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KK6MC/r rove in CQ WW VHF
James Duffey
Here is my schedule for the CQ WW VHF contest.
Saturday July 17, 2021 1800Z - 1930Z DM54 near Ventana Arch (DM54wp for better aiming) 2030Z - 2200Z DM64 Sandstone Bluffs overlook (DM64bw for aiming) 2300Z - 0100Z - DM55 Prewitt exit pullout top of ridge (DM55xh for aiming) Then I will head home, perhaps with a stop on 9 mile hill (DM65) if band is open or to make a few local QSOs. That would be about 0300Z Sunday July 18, 2021 1500Z - 1630 Z DM64 Moriarity Airport (DM64xa for aiming) 1700Z - 1900 Z DM75 I40 Westbound rest area (DM75ba for aiming) 1930Z - 2100Z DM74 Torrance county dump access road (DM74bx for aiming) Times are approximate. Exact arrival and departure times will depend on activity. I have my WSJT-X issues fixed, so I will operate FT4 (preferably, but doubtfully), FT8 (probably due to activity), CW, & SSB. I will try to go to SSB on the hour and CW on the half hour. I will also go to CW & SSB when the band is open. For locals, I will QSY to 144MHz after we contact on 6M, if you have 2M capability. - Duffey KK6MC James Duffey KK6MC Cedar Crest NM |
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Re: AA5PR/R roving for contest
Ed
Will be looking for you. Thanks for roaming --
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Re: AA5PR/R roving for contest
Bill
Good luck John.
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B On Jul 15, 2021, at 11:33 PM, John Klem <klemjf@...> wrote:
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AA5PR/R roving for contest
John Klem
I'll be roving for the contest this weekend. Here's a rough schedule, subject to changes related to 6 m band conditions. I'll have both 6 m and 2 m with 100 W and yagis.
Saturday I'll be looking for local contacts on 144.200 and 50.135 +/- first. 1800-1900Z DM65, either my driveway or 9-Mile Hill 2030-2130 DM75 (I-40 rest stop east of Moriarty) 2230-~0300 DM74. Initially, I'll be operating from western DM74 with a decent shot into ABQ. If I exhaust local contacts from that spot and 6 m is otherwise dead, I'll move way east in DM74 for the rest of the day. Sunday These are tough spots for ABQ-area contacts, but you might catch me on FT8 or MSK144 on 6. If anyone wants to try FT8 or CW on 2 m please send me a private reply. 1400-1700 DM84 1830-2100 DM85 John, AA5PR/R |
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W3DHJ/R CQ WW VHF DM77-78-87-88
The current prediction is for temps to be in the mid to upper 90's.
That'll be a wee bit better than ARRL JUN VHF... I'll be doing DM88 - DM87 - DM77 - DM78, in that sequence on Sat. I'll be doing DM78 - DM77 - DM87 - DM88, in that sequence on Sun.If Saturday shows it to be just an FT4/FT8 Computer Contest, I will probably blow off any Sunday operations. More details: https://w3dhj.net/vhfrover_plans.php 73 Jonesy -- Marvin L Jones | W3DHJ | W3DHJ | https://W3DHJ.net/ Pueblo, Colorado | @ | Jonesy | __ linux FreeBSD 38.238N 104.547W | jonz.net | DM78rf | 73 SK |
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Re: VHF contest experiences?
KC7QY
Hi Bruce, Sorry for the late reply. I had about the same experience that the others have reported. Saturday was fairly steady. Sunday not so much. Mostly 6M FT8 but did pick up 4 CW and 4 SSB in about 20 minutes on Saturday evening. Heard nothing the several other times I did check 6 SSB/CW. Only two Qs on each of 144 and 432; Duffey and Mark K5AM. I did get distracted a bit chasing the Cashews through WY for new grids though. One comment if you are writing this up. I came across a few 6M FT8 stations calling CQ REST and then replying with funny little numbers (signal reports). Apparently there some that need training in using WSJT contest mode. Band Mode QSOs Pts Grd Pt/Q 50 CW 4 4 0 1.0 50 FT8 107 107 63 1.0 50 MSK1 7 7 5 1.0 50 USB 4 4 1 1.0 144 CW 1 1 1 1.0 144 USB 1 1 1 1.0 420 CW 1 2 1 2.0 420 USB 1 2 1 2.0 Total Both 126 128 73 1.0 Score : 9,344 Jim KC7QY
On Friday, June 18, 2021, 06:24:29 AM MDT, Bruce Draper <bruceaa5b@...> wrote:
Several of you went out roving or expeditioning for the contest last weekend (WØAMT, N7GP, AA5PR, KK6MC, ...), and probably others operated from home. How'd it go?
-Bruce AA5B/3 |
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Re: VHF contest experiences?
My Rovering in S.E. Colorado was relatively unremarkable.
However, I was quite surprised at the number of Rovers I logged on 6 meters! Probably more that I've encountered - in total - over the past 2-3 years. 73
Jonesy
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Marvin L Jones | W3DHJ | W3DHJ | https://W3DHJ.net/
Pueblo, Colorado | @ | Jonesy | __ linux FreeBSD
38.238N 104.547W | jonz.net | DM78rf | 73 SK
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Re: VHF contest experiences?
I worked from the south end of DM66 (DM66na83) on Saturday. Was able to work almost everyone I heard. I tried 6m but with 20 watts and SSB it was a no-go, except a single contact with KK6MC on the Crest. My 222 transverter was able to hear well, and had good copy on the folks up there, but doesn't seem to transmit well, so a project for another time. Without digital on 6m, not much point in even taking the antenna, since it seems like the SSB area is vacant or sparse. Definitely need to work on my CW for future contests; not super confident in my accuracy for contest purposes.
All in all, a good time. Not quite as many contacts as I got from Madgelena Ridge in DM63 last year, but VLA is running experiments on 222 and 432, so asked not to use those bands (and anything higher) within line-of-site of their dishes. That's what drove my move to DM66. May shop around for other sites for Sept. -Kyle KC0LFQ |
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Re: VHF contest experiences?
Michael Daly
The contest came second as our search and rescue group was watching out for a 24 hour bike race at McGaffey, about 13 miles east of Gallup. I shared the Comm unit with another ham. Sunday after the contest I attempted to contact Duffey on 2 with a 7 element beam from the McGaffey area but no go. Kind of interesting, I was running 100 watts on cw with no contact, yet my handheld with 5 watts and a 5/8 wave vertical was able to bring up the 34/94 repeater on Sandia Crest, just above Duffey’s location. I went home and we tried again on 6, 2 and 432 finally making 1 contact on 432. Tough conditions apparently. Mike, n5sj
From: main@nmvhf.groups.io <main@nmvhf.groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike WB2FKO
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2021 7:53 AM To: main@nmvhf.groups.io Subject: Re: [nmvhf] VHF contest experiences?
I was at the K5QE limited multi-op (6/2/222/432) in EM31 (Texas) and spent most of the time on 6m. The Es was not very good for most of Saturday, but FT8 worked nicely in the marginal conditions yielding plenty of multipliers. Exactly what it was designed for. We had a nice ssb run on Sunday morning when I was sleeping. I stayed up the entire previous night working MSK144 meteor scatter and it was very productive. I also made about a dozen FT4 QSOs during the contest when conditions allowed and activity was there. We did work a few NM grids, but propagation was largely into the east coast and midwest, at least when I was operating. Lost the 6m amplifier just 8 minutes into the contest, but they had a direct replacement installed and running within 20 minutes! It was like watching an Indy pit stop. This is a SERIOUS operation. We still wound up with 208 grids on 6m. Mike WB2FKO EL89 On 6/18/21 8:24 AM, Bruce Draper wrote:
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Re: VHF contest experiences?
Tom N7GP
I went to DM31 at 5 am before contest to try to help a few that need that grid for FFMA,, on 6 meter..
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To my surprised the band was open and in great shape until 4 pm,so that was a BIG plus for me,, Sunday a bust on 6 meters,, and even with our rover swarm here in AZ,, it was SO HOT 117 degrees,,it was all we could do do try to get any propagation on the bands above 1.2 ghz,, it was hard on all of , equipment AND bodies... Glad I had a good run in DM31!! Tom N7GP/R On 2021-06-18 14:20, John Klem wrote:
Saturday was a pretty good day. I was able to work quite a few in all |
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Re: VHF contest experiences?
John Klem
Saturday was a pretty good day. I was able to work quite a few in all directions on 6 m FT8 from the DM56/66 line south of Bloomfield, then moved to just DM66 for more. I had a few SSB QSOs to 6 land in the evening, but despite huge signals just couldn't sustain that. I came home, got 4 hours sleep, and then drove to the DM85/86 line between Tucumcari and Clayton for a late start Sunday. Things were much tougher there, with marginal conditions on 6 m and almost no cell service. I was informed by a polite but humorless rancher that the first spot I operated from, which I thought was a county road, was a private road. The second spot was right next to power lines that were somewhat noisy. To top it off, my 6 m antenna developed an electrical problem (that I haven't yet had the right combination of time and courage to fully investigate) that required me to quit in the late afternoon. I had zero QSOs above 6 m, which is a real problem considering the additional effort required to carry antennas for 2 and 432. So I will be addressing that one way or another in future contests. 161 QSO points, 83 multipliers, 13,363 points, give or take. John, AA5PR/R
On 6/18/2021 6:24 AM, Bruce Draper
wrote:
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Re: VHF contest experiences?
James Duffey
Summary:
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Band QSOs SSB CW Mults -------------------––––––––– 6: 44 34 10 21 2: 9 8 1 3 222: 432: 12 11 1 5 ------------------–––––––––––––––––––––––––– Total: 65 53 12 29 Total Score = 2,233 Trying to attempt different things in the VHF/UHF contest, so I did a SOP operation instead of my usual rove, which has been on hiatus during the pandemic. Eventually I want to mount a full out SOP effort, but thought I would try a dry run, not too far from home, with my rover setup. I set up on the Sandia Crest, which is a tough RFI & intermod environment. I had surplus cavity filters for 2m and 70 cm which helped a lot. 50MHz had a few problems with weak intermod, but it was possible to work around them without a big impact to the score. 2M with the filter was good, but I didn’t think I was getting out as well as I thought I should. Not use what the problem is. 432 was also good on Sunday, but on Saturday I had serious intermod problems. Not sure what the difference was, but I parked a bit further away from the tower farm on Sunday. 222MHZ was useless with a 10dB over 9 noise level. People could hear me, but I couldn't hear them. Very frustrating, but now I know I need to get a filter for 222MHz for serious work from where I would like to operate. I had intended to run the WSJT digital modes to see how they worked with QRP, but I had problems with both computers, one hardware and one software, so that was out. I think I missed out on a lot of grids by not having that capability; so that also goes on the list of things to improve. I could receive OK, and on that basis, I think if I had been active on FT8 I could have doubled my score or better. I had some short and weak Es openings, but there was not a lot of activity on SSB and CW to match the openings. It is a sign of the digital times I guess. I got out better than I thought I would with QRP, and only on occasion did I have to resort to CW to work an SSB station when I was weak there. But, there seemed to be fewer SSB OPs that were willing to do cross mode QSOs than in he past. On my attempt to work a fairly strong multi-multi station on CW when they were on SSB, I got a "please try us later when there will be a different operator who knows CW." OK, I get it, I am becoming an anachronism. I was pleased with the score and feel more confident with a future more serious SOP effort. According to the ARRL.org web page, it is a new NM record, but I think that their record stats only go back as far as there are digital logs, to 2002, and that there was a bigger score put up in the 90s. I will probably be back for a full scale rove in the July CQ WW VHF contest. - Duffey James Duffey KK6MC Cedar Crest NM On Jun 18, 2021, at 06:24, Bruce Draper <bruceaa5b@...> wrote:
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Re: VHF contest experiences?
Mike WB2FKO
I was at the K5QE limited multi-op (6/2/222/432) in EM31 (Texas)
and spent most of the time on 6m. The Es was not very good for
most of Saturday, but FT8 worked nicely in the marginal conditions
yielding plenty of multipliers. Exactly what it was designed for.
We had a nice ssb run on Sunday morning when I was sleeping. I
stayed up the entire previous night working MSK144 meteor scatter
and it was very productive. I also made about a dozen FT4 QSOs
during the contest when conditions allowed and activity was there.
We did work a few NM grids, but propagation was largely into the
east coast and midwest, at least when I was operating. Lost the 6m amplifier just 8 minutes into the contest, but they
had a direct replacement installed and running within 20 minutes!
It was like watching an Indy pit stop. This is a SERIOUS
operation. We still wound up with 208 grids on 6m. Mike WB2FKO EL89 On 6/18/21 8:24 AM, Bruce Draper wrote:
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VHF contest experiences?
Bruce Draper <bruceaa5b@...>
Several of you went out roving or expeditioning for the contest last weekend (WØAMT, N7GP, AA5PR, KK6MC, ...), and probably others operated from home. How'd it go? -Bruce AA5B/3 |
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New Mexico QSO Party -- 2021 Results posted
Brian Mileshosky
Greetings — The 2021 New Mexico QSO Party, which took place last April, was another great success and results have been posted! Hams from all over New Mexico, the United States, and the world took to HF, 6 meters, and 2 meters for a day of fun and enjoyment. This was a record breaking year in terms of logs submitted, which we attribute to better propagation, hams rediscovering the magic of radio throughout a year of COVID restrictions (thankfully on the outs), and the super fun State QSO Party Challenge. A huge thank you goes to the members and leadership of the Taos Amateur Radio Club who sponsored this year's event, as well as to the individuals and clubs who sponsored this year's plaque awards. And, of course, to every person and ham club who participated in the QSO Party. Here are some statistics from this year's event: — Logs submitted: 320 (Most ever) — Total NMQP QSOs logged: 10,197 — Unique New Mexico stations logged: 90 — New Mexico logs submitted: 60 — New Mexico club affiliations reported in logs: 15 — New Mexico counties activated: 32 of 33 (DEB appears not to have been activated) — US states logged: 50 of 50 — Canadian provinces logged: 6 of 13 — Countries/DXCC entities logged: 29 Complete results, broken down by operating category and special awards can be found under the "Results" link at www.newmexicoqsoparty.org Photos contributed by those who participated have also been posted and can be viewed by clicking on the “Photos” link. Congratulations to all! Plaques and participant certificates will be produced and delivered in the coming weeks. The New Mexico QSO Party returns on the second Saturday of April 2022 -- we hope you and your club will join the fun. 73, Brian N5ZGT |
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Re: KK6MC in June VHF/UHF Contest
James Duffey
OK Mike, is that Saturday or Sunday?
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On Jun 11, 2021, at 14:14, Michael Daly <arrowengineering1@...> wrote: |
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W0AMT in the June VHF Contest
I am going to Mount Sedgwick (W5N/CO-001) on Saturday. The grid is DM55we. I plan to be on at the start of the contest and will stay for a couple hours weather depending. I am hoping to work into Arizona from there. I will setup somewhere in the south valley or southeast mesa on Sunday. Most likely DM64qx. I will finish the contest in my backyard which is DM65rd. I will have 6, 2, 222, and 432 QRP. I will use a PAR Moxon for 6, Dual band Elk Antenna for 2 and 432, and a 4 element WA5VJB for 222. 73, Jon W0AMT |
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Re: KK6MC in June VHF/UHF Contest
Michael Daly
Jim,
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Our Search and Rescue Group is working at a 24 hour bike race at McGaffey, SE of Gallup [35°22'45"N, 108°31'41"W] In free time I will attempt to operate 144/432 SSB/CW. I calculate the bearing from Sandia Crest to McGaffey N84°W. My location will not be ideal. But we can try. Cell phone and email should be working. Mike, N5SJ Michael Daly 1408 Linda Drive Gallup, NM 87301-5616 Cell: 505-870-3430 e-mail: arrowengineering1@... -----Original Message-----
From: main@nmvhf.groups.io <main@nmvhf.groups.io> On Behalf Of James Duffey Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2021 4:32 PM To: NM VHF <nmvhf@groups.io>; azvhf@azvhf.groups.io; AOCC List Server <AOCC@...> Subject: [nmvhf] KK6MC in June VHF/UHF Contest I am going to try something different this contest. I will be operating QRP Portable from the Crest. I will operate from the lower parking lot on Saturday and from the upper parking lot on Sunday. The lower parking lot is likely to be less crowded on Saturday, but paths to the west are limited. On Sunday I can probably get to the crest early enough to get a parking spot on the upper lot, which has much better paths to the west. I will operate 50MHz to 1296MHz, 10 W per band, SSB, CW, FT8, FT4, and, optimistically, MSK144. Yagis on all bands. This is practice for a more ambitious effort at a later date. - Duffey KK6MC James Duffey KK6MC Cedar Crest NM |
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Re: KK6MC in June VHF/UHF Contest
James Duffey
Sandia Crest, DM65se. We should be able to work on Saturday and Sunday.
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James Duffey KK6MC Cedar Crest NM On Jun 10, 2021, at 16:54, Jonesy W3DHJ via groups.io <mailserver@...> wrote: |
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Re: KK6MC in June VHF/UHF Contest
On Thu, 10 Jun 2021, James Duffey wrote:
I am going to try something different this contest.OK... WTH is "The Crest"? --- so I know where to point my halo(s). HI!HI! Jonesy -- Marvin L Jones | W3DHJ | W3DHJ | https://W3DHJ.net/ Pueblo, Colorado | @ | Jonesy | __ linux FreeBSD 38.238N 104.547W | jonz.net | DM78rf | 73 SK |
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