2 <title>CODE Rover Report - 1999-09 </title>
5 <center><h1> September 1999 ARRL VHF QSO Party </h1></center>
7 <h2> Bdale's Report </h2>
9 Several things we had hoped to get done before the contest didn't get done.
10 John ended up busy preparing to leave town on business, and Steve and I both
11 had a couple of relatively intense weeks full of work and family chaos leading
12 up to the contest. As a result, this became more or less a last-minute effort.
16 The roof rack and related antenna mounting stuff was still more or less in
17 place on the Trooper from the UHF contest, which helped. Also, in the last
18 month, I diagnosed the problem with my TS-790's 70cm section. It turned out
19 to need a replacement Mitsubishi power brick (the driver for the final amp).
23 Derek WA0ZTI published an article recently on a PIC-based battery voltage
24 monitor for 12 VDC batteries. Steve took it upon himself to build one up for
25 the deep-cycle battery we use in the rover, and it worked out very nicely. I
26 suspect we'll tweak on the software a bit to make it better suited for use in
27 the rover, but even as-published it was a nice addition to the equipment in
28 the Trooper. And Steve built it in the metal box from a package of Penguin
29 Mints, which added to the coolness factor.
33 Saturday morning, Steve arrived at my place. He started out by borrowing
34 some test gear to finish making the battery monitor work while I sorted out
35 the antennas and cabling. My big addition this time around included a piece
36 of plywood to stack the rigs on that let us go 2-wide on the rigs instead of
37 ending up with a really tall stack in the back seat. It worked out nicely. I
38 also relocated the 6m loop forward in an attempt to improve the SWR, but it
39 didn't really work. I clearly need to do something different. I had planned
40 to work on this, but work intruded. Oh well.
44 After the success of our strategy of leaving everything together on the mast
45 for the quick move from DM89 to DM88 in the August UHF contest, we decided to
46 try operating that way for the whole contest this time. So, instead of using
47 the Portapol, we switched back to the 15 feet of Radio Shack steel mast. We
48 mounted the antennas on the top 5 foot section, which gave us 10 feet across
49 the top of the trooper, with all the antennas hanging down behind when we were
50 in motion. This worked out marvelously, since we could pop the duct tape
51 holding the assembly on the Trooper in about a minute, and turn the whole mess
52 vertical and lock it into the bracket in about another minute. Tear-down was
53 almost as fast, turning the mast horizontal and duct-taping it in three places
54 to the roof rail assembly.
58 There's only one thing we got wrong. And it turned out to be a real mess. The
59 coax bundle from the antennas was routed in through the back door of the
60 Trooper, keeping it from closing. So, we closed it as well as we could and
61 duct-taped it to keep it that way. That works fine on paved roads... but by
62 the end of the rove, we had sucked an immense quantity of dust into the
63 vehicle, covering everything! By the time we got home, Steve and I were both
64 desperate for showers... Next time, if we do this sort of thing again, we
65 need to either route the coax out through one of the windows so that we can
66 close the rear door, or come up with some sort of quick-disconnect arrangement
67 for the cables. Further study is in order!
71 We had a bunch of problems getting all the pieces together Saturday morning,
72 most centering around a couple of U-bolts that somehow had nuts frozen to them
73 requiring application of a hacksaw to resolve... and the fact that even though
74 I knew we needed another feedline, I somehow got the connector combination we
75 were going to need wrong in my head. The result is that we were a couple of
76 hours later getting rolling than we had planned. In fact, we both got
77 frustrated enough that if we hadn't been egging each other on... we might have
82 Once we got rolling, it got fun pretty quickly. We fired up the dual bander
83 on the drive out to DM89, and Steve worked a dozen or so contacts while we
84 were in DM78 and DM79, all on FM simplex. Once we got set up in DM89, we
85 managed to make good contacts on every band we were running pretty quickly,
86 which lifted our spirits substantially. It was frustrating not having my
87 2304 gear ready for the contest, but with working gear on every band from 6m
88 to 1296, it was hard not to have fun!
92 Once things started to slow down in DM89, we packed up and headed east. We
93 made a quick stop at Arby's in Limon for sandwiches, but otherwise just put
94 the hammer down and drove out to Kansas. Since we were running late, we
95 missed working KB0CY from DM99, which was too bad. In fact, when we first
96 set up a few miles south of Interstate 70 about 10 miles in to Kansas, we
97 weren't sure we would find <b>anyone</b> to work. Eventually, we found N0LL,
98 and then N0KQY found us, and between them we managed to scare up enough folks
99 back in Colorado to make it a worthwhile stop. I gather the weather in the
100 Denver area combined with it being dinner time conspired to reduce the number
101 of folks available to work us.
105 The only real hassle in DM99 was that the
106 location we picked was lousy with mosquitos! The number of them that ended
107 up clustered around the dome light would have given Indiana Jones a shiver...
108 Fortunately, we didn't get eaten *too* badly. While we were in DM99, we had
109 a couple locals stop to see what we were up to, all of whom apparently decided
110 we were harmless enough!
114 Just about the time it started to get really dark, we relocated south into
115 DM98. It was seriously dark with just a tiny sliver of moon by the time we
116 got set up, and there were some thunderstorms south of us lighting up the
117 distant sky. We worked a reasonable number of contacts, but realized we were
118 going to lose more folks to sleep if we didn't hustle on over to DM88.
122 We dropped south to US 40 and headed west just over the grid line into DM88,
123 and parked on a dirt road just across the railroad tracks from the highway.
124 We managed about the same number of contacts we'd had in DM98, plus picked up
125 a couple of DN70 contacts which was a fun way to finish up.
129 It was a long drive back to Black Forest. We got to my house at about 1:48am
130 local time. It took a few minutes for Steve to snag his stuff and head off,
131 then I took a long shower and was in bed by about 2:30.
135 It was different. That was fun. We worked 6 grids instead of the 4 we've
136 worked previously. We had a good time chatting with N0LL and N0KQY "out their
137 way". On the other hand, this clearly was not the way to run up a big score.
138 Since we weren't after a big score, that isn't a big deal... but a modest
139 score is a reflection of a modest number of contacts, and we'd have been happy
140 if there had been more folks to work, particularly on the higher bands!
142 <h2> Steve's Photos </h2>
148 All the contacts were manually entered into VHF DX after the contest, my logs
149 were more readable this time than sometimes, but still treat the times as being
153 N3EUA CONTEST LOG FOR: ARRL SEP VHF
154 ===============================================================================
155 Name of Contest: ARRL Sep VHF
158 Call of Operator: N3EUA KC0FTQ
161 Grid(s) Activated: DM78 DM79 DM89 DM99 DM98 DM88
162 Location Name: Eastern Colorado
163 ARRL Section: Colorado
166 ===============================================================================
168 QSOs Pts/QSO QSO Pts Mult
179 GRIDS ACTIVATED 6 Rover Scoring Used
181 N3EUA CLAIMED SCORE: 4901
182 ===============================================================================
183 I have observed all competition rules as well as all regulations
184 for Amateur Radio in my country. My report is correct and true
185 to the best of my knowledge. I agree to be bound by the decisions
186 of the Awards Committee.
188 Bdale Garbee N3EUA KC0FTQ 13.09.1999
190 Black Forest, CO 80908
192 ===============================================================================
193 N3EUA CONTEST LOG FOLLOWS:
195 column 1: frequency (MHz) column 6: complete exchange sent
196 column 2: mode column 7: complete exchange received
197 column 3: date (dd/mm/yy, UTC) column 8: indication of new multiplier '*'
198 column 4: time (UTC) column 9: points claimed
199 column 5: call of station worked
201 note: Incomplete & Dupe QSO's in the log are listed with - 0 - points.
203 N3EUA CONTEST LOG FOR: ARRL SEP VHF
205 432 FM 11/09/99 1947 KB0CY/R DM78 DM78 * 2
206 432 FM 11/09/99 1948 N9KC DM78 DM79 * 2
207 144 FM 11/09/99 1949 N9KC DM78 DM79 * 1
208 144 FM 11/09/99 1950 KB0CY/R DM78 DM78 * 1
209 144 FM 11/09/99 1952 N0UVR DM78 DM78 1
210 432 FM 11/09/99 1953 N0UVR DM79 DM78 2
211 432 FM 11/09/99 1953 KB0CY/R DM79 DM78 2
212 144 FM 11/09/99 1954 KB0CY/R DM79 DM78 1
213 144 FM 11/09/99 1957 KA6IRT DM79 DM78 1
214 432 FM 11/09/99 2000 KA6IRT DM79 DM78 2
215 432 FM 11/09/99 2010 AB0IH DM79 DM78 2
216 144 FM 11/09/99 2011 AB0IH DM79 DM78 1
217 222 FM 11/09/99 2034 KB0CY/R DM89 DM78 * 2
218 144 FM 11/09/99 2035 KB0CY/R DM89 DM78 1
219 432 SSB 11/09/99 2044 N9KC DM89 DM79 2
220 1296 SSB 11/09/99 2045 N9KC DM89 DM79 * 3
221 222 SSB 11/09/99 2047 N9KC DM89 DM79 * 2
222 144 SSB 11/09/99 2048 N9KC DM89 DM79 1
223 50 SSB 11/09/99 2049 N9KC DM89 DM79 * 1
224 144 SSB 11/09/99 2053 N0KQY DM89 DM98 * 1
225 50 SSB 11/09/99 2056 KB0CY/R DM89 DM78 * 1
226 50 SSB 11/09/99 2056 W6OAL DM89 DM79 1
227 144 SSB 11/09/99 2058 N0LL DM89 EM09 * 1
228 144 SSB 11/09/99 2058 W0AH DM89 DM78 1
229 222 SSB 11/09/99 2101 N0LL DM89 EM09 * 2
230 222 SSB 11/09/99 2101 W0AH DM89 DM78 2
231 432 SSB 11/09/99 2102 N0LL DM89 EM09 * 2
232 432 SSB 11/09/99 2103 W0AH DM89 DM78 2
233 1296 SSB 11/09/99 2105 W0AH DM89 DM78 * 3
234 50 SSB 11/09/99 2107 W0AH DM89 DM78 1
235 144 SSB 11/09/99 2113 K0RZ DM89 DM79 1
236 144 SSB 11/09/99 2114 N0VSB DM89 DM79 1
237 144 SSB 11/09/99 2115 N0POH DM89 DM79 1
238 222 FM 11/09/99 2116 KB0CY/R DM89 DM78 2
239 222 FM 11/09/99 2118 N0VSB DM89 DM79 2
240 432 SSB 11/09/99 2121 N0VSB DM89 DM79 2
241 222 SSB 11/09/99 2123 K0RZ DM89 DM79 2
242 432 SSB 11/09/99 2123 K0RZ DM89 DM79 2
243 902 SSB 11/09/99 2125 K0RZ DM89 DM79 * 3
244 1296 SSB 11/09/99 2129 K0RZ DM89 DM79 3
245 50 SSB 11/09/99 2131 N0VSB DM89 DM79 1
246 1296 SSB 11/09/99 2132 N0VSB DM89 DM79 3
247 432 SSB 11/09/99 2140 KA0ULN DM89 DN80 * 2
248 144 SSB 11/09/99 2150 N0UGY DM89 DM79 1
249 432 SSB 11/09/99 2153 N0UGY DM89 DM79 2
250 144 FM 11/09/99 2209 WD0HHQ DM89 DM79 1
251 144 FM 11/09/99 2210 KA0DEH/R DM89 DM79 1
252 144 FM 11/09/99 2212 KC0AMO/R DM89 DM79 1
253 432 FM 11/09/99 2213 KA0DEH/R DM89 DM79 2
254 432 FM 11/09/99 2213 KC0AMO/R DM89 DM79 2
255 144 FM 11/09/99 2214 AB0IH DM89 DM78 1
256 432 FM 11/09/99 2214 AB0IH DM89 DM78 2
257 144 SSB 12/09/99 0040 N0LL DM99 EM09 1
258 432 SSB 12/09/99 0047 N0LL DM99 EM09 2
259 222 SSB 12/09/99 0049 N0LL DM99 EM09 2
260 144 SSB 12/09/99 0113 N0KQY DM99 DM98 1
261 432 SSB 12/09/99 0115 N0KQY DM99 DM98 * 2
262 1296 SSB 12/09/99 0124 N0KQY DM99 DM98 * 3
263 50 SSB 12/09/99 0127 N0KQY DM99 DM98 * 1
264 144 SSB 12/09/99 0130 N0VSB DM99 DM79 1
265 432 SSB 12/09/99 0131 N0VSB DM99 DM79 2
266 222 SSB 12/09/99 0133 N0VSB DM99 DM79 2
267 432 SSB 12/09/99 0135 KC0COU DM99 DN70 * 2
268 144 SSB 12/09/99 0139 KC0COU DM99 DN70 * 1
269 144 SSB 12/09/99 0140 W0AH DM99 DM78 1
270 432 SSB 12/09/99 0141 W0AH DM99 DM78 2
271 144 SSB 12/09/99 0141 K0RZ DM99 DM79 1
272 432 SSB 12/09/99 0141 K0RZ DM99 DM79 2
273 50 SSB 12/09/99 0149 N0VSB DM99 DM79 1
274 144 SSB 12/09/99 0241 N0KQY DM98 DM98 1
275 432 SSB 12/09/99 0242 N0KQY DM98 DM98 2
276 50 SSB 12/09/99 0243 N0KQY DM98 DM98 1
277 1296 SSB 12/09/99 0243 N0KQY DM98 DM98 3
278 144 SSB 12/09/99 0248 N0VSB DM98 DM79 1
279 432 SSB 12/09/99 0250 N0VSB DM98 DM79 2
280 222 SSB 12/09/99 0251 N0VSB DM98 DM79 2
281 432 SSB 12/09/99 0258 K0RZ DM98 DM79 2
282 144 SSB 12/09/99 0306 N0LL DM98 EM09 1
283 432 SSB 12/09/99 0307 N0LL DM98 EM09 2
284 222 SSB 12/09/99 0308 N0LL DM98 EM09 2
285 1296 SSB 12/09/99 0314 N0LL DM98 EM09 * 3
286 144 SSB 12/09/99 0412 N0KQY DM88 DM98 1
287 144 SSB 12/09/99 0413 N0LL DM88 EM09 1
288 222 SSB 12/09/99 0413 N0LL DM88 EM09 2
289 432 SSB 12/09/99 0414 N0LL DM88 EM09 2
290 1296 SSB 12/09/99 0416 N0LL DM88 EM09 3
291 432 SSB 12/09/99 0417 N0KQY DM88 DM98 2
292 1296 SSB 12/09/99 0418 N0KQY DM88 DM98 3
293 50 SSB 12/09/99 0419 N0KQY DM88 DM98 1
294 50 SSB 12/09/99 0421 N0LL DM88 EM09 * 1
295 144 SSB 12/09/99 0423 W6OAL DM88 DM79 1
296 144 SSB 12/09/99 0423 W0AH DM88 DM78 1
297 144 SSB 12/09/99 0424 N0VSB DM88 DM79 1
298 222 SSB 12/09/99 0425 W6OAL DM88 DM79 2
299 222 SSB 12/09/99 0426 N0VSB DM88 DM79 2
300 432 SSB 12/09/99 0429 KC0COU DM88 DN70 2
301 432 SSB 12/09/99 0429 W0KJY DM88 DN70 2
302 432 SSB 12/09/99 0431 W6OAL DM88 DM79 2
303 432 SSB 12/09/99 0431 N0VSB DM88 DM79 2
304 222 SSB 12/09/99 0438 W0AH DM88 DM78 2
305 432 SSB 12/09/99 0439 W0AH DM88 DM78 2
310 For 6m, we ran my TS-430 and TenTec transverter driving the Teletec amplifier
311 and Olde Antenna Labs loop antenna. The antenna mount needs work, we could
312 only get about 2.3:1 SWR.
316 On 2m, we ran my TS-790 through the inactive DEM TIB to a Cushcraft 4-element
321 For 222, we ran John's IC-735 and DEM transverter, and his K1FO yagi.
325 For 70cm, we ran my TS-790, a Mirage amp making about 100 watts, and a
326 Landwehr preamp mounted near my Rutland Arrays K1FO yagi.
330 On 33cm, we ran the TS-790's 2m section through a DEM TIB to a DEMI
331 transverter making about 10 watts into a homebrew Kent Britain-style yagi.
335 On 23cm, we ran the TS-790 making about 10 watts into a homebrew Kent
340 Power was from a 27DC-form-factor deep cycle battery for everything,
341 feedlines were a mix of low-loss RG-8'ish sized cables with mostly N
342 connectors. We logged on paper, and post-processed the logs using the
343 VHF-DX software for Windows.
347 <a href="http://www.gag.com/~bdale/">Bdale Garbee</A>,
348 $Id: index.html,v 1.1 1999/09/13 05:23:10 bdale Exp $