[NLRS] ARRL June VHF KZ9O Limited Multi-Op Score

[Justin K9MU]

 ARRL June VHF Contest - 2020

Call: KZ9O
Operator(s): K9MU KB9OWD
Station: KZ9O

Class: Limited Multi-Op HP
QTH: EN46
Operating Time (hrs):

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Mults
-------------------
    6: 1031   215
    2:   33    18
  222:
  432:    3     2
-------------------
Total: 1067   235  Total Score = 251,450

Club:

Comments:

Ryan (KB9OWD) and I got our families together for a mini vacation at a lake
home
in northern Wisconsin (EN46). I dragged up hundreds of pounds in radio gear
from
home. I was able to get a new 432 yagi setup and upgraded two coax runs to
LMR-400 by Friday night before KB9OWD got up. The 6m yagi and 2m yagi were
setup
from a previous operation on a rotor at 25 feet on the roof. I also put up
an
extra 6m 4-element yagi at 30 feet that was rotated by hand. We stayed up
late
until early Saturday morning assembling the dual IC-746s, FT-736r, 3cx800
amps,
computers, and consuming a few 807s. Other than some computer
interfacing/audio
issues, setup went well.

On 6m, we ran FT8 until signals got loud and then switched to SSB for the
runs.
We noticed it took a couple hours into the contest for people to find SSB
again. When the rate would slow to nothing, we jumped back on FT8 and mostly
snagged grid mults. KB9OWD and I are QSO rate junkies and we got our fix!
We had
several times we worked 5 and 6 QSOs a minute. Our best hour rate Saturday
evening was 171 QSOs. It was slim pickings for any local 2m activity. Most
of
our mults there came from meteor scatter. 432 was almost impossible as we
had
miles of thick mature forests around us.

We were amazed to work over 1000 QSOs and 215 grids on 6m! It has been years
since I’ve had this much fun in a radio contest!

73,

Justin, K9MU


6m: Directive Systems 5 element @ 25 feet, homebrew 4 element @ 30 feet,
IC-746PRO to Henry 2006A @ 800w

2m: 2M12 @ 27 feet, IC-746 to a Commander II @ 800w

432: K1FO 25 element @ 29 feet, FT-736R @ 30w