[NLRS] Rovermania & rover station for loan

[w0zq at aol.com]

Hello NLRS land.

Todd has a really nice write-up about Rovermania on his website, I hope many of you have had the time to read it.? Yes, it was 2004, and the threat was real that the UHF contest would be canceled due to lack of interest.? That was when the concept of Rovermania was born, and each year since that time we have built upon the previous years success.? The UHF contest is probably more affected by Mother Nature than other VHF contests, so sometime that progress is two steps forward and one step back, but today, on the eve of Rovermaia VI, I am very proud to say that not only is the UHF contest still alive but we have a gavel to fight for - yes, club competition has entered the contest for the first time ever, and no one, repeat no one, was talking about club competition in 2004 ..... the talk was extermination and a big big?reason for?where we are today is because of the NLRS (that's you and me).

As you all know by now, in addition to "the usual" push for Rovermania VI?and our work to get the rovers out and about we are also pushing on three other fronts.? First, unless all my email is going to your spam box, you should know by now that the W0AUS multi-op group will be operating from Buck Hill on 222 through 24 GHz - please work them.? Second, we are also pushing to get FM stations on, especially around the activity hours of 7:00 pm Saturday and Noon on Sunday.? IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF A LOCAL FM CLUB, please pass the word on to your club via their nets and email reflectors that 223.5, 446, and 1296 FM will be active this weekend.?? This represents an outstanding opportunity for FM clubs to play as well.??How many Twin Cities FM stations can we activate ??? Have just a handheld and a rubber duckie ??- that will work !? Third, we also need fixed stations to be on .... although the rovers will be active, the key to success for Rovermania is the fixed stations that have the big signals and that the rovers depend upon to work the most.? Given where we were in 2004, given where we are at today in 2009, pause to reflect the road we've traveled, then get on and make some Q's !?? If UHF and uW is important to you, then show it by getting on - CW, SSB, or FM.

OK, last pitch - WHEN you do get on and make some Q's, send in a log and mark NLRS as your club.? Paper logs ARE OK.? Rovermania is all about activity, and fun through activity, but its the number of contest logs that are submitted that document our usage.? In summary, get on, make a few Q's, have fun, and send in a log.

Now for the rover station.?? W9FZ has been very kind to offer for loan his FT897 that is also equipped with an internal 222 transverter .... it has 20 watts on 222 and 40 watts on 432.? I have omni loops for both bands.? In addition, I have my small 2 watt, 17 dBi horn, 10gig station to loan out with this package making for a instant 222, 432, 10gig mini-rover that is capable of working W0AUS on Buck Hill and many of the other Twin Cities stations from any of the close by grid corners - all you have to supply is the car.?? So if you are interested in trying roving with this 222/432/10G system, drop me a note off reflector and perhaps you can be the 16th rover.

73, Jon
W0ZQ