2 <title>CODE Rover Report - 1999-06 </title>
5 <center><h1> June 1999 ARRL VHF </h1></center>
8 ARRL put 1998 rover scores in 1999 contest results!
10 Correction expected in a future QST...
13 <h2> Bdale's Report </h2>
15 We had big plans for this contest, until John discovered at the last minute
16 that he needed to be out of town on business. He had built a DEM 222
17 transverter and DSFO 222 antenna, and I had put together a DEM 903 transverter
18 for which John crafted another Kent Britain-style yagi for me. Stephen had
19 gotten excited and had been working on a pair of 10Ghz WBFM stations using
20 some of the gear I had sitting around from the old microwave packet experiment
21 days, and we were even talking about running two rovers and catching some more
22 grids out east into Kansas...
24 Once it was clear that John wasn't going to be available, we punted 222 Mhz,
25 and Stephen and I consolidated gear into one rover run in my usual vehicle.
27 Despite everything, we achieved the highest score yet for N3EUA/R, 8580 points
32 I can't say enough good things about the folks at
33 <a href="http://www.downeastmicrowave.com/"> Down East Microwave </a>,
34 and W6OAL. I underestimated just how hostile the TS-790A was going to be
35 towards transverters, and ordered a TIB-CK transverter interface box from DEM
36 fairly late in the game. They came through just in time for me to get the 902
37 pieces integrated and ready for the weekend. Dave put up with some email and
38 phone calls as I stumbled through getting the transverter performing at
39 something near rated TX output. Good people, all.
43 We nearly got started on time, but not quite. Our first contact was made from
44 my driveway about an hour into the contest, and it was another 2.5 hours or so
45 before we were set up at our first site in DM89. We had taken the time to
46 install the 2m omni in addition to the 6m omni fixed on the Trooper. It was
47 a good thing, because the weather out east was miserable, and we never got
48 the gain antennas up at all on Saturday! We had also punted making a taller
49 6m antenna mount due to not having enough time, and that probably worked to
50 our advantage as well... with all the rain, it would have been annoying taking
51 it down and putting it up.
55 We went to our usual rover location in DM89, but a storm cell was threatening
56 from the south, and so we decided to drive north farther into DM89. We
58 hilltop just east of the grid line and farther north than we've ever operated
59 in DM89 (almost to I-70!), trying to get out from under the weather... it
60 looked nice to the northeast, and scary in every other direction. We made a
61 few contacts on 6m and 2m, the highlight being our first EL16 contact on 6m,
62 just seconds before lightning struck the adjacent ridge maybe as much as
63 a half mile east of us! Needless to say, we shut down and got off the hill
68 Sitting at the bottom of the hill, I was struck by the fact that with the rain
69 going as hard as it was, we might well end up having to choose between a
70 possible lightning strike on the hills, or a flash flood in the bottoms. It
71 was that kind of day. Stephen was undauntable, though, and thought maybe it
72 looked lighter to the south, so we drove down into DM88 seeing if we could get
73 south of the cell. We more or less succeeded way south of where we normally
74 operate from. We managed about 8 contacts before the rain started pouring
75 again, and we decided to give up. It was pretty clear that most of the home
76 stations nearby with hot antennas were shut down due to the storms, and there
77 just weren't many folks to talk to.
81 Somewhere in there, the right windshield wiper on the Trooper broke and quit
82 moving. Fortunately, the one on the driver's side kept going, so it could have
83 been worse. Of course, I got totally soaked, despite my "Barney suit" (a big
84 purple poncho), while trying to see if it was easily fixable. Oh well.
88 I wandered out to the driveway on the way to bed and made a few more contacts
89 from DM79. So, all told, we operated from three grids on Saturday, but made
90 very few contacts and only a couple that were "interesting".
94 Sunday morning, Steve showed up fairly early, and we spent some time trying to
95 find a good operating position in DM78 near the house. I live in DM79pa,
96 which is just north of the grid line. Experience has shown that DM79 is less
97 exciting to the DX contacts than DM78, so we figured we might have more fun
98 parking for a long sit in DM78 than in DM79, but after Saturday's weather, we
99 weren't really interested in going far from home. We ended up in the parking
100 lot of the new community college branch on highway 83 north of Colorado
101 Springs. It was a pretty good location, though shaded to the north by
102 Monument Hill. On the higher bands, we were very successful working north by
103 bouncing off Pikes Peak, so we were more than happy there.
107 In less time than it took for us to get the antennas up and get on the air,
108 a Colorado Springs Police unit rolled up to see who we were and what we were
109 doing. After a quick explaination and show-and-tell, the officer told us we
110 were welcome to stay there, and that he'd make sure the word got passed so we
111 wouldn't be bothered again. He couldn't have been nicer.
115 Steve's wife and son showed up around lunch time with sandwiches, so we took
116 a much-needed break and played show-and-tell. The break was needed because
117 6m was wide-open, and I was "working the pileup", logging about as fast as I
118 could write for a short while. It was fun being accused on the air of having
119 a kilowatt and a big yagi, when in fact we had maybe 150 watts into an OAL omni
120 about 4' above my Trooper's roof. :-)
124 The absolute highlight this time was working W3XO on 6m. Bill and I have been
125 close associates in AMSAT for several years now, and he and his wife have been
126 to my house for BBQ. However, this was our first over-the-air contact on any
127 band and any mode ever... and for it to happen during a 6m opening during a
128 contest was really exciting for both of us! Close behind that would be the
129 4 33cm contacts. It was really exciting having the new gear work so well, and
130 getting my first-ever contacts on that band.
134 Good things this time included the new power-on indicator I added to the
135 Teletec 6m amp, and the 903 stuff "just working". This was my first big 6m
136 opening with decent equipment, and that was very exciting. The bad stuff
137 definitely starts with the weather on Saturday. We were also disappointed
138 that Steve's 10Ghz stuff didn't quite work. We could talk in one direction,
139 but the microphone preamp on one unit wasn't working, and so we were not able
140 to complete a QSO, despite some last minute hacking in the parking lot, and
141 some even more last minute hacking in my basement after we got home. Finally,
142 we really shouldn't try to run the long 2m yagi when roving... it's just too
143 heavy and twisty. The 4-element yagi gets us what we need a lot more easily.
147 We both had fun, and are looking forward to the next one!
149 <h2> Stephen's Photos </h2>
151 My apologies, these should probably be gamma-corrected (they're a bit dark),
152 but I just don't have time right now. Turn up the brightness on your monitor.
154 These are from Saturday, before we started out:
156 <li> <a href="Roll-1/AUT_0001.JPG"> Putting It Together at Bdale's House </a>
157 <li> <a href="Roll-1/AUT_0002.JPG"> 6m Olde Antenna Labs Antenna Close-Up </a>
158 <li> <a href="Roll-1/AUT_0003.JPG"> Antennas Getting Ready </a> <br>
159 The 23cm homebrew antenna is in the upper left, the homebrew 33cm to
160 its right, the Portapol mast is in the lower left, and the monster 2m
161 12-element yagi knocked down to three sections is on the lower right.
162 <li> <a href="Roll-1/AUT_0004.JPG"> Working on the Feedline Bundle </a>
163 <li> <a href="Roll-1/AUT_0005.JPG"> Almost Ready to Go </a> <br>
164 Shows the 2m omni mounted towards the front of the roof, the 6m omni
165 near the back, and the 2m yagi sections stacked and duct-taped to the
167 <li> <a href="Roll-1/AUT_0006.JPG"> Another Angle </a> <br>
168 Note the utter lack of mud on the Trooper... sigh.
170 No operating pictures from Saturday. It basically rained on us the whole time,
171 so we ran just the omni antennas and stayed mostly inside the Trooper. Sunday
174 <li> <a href="Roll-1/AUT_0007.JPG"> All Antennas Up, and Ready to Rock! </a>
175 <li> <a href="Roll-1/AUT_0008.JPG"> View Up from the "Armstrong" Position </a>
176 <li> <a href="Roll-1/AUT_0009.JPG"> Bdale, Taking a Break </a> <br>
177 Cheyenne Mountain is directly behind the support for the 6m antenna,
178 Pikes Peak just past the right edge of the frame.
179 <li> <a href="Roll-1/AUT_0010.JPG"> Another Angle </a> <br>
180 This shows where we were located, in the NE corner of the parking lot
181 of the new Community College branch off Highway 83 outside Colorado
182 Springs. It also gives a sense of scale for the 2m yagi... what a
184 <li> <a href="Roll-1/AUT_0011.JPG"> Same Angle, but a Little Closer </a>
185 <li> <a href="Roll-1/AUT_0012.JPG"> If not the Mic, then a Cell Phone! </a>
186 <li> <a href="Roll-2/AUT_0001.JPG"> Looking South </a>
187 <li> <a href="Roll-2/AUT_0002.JPG"> One of the Ill-Fated 10Ghz Stations </a>
188 <br> These were a glorious hack using pieces from the N6GN 10Ghz data
189 link Bdale worked on years ago, and Ramsey broadcast FM receiver kits,
190 and PC-style multimedia headsets for mic and headphones.
191 <li> <a href="Roll-2/AUT_0003.JPG"> With the Cover Off </a> <br>
192 The mic preamp in this unit never did work...
193 <li> <a href="Roll-2/AUT_0004.JPG"> Stephen Posing </a>
194 <li> <a href="Roll-2/AUT_0005.JPG"> Stephen Ready for "Armstrong" Action! </a>
199 All the contacts were manually entered into VHF DX after the contest, so some
200 times may be only approximate.
203 N3EUA CONTEST LOG FOR: ARRL JUNE VHF
204 ===============================================================================
205 Name of Contest: ARRL June VHF
208 Call of Operator: N3EUA
211 Grid(s) Activated: DM79 DM89 DM88 DM78
212 Location Name: Eastern Colorado
213 ARRL Section: Colorado
216 ===============================================================================
218 QSOs Pts/QSO QSO Pts Mult
228 GRIDS ACTIVATED 4 Rover Scoring Used
230 N3EUA CLAIMED SCORE: 8580
231 ===============================================================================
232 I have observed all competition rules as well as all regulations
233 for Amateur Radio in my country. My report is correct and true
234 to the best of my knowledge. I agree to be bound by the decisions
235 of the Awards Committee.
237 Bdale Garbee N3EUA 12.07.1999
239 Black Forest, CO 80908
241 ===============================================================================
242 N3EUA CONTEST LOG FOLLOWS:
244 column 1: frequency (MHz) column 6: complete exchange sent
245 column 2: mode column 7: complete exchange received
246 column 3: date (dd/mm/yy, UTC) column 8: indication of new multiplier '*'
247 column 4: time (UTC) column 9: points claimed
248 column 5: call of station worked
250 note: Incomplete & Dupe QSO's in the log are listed with - 0 - points.
256 N3EUA CONTEST LOG FOR: ARRL JUNE VHF
258 144 SSB 12/06/99 2002 KC0AMO DM79 DM79 * 1
259 50 SSB 12/06/99 2230 W1XE DM89 DN80 * 1
260 144 SSB 12/06/99 2231 W1XE DM89 DN80 * 1
261 144 SSB 12/06/99 2232 W0KVA DM89 DM79 1
262 50 SSB 12/06/99 2234 W0KVA DM89 DM79 * 1
263 50 SSB 12/06/99 2236 K0GU DM89 DN70 * 1
264 144 SSB 12/06/99 2238 K0GU DM89 DN70 * 1
265 144 SSB 12/06/99 2244 N0SWV DM89 DM79 1
266 50 SSB 12/06/99 2302 NA0US DM89 DN71 * 1
267 144 SSB 12/06/99 2313 N0KQY DM89 DM98 * 1
268 50 SSB 12/06/99 2316 N0KQY DM89 DM98 * 1
269 50 SSB 12/06/99 2319 KC5FP DM89 EL16 * 1
270 144 SSB 13/06/99 0023 N0VSB DM88 DM79 1
271 144 SSB 13/06/99 0025 W1XE DM88 DN80 1
272 144 SSB 13/06/99 0043 N0SWV DM88 DM79 1
273 50 SSB 13/06/99 0045 W0KVA DM88 DM79 1
274 50 SSB 13/06/99 0047 W1XE DM88 DN80 1
275 144 SSB 13/06/99 0055 W0AH DM88 DM87 * 1
276 50 SSB 13/06/99 0058 W0AH DM88 DM87 * 1
277 144 SSB 13/06/99 0351 W0AH DM79 DM87 1
278 50 SSB 13/06/99 0357 KF4GMH DM79 DM78 * 1
279 50 SSB 13/06/99 0403 W0MOG DM79 DM78 1
280 144 SSB 13/06/99 0407 W0MOG DM79 DM78 * 1
281 144 SSB 13/06/99 0409 KF4GMH DM79 DM78 1
282 144 SSB 13/06/99 1617 N0SWV DM78 DM79 1
283 432 SSB 13/06/99 1619 N0SWV DM78 DM79 * 2
284 1296 SSB 13/06/99 1623 N0SWV DM78 DM79 * 3
285 144 SSB 13/06/99 1627 N0POH DM78 DM79 1
286 432 SSB 13/06/99 1628 N0POH DM78 DM79 2
287 144 SSB 13/06/99 1630 W0KVA DM78 DM79 1
288 144 SSB 13/06/99 1631 N0KQY DM78 DM98 1
289 432 SSB 13/06/99 1632 N0KQY DM78 DM98 * 2
290 432 SSB 13/06/99 1632 W0MOG DM78 DM78 * 2
291 432 SSB 13/06/99 1633 W0ETT DM78 DM79 2
292 144 SSB 13/06/99 1635 W1XE DM78 DN80 1
293 432 SSB 13/06/99 1637 W1XE DM78 DN80 * 2
294 1296 SSB 13/06/99 1640 W1XE DM78 DN80 * 3
295 50 SSB 13/06/99 1650 W1XE DM78 DN80 1
296 50 SSB 13/06/99 1655 K0SU DM78 DM78 1
297 50 SSB 13/06/99 1658 W5GAD DM78 EL49 * 1
298 50 SSB 13/06/99 1701 W0TGY DM78 DM79 1
299 50 SSB 13/06/99 1702 W5CTV DM78 EL49 1
300 50 SSB 13/06/99 1704 K0CS DM78 DM79 1
301 50 SSB 13/06/99 1705 KC5QAY DM78 EL59 * 1
302 144 SSB 13/06/99 1716 NA0US DM78 DN71 * 1
303 432 SSB 13/06/99 1717 NA0US DM78 DN71 * 2
304 432 SSB 13/06/99 1719 KD0GS DM78 DN70 * 2
305 50 SSB 13/06/99 1727 K8MFO DM78 EN90 * 1
306 50 SSB 13/06/99 1731 W9FZ/R DM78 EN29 * 1
307 144 SSB 13/06/99 1737 W0AH DM78 DM87 1
308 432 SSB 13/06/99 1738 W0AH DM78 DM87 * 2
309 1296 SSB 13/06/99 1739 W0AH DM78 DM87 * 3
310 50 SSB 13/06/99 1742 W0AH DM78 DM87 1
311 50 SSB 13/06/99 1743 K0GU DM78 DN70 1
312 144 SSB 13/06/99 1745 K0GU DM78 DN70 1
313 432 SSB 13/06/99 1745 K0GU DM78 DN70 2
314 144 SSB 13/06/99 1810 KK5IH DM78 DM95 * 1
315 144 SSB 13/06/99 1812 W0EC DM78 DN70 1
316 144 SSB 13/06/99 1819 N0VSB DM78 DM79 1
317 144 SSB 13/06/99 1820 KB0CY/R DM78 DM78 1
318 432 SSB 13/06/99 1821 N0VSB DM78 DM79 2
319 902 SSB 13/06/99 1822 N0VSB DM78 DM79 * 3
320 144 SSB 13/06/99 1825 N0KM DM78 DM67 * 1
321 144 SSB 13/06/99 1827 KB0SCM DM78 DM78 1
322 50 SSB 13/06/99 1837 W3XO DM78 EM00 * 1
323 50 SSB 13/06/99 1850 NA0US DM78 DN71 1
324 50 SSB 13/06/99 1856 W9ZR DM78 EN80 * 1
325 50 SSB 13/06/99 1857 N8ZM DM78 EN80 1
326 50 SSB 13/06/99 1859 W9ICE DM78 EN60 * 1
327 50 SSB 13/06/99 1902 KF4ODI DM78 EM56 * 1
328 50 SSB 13/06/99 1903 W7IY DM78 CN80 * 1
329 50 SSB 13/06/99 1906 AA4ZZ DM78 EM96 * 1
330 50 SSB 13/06/99 1913 KF8XU DM78 EN80 1
331 50 SSB 13/06/99 1921 KC8BZV DM78 EM79 * 1
332 50 SSB 13/06/99 1921 KB8TQA DM78 EM79 1
333 50 SSB 13/06/99 1922 N3ORX DM78 EM66 * 1
334 50 SSB 13/06/99 1922 AA9LT DM78 EN60 1
335 50 SSB 13/06/99 1923 W4UDH DM78 EM52 * 1
336 50 SSB 13/06/99 1923 N8UM DM78 EM85 * 1
337 50 SSB 13/06/99 1925 AE5H DM78 EM35 * 1
338 50 SSB 13/06/99 1926 KE8FD DM78 EM89 * 1
339 50 SSB 13/06/99 1928 WZ8D DM78 EM79 1
340 50 SSB 13/06/99 1929 K8LEI DM78 EM79 1
341 50 SSB 13/06/99 1930 W4FVQ DM78 EM79 1
342 50 SSB 13/06/99 1930 W5HUQ DM78 EM35 1
343 50 SSB 13/06/99 1931 WB5YWI DM78 EM25 * 1
344 50 SSB 13/06/99 1933 KD4HIK DM78 EM75 * 1
345 50 SSB 13/06/99 1936 AB4CR/R DM78 EM89 1
346 50 SSB 13/06/99 1938 WB5XX DM78 EM33 * 1
347 50 SSB 13/06/99 1939 W4HP DM78 EM75 1
348 50 SSB 13/06/99 1940 AI4CW DM78 EM64 * 1
349 50 SSB 13/06/99 1941 K4QF DM78 EM64 1
350 50 SSB 13/06/99 1941 KJ5RC DM78 EM42 * 1
351 50 SSB 13/06/99 1944 KB7FUV DM78 EM47 * 1
352 50 SSB 13/06/99 2035 W5UWB DM78 EL17 * 1
353 50 SSB 13/06/99 2038 N5WS DM78 EL09 * 1
354 50 SSB 13/06/99 2039 AA5XE DM78 EM00 1
355 50 SSB 13/06/99 2040 W5OZI DM78 EM00 1
356 50 SSB 13/06/99 2041 KD4NOQ/R DM78 EM45 * 1
357 50 SSB 13/06/99 2042 KU4IU DM78 EM54 * 1
358 50 SSB 13/06/99 2048 KG5X DM78 DM91 * 1
359 50 SSB 13/06/99 2050 AJ4W DM78 EM64 1
360 50 SSB 13/06/99 2108 W0NRI DM78 DM78 1
361 144 SSB 13/06/99 2114 K0RZ DM78 DM79 1
362 144 SSB 13/06/99 2115 KC0COU DM78 DN70 1
363 902 SSB 13/06/99 2117 K0RZ DM78 DM79 3
364 902 SSB 13/06/99 2119 W1XE DM78 DN80 * 3
365 432 SSB 13/06/99 2120 K0RZ DM78 DM79 2
366 1296 SSB 13/06/99 2121 K0RZ DM78 DM79 3
367 1296 SSB 13/06/99 2122 W0KVA DM78 DM79 3
368 144 SSB 13/06/99 2132 N0KV/R DM78 DN71 1
369 144 SSB 13/06/99 2134 NN5DX DM78 DM79 1
370 902 SSB 13/06/99 2138 NN5DX DM78 DM79 3
375 For 6m, we ran my Kenwood TS-430S, the TenTec transverter, 175 watt Teletec
376 amp, and OAL horizontal loop antenna.
380 On 2m, we ran my Kenwood TS-790 through the inactive TIB to the OAL omni on
381 Saturday, and through a Landwehr preamp to the DSFO 12 element yagi on Sunday.
385 For 70cm, we ran my Kenwood TS-790 through a Landwehr preamp to my Rutland
390 On 33cm, we ran the TS-790's 2m section through the active TIB to a DEMI
391 transverter making about 6 watts into a homebrew Kent Britain-style yagi.
395 On 23cm, we ran the TS-790 making about 5 watts into a homebrew Kent
400 Power was from a 27DC-form-factor deep cycle battery for everything, feedlines
401 were a mix of low-loss RG-8'ish sized cables with mostly N connectors. We
402 logged on paper using a table structure that I really like for roving, and
403 post-processed the logs using the VHF-DX software for Windows.
407 <a href="http://www.gag.com/~bdale/">Bdale Garbee</A>,
408 $Id: index.html,v 1.3 1999/12/23 04:08:11 bdale Exp $