[KYHAM] Re: June contest

[Dan Evans, N9RLA]

Hi Bob & All,

This email started as a reply to some of Bob's questions.  As it evolved
into my Rover route plan, I thought I would share it with rest of the groups
in hopes that they might enjoy it, or add to it:


> Anything you have, even if it's held together with duct tape and coat
> hangers, is more of a rover setup than I have. I think a lot of guys get
> hung up on the equipment side of contesting. At this point, I just want to
> see what rover contesting is like. Where you operate from and how you
> operate is what I'm interested in at this point.
>
My equipment isn't much more than that:-)  Basically as far as equiment
goes, I use an Icom 746 for 6 & 2.  It is strapped to a small desk I made to
fit in the passenger seat of my Ford Ranger.  I have two ways to power the
rig:  A heavy cable to the truck battery, and a deep cycle battery that sits
in the floor board.  Also on the desk is my old 386 laptop, used for
logging, the rotator control box, and a cassette tape recorder for logging
while in motion.  I hope to also have  a D.E.M. 432 transverter and a small
amp as well.  The transverter is currently at D.E.M. being repaired, I'm
hoping it will make it back in time for the contest.

For antennas, I'm homebrewing a push-up mast.  On the mast will be my
homebrew 6 meter Moxon Rectangle, or my 6 meter homebrew loop.  The Moxon
needs some mods to make it "road-worthy" before I can use it.  For 2 meters
I'll have my homebrew 8 element yagi, or my trusty old CushCraft 4 element.
I'll probably go for the 8 element this time out.  This will be it's first
road trip:-)  I also have  an 11 element CC yagi for 432, if the transverter
makes it back in time.

Mounting the antennas is a different story.  In the past I mounted an
Alliance U110 rotor to the tool box in the back of the truck.  I then added
an 8' mast with the 6m loop and the 2m 4 element CC yagi.  This setup done
an adequate job for 6 & 2.  This time I'm going to try the push up mast.
Fully extended the mast should reach about 25'.  To do this I need a little
more support than just the tool box.  What I'm planning is adding a set of
ladder racks to the Ranger, and bracing the mast with the racks.  At the
bottom will also be an AR40 Rotator secured to the bed of the truck.
Mounting the antennas has kind of gotten me behind in preparations this
contest.  I still haven't found an affordable set of ladder racks for my
Ford Ranger...  But with this setup collapsed to travel, I will have about
an 8' clearance.  Stoped and extended should put the top antenna 25~27 '
Roving alone has made my prime concern ease of setup.  I believe this will
give me a decent signal, and still be easy to setup.


> EM77. In fact, I'm less than 15 miles as the crow flies from the
> intersection of EM77, EM78, EM88, and EM87.
>
Your mention of that grid corner has got my wheels turn...:-}  Instead of
going south of Louisville, and hitting EM76 & 77, I could head east and try
to do that corner.  It's bit farther to drive, but I would be getting two
new grids for the effort:-)  So how does this sound:

Start the contest in EM88 @ 18:00Z  [2:00pm local]
Operate untill 19:00z then move to EM87.
Operate untill 20:00z then move to EM77.
Operate for about an hour then move to EM76.
That would likely put me on in EM76 about 22:00z.
Operate for about an hour then move to my favorite spot up in EM78.
That would likely put me on the air from the top of firetower hill in Clark
State Forest at about 00:00z.
If the activity is there, I like to spend extra time on the hill for the
extra DX.  I may also move over to EM68 around 02:00z and operate as long as
there are contacts to be made.  Then slip over to Scottsburg and go to bed
for a few hours.

Bright and early, or as early as Roverly possible I'll head for my next
favorite spot in EM69, high up on firetower hill in Brown County state park.
This is another spot that I like to spend extra time to pick up some good
DX.  So around 1400z I'll head for the next grid EN60 up north of Indy.
Operate there for an hour then slip over to EN70.  By then, I'll have gone
through a couple of tanks of gas, too many cheese burgers, my voice will be
about gone, and Rover fatigue will have set in so I'll point the Ranger back
toward Scottsburg.  I'll gather up a few more FM QSO's on the way, and
possibly stop in EM79 for a few minutes. But EM79 is as common as dirt, and
I haven't really found a "good" location to work from there, so I likely
won't stay long.

So that makes about 10 grids, in two states!  With a good signal on
[hopefully] three bands.  This should easily be my best outing yet.
Assuming I can avoid Mr. Murphy and such.  It would really be cool if I
could pick up a 222 rig, even just FM, to add the band and some more mults.
But, oh well, maybe next year...There is a good possibility that I will have
psk31 and other digi modes available as well.

> Well, not knowing what qualifies as a good spot, I'm not sure what I have
> to offer. Most of the high spots around here are further east which means
> more of a drive for you.
>
Altitude is everything with VHF.  So a good high spot is GREAT.  But, if
they are too far away or inaccessable, then they are no help.  The hilltops
I operate from in the national parks are awsome.  There is another one in
EM68, but I usually don't go there because it is too far away.  But if none
of these are available, then you have to improvize:-)  In EN60 & 70 I
operate from mall parking lots, there are no hills in that flatland.  I've
also used an occaisional roadside park, and rest area.  Basically you just
need a spot you can get off the road where you won't be in anybodies way, or
get run off for about an hour or so.


So this is it, my tentative Rover Schedule for the 2002 June VHF QSO Party!
If Bob, or anyone else, is interested in checking out my setup at any of
these sites, just let me know:-)  If you can point out a particularly good
site near any of these locations I would love to hear about it.


73 to all, and I hope to work each and every one of you from each grid:-)
Dan

Dan Evans N9RLA
Scottsburg, IN 47170
{EM78}
IN-Ham list administrator
QRP-l #1269
1/2 of the N9RLA /R no budget Rover Team
Check out the Rover Resource Page at:
http://www.qsl.net/n9rla


----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Burns K4RXR" <k4rxr@att.net>
To: "Dan Evans, N9RLA" <n9rla@yahoo.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 11:03 PM
Subject: Re: June contest


> At 01:12 PM 5/8/02, you wrote:
>