6VZC, operated as a Rover Station during the January 2014
ARRL VHF Contest. N6ZE/Rover activated 7 grids from Southern California and made
134 contacts on the 6 meter, 2 meter, 135 centimeter, 70 centimeter, and 33
centimeter bands. 134 QSOs were made. Best 6 meter DX was with KA5WZY (EL18).
Best 2 meter DX was from DM05 - CM98 (KC6WZT) at 295 miles. During this contest, we used the 33cmband (902
MHz) for the first time and made 3 QSOs. Equipment included an FT897 for
6/2/70, an TM331 for 135cm (223.5 MHz FM), and an ALINCO handheld for33cm
(902.1 MHz FM). In motion, whip antennas were used, while we utilized short 2m
& 70cm yagis in grids DM12 & DM15 in addition to a 6m whip and 135cm
whip antenna. N6ZE/R experienced perfect winter weather: clear skies, light winds,
& midday temperature of 80 degrees. During 21 hours of activity, we drove
804 miles during the 2 day contest and even got to sample Dunkin Donuts at
their only West Coast location.
KE7IHG/R Limited Rover. Grids Activated: CN76 CN77 CN85 CN86 CN87 CN88 CN96 CN97 CN98
Best result yet!
KI7JA Single-Operator High Power: Mediocre conditions, but quite a bit of activity.
KX7L Single-Operator 3 Band: Not much in the way of Es, but the tropo
conditions seemed good. Several solid QSO's down into th There were a
slew of rovers out there, but I only managed to snag a few of
them. I got exactly the same # of QSO's as last year, but two
fewer mults. Looking forward to June!
VE7DAY Single-Operator Low Power: Again not many on, but fun.
K7BWH/R Limited Rover. Grids Activated: CN72 CN73 CN74 CN75
I operated as Rover in the Oregon coast grids of CN72, CN73, CN74 and
CN75 on Jan 18-19 using 50, 144, 220 and 432 MHz. This was pack roving
(if you can call "two" a pack) with Rod WE7X /R. (ARRL rules allow up
to 100 contacts with a single station.) It was great to have help
wrangling a big antenna setup in the remote coastal area. Thank
goodness he was along or I would've had great difficulty raising the
antenna system. Plus, we circled a grid corner to activate CN84 and
CN85. I made about 100 contacts and 62 of them were with WE7X /R. My
longest contact was 325 miles from Cape Blanco State Park CN72 to Paul
K7CW in Seattle CN87. Weather: Conditions were excellent for January
but still cold: sunny days in the 40s and nights in the 30s with steady
coastal breezes. But this is actually quite chilly for operating
outdoors at the back of the truck and I felt like a popsicle for two
days; I can't imagine this trip in severe winter weather. Distance: I
love driving these resort destinations when traffic is so light. The
total trip was 1042 miles from Seattle and back over five days and it
went smoothly, averaging 1.9 contacts per gallon. New gear: A new 6m5x
and new aluminum mast worked well but setup and teardown each took an
hour which cut into operating time. The 6m5x is a big cannon for
pummeling propagation into submission, but any antenna with an 18' boom
doesn't make a nimble rover setup. A new 12v automotive battery worked
like a charm in the back of my truck. Next: The plan was to activate
two grids/day from semi-rare locations. This turned out to be pretty
ambitious for the time allowed. Next time, I want to try a one grid/day
trip and have more on-the-air time and add meteor scatter ops.
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