[NLRS] 432 Sprng Sprnt W0ZQ Single Op LP

[Jon Platt]

                    432 MHz Spring Sprint - 2020

Call: W0ZQ
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: EN34it

Total:  QSOs = 37  Mults = 11  Total Score = 407

Club: Northern Lights Radio Society

Comments:
15 Q's were with rovers, 13 Q's FT8, 24Q's on SSB, no CW this year.  Conditions at the start were very flat here with dry air overhead, but improved after dark.  Good local activity with best DX to NT0V in EN08 at about 560km.  73, Jon.

Long story:  Wednesday morning arrived warm(ish) with light winds so it was a good day to tackle my 432 antenna problem.  On the VHF low bands I use 3/4" CATV hardline with 50 to 75 ohm homemade couplers on both ends.  To isolate my 432 antenna problem between either feedline versus antenna, I climbed my tower (trip #1) to disconnect the 432 rotator loop and install a 50 ohm load.  Back down the tower to the shack to discover the SWR was still high; aha, the feedline or coupler is the problem!   So I decided to climb the tower again (2nd trip), removed the 50 ohm load and tape over that feedline to solve that issue on another day, and removed my 3456 rotator loop from the 7/8" 3456 hardline and connected the 432 rotator loop to that feedline with the idea of using my 3456 7/8" hardline for my 432 feed.  My thinking was that maybe the 432 antenna was OK and the only problem was the 432 50 to 75 ohm coupler.  Back down the tower, into the shack, disconnect the 3456 hardline from the 3456 transverter, connect it to my 432 system, and key the mic.  Darn, the SWR is high.  Maybe the 432 antenna is bad (too?).   So, now in full retreat, I climb my tower (trip #3) to install my 432 omni antenna on my 3456 feedline so that at least I can work the locals during this evenings Sprint.  Back down the tower, key the 432 rig, and ...  high SWR.  OK, what is going on.  I know that my 432 omni antenna works just fine as I tested it just the other day.  I call GHZ and we get on 432.  My signal is way down, as is his.  What the heck.  So, like many of us with tower systems, I do have multiple runs of coax going up the tower, and, ya know, they are all black.  On a hunch, in the shack, I take my 2304 feedline off of the 2304 transverter and connect that to my 432 system, key the 432 rig and the SWR is now flat.  A second call to GHZ and he is now 30 over on 432.  Huh .... my 2304 and 3456 feedlines have been reversed, wonder how long that has been going on.   So now that I know I have a good feedline going up the tower, I climb the tower (trip #4) to take the 432 omni antenna off the 3456 feedline and to connect my 432 yagi with hopes that its actually OK.  Back down the tower, key the 432 transverter, and I find that the SWR is about 2:1.   Not what it should be, but not what it was either.  A third call to GHZ results in a much stronger signal on 432 compared to the omni plus pattern as I rotate it, so it must be working at some level.  I decide that its going to be good enough and we shall see how it works.  
On to the contest.  What great local activity.  That was more fun than the 222 Sprint.  As usual the start of the contest was clustered around 432.100 with all the locals working all the locals with great coordination and few collisions .  I though conditions at the start of the contest were not very good, not too surprising given how dry the air was.  Thanks to rovers KA9VVQ/R, W9FZ/R, WA2VOI/R, N0SUW/R, and AC0RA/R for being out there.  I worked Wyatt in two of his four grids; EN31 and EN42, both on FT8.  Was also great fun to work NT0V (EN08) and KM0T (EN13), both on FT8.  I decoded Dennis anywhere from -6 to -18.  Thanks for the Q's Mike and Dennis. 
So trip #5 up the tower later today will be to retrieve my 432 feedline 50 to 75 coupler to see what may be wrong with it.  Its only been up there in excess of 25 years, so what could be wrong?
73, JonW0ZQ