[NLRS] Rovermania IV - kc0iyt/r

[Glen Overby]

RoverLog QSOs by Activated Grid:
Grid    QSOs    Grid    QSOs    Grid    QSOs
EN23    10      EN33    7       EN24    5
EN34    36      EN35    23

RoverLog Score Summary, Using new rover rules:
Band    QSOs    Value   QSOPts  Mults
222     3       3       9       1
432     26      3       78      9
902     7       6       42      2
1.2G    12      6       72      6
2.3G    9       12      108     4
3.4G    8       12      96      3
5.7G    5       12      60      1
10G     11      12      132     2

Grids activated:                5

Totals: 81              597     33

Claimed Score: 19701

Pictures:
        http://reality.sgiweb.org/overby/ham/2007-AugustUHF/index.html

I changed my antenna stack again this rove.  I used a PVC antenna rack to get
the 902-3456 loopers up off the car.  I'm not sure if it helped.  222 & 432
were on a mast above that.  I changed radios around to use an ic706mkIIG on
the microwaves so I would have a filter and DSP.  I think the filter was worth
it, and the DSP 'Noise Reduction' function helped me on a couple of QSOs.

The contest preparations started off badly on Friday.  When I was leaving
work, I noticed a front tire was low.  I had put air in this tire a week ago
so I suspected that it had a leak.  Off to the tire repair shop for an hour
wait, before loading the car.  That took the whole evening and a little of
the following morning.

It started to rain Saturday morning about the time I started last-minute
preparations.  I left for the Beauford, MN grid corner 3 hours before contest
start, hoping to have plenty time to set up.  I had the 222 & 432 antennas
bungieed down to the top of the PVC rack so I needed to put them on a mast
on top of the rack once I got to EN24.  I was in a lot of rain, some heavy,
on my way there.  Luck would have it that the rain stopped just before I
arrived at a place in EN24 I would operate from.  I put 222 & 432 on a simple
mast, which went in the PVC rack then finished connecting coax to the
transverters and I was ready to go, only 5 minutes late.

I heard nothing on 222 at all for some time, but I found Matt, KA0PQW, on
432.100.  I was unable to hear Matt on 222, so I still have problems on that
band.  I can't really tell if its the antenna, transverter, or operator :-)
Another piece of equipment that needs attention.  This failure ment that 432
was my primary band.  My 15el antenna is quite directional and I had low
expectations from my stacked halos.  I switched 432 from my FT-100 to my
FT-857 since it was more convenient and I think a better radio.  One of the
downsides to this was the 222 transverter (10mhz IF) was driven by the single
PTT output from the FT-857, so it keyed every time I transmitted on 432.

I worked very few stations from the three Saturday grids.  This wasn't helped
by the fact that I was staying away from 432.100 while I was in EN24 & EN23.
Going to 432.100 really didn't help in EN33, either.  I had rain every now
and then, occasionally it was heavy.  One short, heavy rainfall came when I
was working Gary, W0GHZ on 10ghz; I was beaconing and the rain started pouring.
I went to bag the dish, but had to kill the beacon before stepping in front
of the dish.  The rain stopped as soon as I got my rain coat on.

While in EN23 I hooked up with W9RPM in LaCrosse.  He was looking for grid
#50 on 432, and EN23 was a new grid for him.  Cool!

I hadn't seen the schedule change email from K0HAC/R so I thought they were
south of me, and I kept pointing south and calling.  Nobody ever replied.

Sunday morning I rolled out of bed late, still tired.  I went to the Eagan
water tower site I've used for 10ghz, and set up there.  I worked two new
grids on 10ghz: EN35 and EN34! :)  Now I actually have calls and times written
down for those grids.  I got one official visit from someone in a car with a
magnetic sign that said City of Eagan.  He parked in front of my dishes (I
was beaconing on 5760 at that time) and asked what I was doing.  I told him;
he didn't seem concerned at moved on.  I finished the contest in EN35 at
Ridgeway Park in Minneapolis.

Propagation was definately better on Sunday.  W9FZ came looking for me from
EN55, and I worked him off the back side of my beam.  Later I worked K0HAC/R
in EN13 on my stacked loops.  I sure wish I'd have had those conditions on
Saturday!

Glen, kc0iyt/r