[NLRS] 2006 - NLRS Year in Review

[w0zq at aol.com]

Seasons greetings once again to all in NLRS  land.

As we enjoy the holiday season and look forward to 2007, this is also a 
good opportunity for us to reflect back on 2006 and to consider the 
things we have learned, the fun that we have had, the friends we have 
made, and the events  that have occurred that make the NLRS was it is.  
  Take a look at the following  2006 summary and see if you don't agree 
with me that 2006 was indeed a  very good year for the NLRS.

*  January VHF  Contest.    The NLRS submitted 26 logs, up two from 
last year, and placed 11th out of 26 clubs in the Medium.

*  Minnesota QSO Party:  This year the NLRS placed 8th out of 32 listed 
clubs on the strength of just three logs.

*  San  Bernardino Microwave Contest:   It took me two weeks to warm up 
and to dry out, but 13 intrepid club members braved what was “Old Man 
And The Sea” like weather to generate 28,564 points good enough for a 
third place finish, up one notch from last year.   I had never seen 
greater than 2.5 KHz of Doppler shift on 10 GHz rain scatter until that 
weekend.

*  Aurora 2006:  A large  contingency of VHFers showed up for this 
years gathering.   After the  antenna range and flea market, 
presentations ranging from contesting from the beginners perspective to 
understanding dish feeds and beacon development were presented.

*  June  VHF Contest:  We won’t be forgetting this contest for a long 
time !  I’m sorry if you missed it !   NLRS submitted 29 logs, up ten 
 from last year, to finish 5th out of 28 clubs in the Medium Category.  
Nationally, club members finished 3rd in the SOLP class and 6th & 7th 
in the Rover class.

*  CSVHF Society:   NLRS hosted an outstanding CSVHFS Conference right 
here in Bloomington.   All of our present goals were met or exceeded.   
 Great job by all !

* August UHF  Contest:  Rovermania III !    In 2003, there were 140  
logs, 2004 and the birth of Rovermania there were 169 logs, 2005 it was 
183 logs, and in 2006 there were 191 logs.  Nationally, NLRS members 
placed 4th in the SOLP class, 1st, 5th, and 7th in the SOHP class, and 
1st and 3rd place in the Rover class.   What a fun time that was !

*  September VHF Contest:   The ARRL has not completed  their contest 
write-up & report, but the NLRS was active and did participate  as an 
affiliated club.   After a sizzling June contest and an active UHF 
contest, we experienced a fairly flat contest.

*  10 GHz and Up Contest:  The contest  write-up is pending so the 
official standing have not been posted.   This year the NLRS operated 
with two primary groups – a rover pack and a fixed group.   At one time 
we had 12 op’s on Buck Hill working the six rovers.   Working range was 
typically in the 200 to 230 km range and over 550 contacts were made by 
some operators.   A couple of 630 km rain scatter contacts were made as 
well.

Outside of contesting, the NLRS was very active as well.   While we 
focus a lot on contesting, we are more than a contesting club.

*  The 6, 2, 222, 432, and 1296 nets continue to  meet on Sunday night. 
  A big thanks to the guys who are net control.
*  We continued with our monthly breakfast alternating sites between 
the north and south side of town.   We typically have 20 to 25 members 
show up with lots of informal discussion and show & tell.    If you 
haven’t made a breakfast, plan to attend one in 2007.
*  We received our NLRS banner that was proudly displayed just above 
the registration table at Central States.    We now have two banners – 
a “big” one and a “small” one.
*  During Aurora 2006, the Wesslund Award was presented to Jon Lieberg, 
K0FQA.
*  John, W0JT, continues to maintain and update  our EXCELLENT NLRS 
website
at www.nlrs.org .   Make sure you check it  out for recent updates.   
Also a
thanks to Lenny, K0SHF, for his  leadership with our reflector, and 
Chris, N0UK
for his leadership with the 10gig  reflector.
*  Dave, N0KP, continues to operate his 10GHz beacon and will soon be 
adding 902, 1296, 2304, 3456, 5760, and 24 GHz to it.   Along with the 
222.061 W0ZQ beacon that continues to operate John, K0JO, EN26oo,  
provides a beacon from time-to-time on
that other active band, 902.


Busy, busy, busy.   So what is ahead  for us in 2007 ?
*  As usual, the big three contests; January, June, and  September.   
During 2006 we had growth in NLRS logs for all three of these events !  
  Let’s keep it up in 2007.
*  The  Minnesota QSO Party (February 3).   We only had three logs that 
were submitted last year … certainly we can do better than this in 2007.
*   The SBMS 2304 and Up Contest.   Held sometime around the end of 
April,  the NLRS will be looking to improve it’s club score once again. 
  If we ever get a year where a) it doesn’t fall on our Aurora 
conference weekend and b) the weather is AT LEAST semi-decent, we could 
be a major player in this fun event.
*  Aurora  2007 (April 28th).  Always a fun day with lots and lots of 
eyeball QSOs and things to see and learn.   Think about making a 
presentation.
*   Central States VHF Society Conference.   In 2007 it will be held in 
San Antonio, Texas.
*  Rovermania IV,  the ARRL UHF contest.   The NLRS just recently 
approved funding for a Limited Rover plaque.   As usual, our goal for 
2007 will be growth, and oh ya, fun too.  If your not on 222 and up, 
think about adding a band or two in 2007.
*  The NLRS will continue to have a table at major hamfests as they 
develop.
*  10 GHz and Up Contest, what new plans can we  conceive of ?   How 
many more Q’s can we make ?   What new distances can be spanned ?    
2007 is a new year.


Whew.   Did I miss something ?   If I did, I apologize in advance.

In closing I want to say Thank You, the members of the  NLRS, for a 
very exciting year.   As always, and without any doubt, the key to our 
club’s success comes from the ability of each club member to 
contribute,  to support each other,  to promote activates in whatever 
form they take, to share ideas and equipment, and to try new bands and 
new modes.    It is important to remember that although weak signal 
work is a fairly narrow nitch, in reality we, the NLRS, are a 
conglomerate on many different interests and that despite this 
diversity that we support each other and that we grow.   What a year 
2006 was.

Best wishes to all.    I am already looking forward to 2007 !

73, Jon
W0ZQ

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