[NLRS] Sept VHF Contest Score and Story for W0VB

[Terry Van Benschoten]

The story isn't in the score !!!!!!!

Getting ready for the contest period is our story.

Band       QSOs       Grids
--------       ---------       ------- 
    50          21            14
  144          62            30
  432          16            12
1296            8              4

Total Score = 8,820

Goal:
--------- 
Finish the other half of the tower installation - a 96 foot Trylon self
supporting tower
 (48 ft has been sitting empty since the spring of 2003)
     -  have the ring rotor installed at the 56 ft level  (empty)
        (ring rotor is for the installation of six(6) 2M28XP antennas with
elevation control)

     -  4  two meter Big Wheels installed at the top (9dBd)
                -  using a 24 ft long 1/4 inch aluminum mast (60 pounds)
                -  install a 230 ft run of 1 5/8 inch Heliax to the wheels

Wednesday, Sept 8th, 2004  3:30PM
-------------------------------------------------- 
the 40 ton crane arrives, with a 175 ft long boom , leaves 3 hours later
         -   with the tower, ring rotor, and wheels up (no feedline)

Later Wednesday night
---------------------------------- 
- 96 ft tower up ,
- 4 big wheels installed, top wheel at 123 ft  (9dBd omnidirectional) first
two contacts = K5SW (OK) and W5LUA (TX)
- 225 ft run of 7/8 inch heliax installed, (getting 1 5/8 in heliax inside
the tower, and up 96 ft was overwhelming, Terry was tired)
- ring rotor is empty at 56 ft

Friday afternoon, Fant, AA5F and I decided to add 6 meters, 70cm, and 23cm
antennas for the contest

"THE RACE IS ON"    (We're going to have all this up and operational by the
1PM on Saturday.)
- the clock starts Friday at 1PM
- clock stops at 3:30 PM Sunday (we're late)

NOW we can contest!
-------------------------------- 
BUT two people are exhausted
-  2 meals (no snacks) eaten since 7 AM Saturday morning
-  3.5 hours sleep  (3:00 AM to 6:30 AM Sunday)
-  Antennas up and operational
-  Terry's has climbed over a 1,200 feet of tower, to get everything
installed!

But - it's up and on the new 96 ft tower
     -  4 Two Meter Big Wheels
     -  9 element six meter beam (50 ft long boom) on the ring rotor, 56
feet off the ground using 7/8 inch heliax

On the existing 60 foot windmill tower above the 55 ft long two meter yagi,
M2- 2M8WLHD
     -  24(?) element antenna for 432 Mhz installed with 7/8 inch heliax to
the shack
     -  23 element M2 1296 antenna installed with 7/8 inch heliax to the
shack

We quickly learned that the operating position was not supportive of two
people contesting in the same room at the same time. Two radios, two
operators, one computer logging program, one computer mouse, one foot switch
= not pretty!

Highlights:
---------------- 
Terry's first time working with a crane!  Awesome!
     Two crane lifts,
          -  16 ft of tower with ring rotor,
          -  51 ft of the tower top,  (32 ft of tower plus the 24 ft, 2 inch
mast
             with the 4 Big Wheels installed inside the top tower section)

 Awesome performance!
-------------------------------
First contact on 432 and 1296 was K0AWU!
using a TS2000X. ~250 miles

Humorous part of the contest!
-----------------------------------------
First contact on 50 Mhz was KA0PQW!  NOT EASY.
          Matt wasn't going to make a contact with an obvious "bootlegger"
on six meters - W0VB on 6 meters!
             (Fant, AA5F, at the controls had some explaining to do)


We only lasted until 6:30 or 7 PM Sunday night before we both collapsed!
Total operating time....... maybe 4 hours!

Thanks to all that worked us..... and for those that didn't, next time.

Terry, W0VB and Fant, AA5F