[NLRS] KC0IYT/R JanVHF Contest Results

[Glen Overby]

This year's contest expedition almost didn't happen, as a snow storm hit
Minnesota on Friday.  After discussing conditions with N0KP and others, I
reversed my schedule to stay on major roads that were likely to be plowed.  My
revised plan was 4 grids on Saturday and 3 more on Sunday.  Sunday I as not
feeling well and only worked a few local contacts.  A big thank-you to those
who followed me!

I ran a quick check Saturday morning morning with W0ZQ and W0GHZ and started
uncovering problems right away.  I resolved some of them, then headed for
Winsted, arriving right at 1300.  After deploying the 6m dipole I got to work
handing out en24.  The location I found was along the lake, but just north of
the park.  I operated from the park's parking lot for the last half-hour I was
in EN24.

I had a lot of noise on 6m, especially with the car running.  My tripod +
fiberglass mast worked well, but I was always worried about backing into it,
pulling it over or running over the coax.

I found 902 and 1296 to be deaf (again); in retrospect I've had this problem
before and the fix was to adjust the RX level adjustment in the transverter (a
small attenuator after the last MMIC amp).  I had previously adjusted this to
work with an Icom 706MKIIG (preamp off) but was using an FT-100 IF this time.
Had I recognised it at the time, switching IF rigs might have worked.  My
signal on 902 had a lot of distortion, and was probably due to over-driving
the amplifier for the same reason: the TX level adjustment was set too high
(maybe this wouldn't have been a problem if I had attenuated it with the 50'
of RG8X I used in September!).  I spent some time late Saturday evening
readjusting the levels.

Some of the radios acted up when running on car battery power, but my new
Battery Booster worked well.

Sunday, I forgot the microphone for my 10ghz IF rig, an FT-817, at home so my
only option was to torture others with my lousy CW skills (no beat, no rythm).

I've put some pictures up at:
   http://reality.sgiweb.org/overby/ham/2005-JanuaryVHF/index.html

RoverLog QSOs by Activated Grid:
Grid	QSOs	Grid	QSOs	Grid	QSOs
EN24	30	EN34	43	EN25	36
EN35	38	

RoverLog Score Summary, Using new rover rules:
Band	QSOs	Value	QSOPts	Mults
50	30	1	30	3	EN34, EN35, EN44
144	44	1	44	3	EN34, EN35, EN44
222	25	2	50	3	EN34, EN35, EN44
432	29	2	58	3	EN34, EN35, EN44
903	6	4	24	1	EN34
1.2	10	4	40	2	EN34, EN35
10	3	8	24	2	EN34, EN35

Grids activated: 		4

Totals:	147		270	21	

Claimed Score: 5670



73,
Glen, KC0IYT