[PaQSO] VHF Operation

Fri, 12 Jul 2002 16:00:30 -0400

It's great to see some activity on this list!  My extensive travel demands
have kept me largely absent from the list, but I'm getting pumped for
October!

I would LOVE to see more V/UHF activity in the PAQP.  Somebody brings it up
every year, but it never seems to happen.  Most ops are frantically
hammering away at HF, so there are few "slow" times to check out VHF.

When we ran the W3HA bonus station at my QTH in 1999, we had a full-time op
on 2m with 6m, 220, and 440 covered very close to full time.  We had good
power on all bands and a decent (though not supreme) VHF QTH.  We did well
on 2m, but the rest were a bust.  6m, in particular, was a huge
disappointment.  Here's the V/UHF breakdown from that weekend:

Band   QSOs  Power  Antenna
--------------------------------
  50       38     100W  3-el yagi
144     134     400W  13-el SSB, 12-el FM yagis
222       10       80W  StationMaster (only FM)
432       21       20W  Comet vertical & 7-el yagi (only FM)

Ou assessment was that the significant effort to set up on these bands
didn't pay off much, other than on 2m, which was VERY well equipped.

Let's try to push for more V/UHF activity and get the no-code Techs
interested.  Nothing compels an upgrade like some exposure to contesting.
How do people feel about a rules modification to encourage VHF activity?
VHF growth won't happen unless we offer a sweetener to send people up the
bands.

VY 73 de Glenn, K3PP

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Gallagher" <[email protected]>
To: "Hal Offutt" <[email protected]>; "PAQSO Reflector"
<[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2002 8:53 PM
Subject: Re: [PaQSO] VHF Operation

>
>  I Like it!  I do a lot of calling on V/UHF, and it would be great if we
could get more Techs playing in the contest!
> We have same big-time competition for the mobile marbles this years...Tim
(N8XLR) is kickin' butt!
>
> 73!
>
> Bill WA3RA
>
>   Hal Offutt <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
>
> Good to see so much discussion here. That really shows how deep the
> interest is in our favorite event!
>
> Someone asked about the best time to QSY to 6 meters. I'm always surprised
> when someone mentions VHF operation in the context of the PAQP, because in
> over 15 years of operating this contest, I have never operated 6 meters. I
> don't even own a rig that can operate on 6 meters. I may have had a couple
> of contacts on 2 meters one year but operating these bands is not on my
> scope because I am kept so busy on HF. There are always at least three HF
> bands open in this contest so it's more than enough to keep me busy. I
> suspect that most ops are the same.
>
> But I do think it would be really fun to operate the VHF bands in a
> PAQP-type event. Given that the October event is already so busy, what I'd
> like to see is a VHF version of the PAQP around the April (six months from
> October). I think that would be really fun (and it would give me the
> excuse to go out and buy a new rig that has these bands). It also might
> have the benefit of getting some of the newer hams interested in upgrading
> so they can work the October event.
>
> Does anyone else think this is a cool idea?
>
> 73,
>
> Hal W1NN (aka W3USA/m)
> Long Pond PA (presently in Japan)
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