[PaQSO] Anybody do RTTY, PSK, or VHF?

[Glenn O'Donnell, K3PP]

I can see the attraction to including the digital modes, but I've never even heard anything there. Now that i have one of those cool new radios (IC-7600) that can do RTTY & PSK Without the computer, I thought I'd see if there was anything going on there. This year was the Makrothen (sp?) digital contest, which had lots of activity. It would have been confusing to mix it up with those guys.  I found lots of them, but not a peep from the PA QSO gang. 

I checked 6m from time to time and nothing there also. PAQSO has never been a good VHF event. When we did the W3HA bonus at my place in 1999, we had a 6m station going full time and only made a handful of QSOs. While one would think the proliferation of HF/6m radios would have driven an increase, it hasn't. I attribute that to tough ground wave propagation within PA, no enhancements this time of year to bag other places, and most notably - everyone is keeping very busy on HF and don't have time to prowl 6m. 

AA3B suggested we gather on 6m at the Sunday start. Nice suggestion, Bud! I worked Bud, K3NG, AA3K. Goody is very close to me and Mark was portable high above Jim Thorpe and close enough for a good shot. He had a superb VHF QTH! I heard nobody else. 

I had my 2m FM set to 146.550 the whole time and only heard four signals. All four were W3SC/M as he passed through LEH, NHA, and then CAR on Saturday night and then Sunday from SCH. This worked well for me because that gave me another 800 bonus points just on 2m! :-) Thanks, Todd!

VY 73 de Glenn K3PP 

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