[50mhz] Re: [VHF] Bad contest conditions on 6m

[Jack/NA7RF]

Funny you should mention Bob...he saved the bacon for me in DN20. I had 
been driving through that grid calling CQ over and over on all 4 bands 
(6, 2, 222, 432) and finally got a very brief opening to EN41 and EN32 
with the K2DRH Q just 3 minutes from the DN20/21 boundary! I worked him 
a bit later in DN21, along with KC0CF...they were the *only* 
non-regional Q's from an "opening". Everything else was ground-wave or 
very brief scatter.

I know 6 is referred to as the "magic band" but maybe the "schizophrenic 
band" would be more to the point...it didn't know which personality it 
wanted to display with the ugly one taking control this weekend :>)

I did work the usual compliment of VE's with huge signals on 6...VE6JW, 
VA6AN and VE5UF among them...but this contest was far more fun on 222 
than any other band. In fact, wherever I went the signals on 222 were 
consistently better than 2-meters, but I've known that for many years. I 
worked K7XC from DN21 on 222 where the 2-meter signals were 
non-existent, and that was running comparable power and antennas on both 
bands, but just a bit earlier I worked him from DN22 on both bands...go 
figure. I feel badly that I did not work any of the California stations 
from those grids...I understand that DN22 would've been #50 for W6OMF. 
Maybe the next time, Larry!

One strange thing was the lack of ID stations. Admittedly I was just 
inside the ID state line in both DN21 and 22 but I would've thought I 
would have had some ID Q's from there. I did look toward Twin Falls and 
Boise looking for Q's but heard nothing :<(

It was still fun, but just barely considering that I put over 1100 miles 
on K7XC's rover vehicle. Thanks to Tim for letting do that...I hope the 
new grids on 222 for him were sufficient compensation!

Looks like 48 QSOs, 64 QSO points, 28 grid multipliers and 8 grids 
activated for a total score of 1792...less than 2 points per mile!

73,

Jack, NA7RF
operating as K7DAE/R



John Geiger wrote:
> Contest conditions on 6m were so bad....
> (Everyone in unison) How bad were they?
> Contest conditions on 6m were so bad that I never heard Bob K2DRH once the
> entire weekend
> 
> 73s John AA5JG/R