[NLRS] W9HQ, 2019 ARRL 222 MHz and Up Distance Contest

[David Palm]

I had a good time in this past weekend's contest.  I was wishing to hear
more of the "regulars" on, but I understand that we can't get on for every
contest.  I operated for about 3-4 hours and made 18 QSOs: 11 on 432 and 7
on 222 despite being antenna-limited on that band.  Best DX was 313 km to
W9SNR/R in EN51xr on both 432 and 222.  I did not manage to make any
contacts on 1296 -- I could hear W9ZIH, W0UC and, later in the day, N4PZ
but not surprisingly they couldn't hear my ~2 watts.

I'm happy with how my 432 is working right now, although I may need to
rethink my amp situation there as it seems to have low output.  I have
planned antenna upgrades on 144, 222, and 1296.  And I have an amplifier
for 1296, plus a transverter, power, and a good antenna for 902 in the
works.  If all goes well, I should be in a much better position for the
September contest.

Looks like I'm down for 4761 points, if I did the math correctly.  Not a
fan of the distance rule, though, especially if (as Jon mentioned in his
summary) it discourages rovers.  That's fodder for another conversation.

73,

David  W9HQ