The June ARRL VHF QSO Party

The 2000 ARRL June VHF QSO Party From EM13 - NTX

Several years ago, in my quest to do "everything" in ham radio, I bought a 2 meter transverter.� It worked well from my home QTH in NJ.� In VHF contests I'd work two to three hundred qsos, mostly locals in the New York City metro area.� Occasionally, I'd work some "DX" stations via Aurora.� Later on, I operated with the "Big Mountain" team in Central PA where we used the callsign K3UA. This is where the VHF bug bit me hard.�

Upon relocating to Texas a few years ago, I hoped to hook up with a VHF multi-op station and get my "fix" for VHF operating that way.� Here in North Texas, there are no VHF multi-ops (and no mountains), so I had to do it on my own.� Since little is needed for effective 6 meter communication when the band is open, I have installed what I would consider a modest antenna system.� The only portion of it purchased new was the 432 antenna (CC 719B).

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I'm using a 30' "push-up" mast which is not fully extended and guyed with ropes.� The antennas are all Cushcraft antennas.� They are a 5 element for 6M, 14 element for 2M and 19 elements for 432.� I used 1/2" hardline to feed them to minimize loss and the hardline runs up to just below the rotor.��

I tape the feedline onto the mast as I push it up.� From the hard line to the antennas is 9913.� It has been up as displayed for about 18 months and seems to work well.� The rotor is an old HD-73.

Occasionally, I work 6M outside of a contest and have worked down to Argentina as well as several places in between, but have yet to work any DX outside of North and South America.� I'm told that will come.

For this contest, I decided that if the conditions were good, I'd operate seriously.� Just before the contest, I was calling CQ and my long-time pal, Warren - K2BM, called me from the N2NK multi-op in FN21(Northeast PA).� He joked that the band would probably fold 5 minutes before the contest started.� He wasn't quite right, but propagation changed dramatically after the apparent phenomenal opening that occurred just prior to the contest.� There was a huge Solar event just before the contest and the effects of this on conditions were unknown.

The contest began well with 45 qsos in the log in the first half hour.� It would take me another hour to add another 45 to my total.� I began to occasionally switch to 2 meters and when possible, to 432 to make qsos and get all important grids on the higher bands.� Every qso on 432 is worth 2 points compared to just one point on 6 and 2.� After the first 6 hours, I had just over 200 qsos.� Looking back on it, I felt that I was pretty busy the entire time and in fact, hadn't gotten out of the chair at all.� I had worked 71 grids on 6 by this time, so I had worked a good assortment of areas all over the U.S. plus several Canadians along with XE1KK in EK09 off the back of my antenna.� At this point, I decided to take my first break.

Also, something else interfered with my participation which required some, but not all of my attention.�

This other competition took place on ice, and regrettably, my team lost.� I don't live in NJ anymore.

During the hockey game that I watched on my 13" in-shack TV, I made another 75 or so qsos in 20 more grids and then went QRT at about 0600z with 275 qsos and about 100 grids on all three bands.

In the morning, I got back on the air at about 1200z and 6 was not open.� I worked several stations on 2m and 432 and then at about 1230z, 6 opened up to Florida.� I also added WP4O and CO2OJ to my list of DX worked just after 1300z.� Throughout the day, I worked a steady stream of stations from all over and finally at 2015z, N2NK was in the log.� This qso was part of a very brief (less than 20 minute) opening into the FM29, FN20, 21, 30 and 31 areas.

My radio is a Yaesu FT-847.� It is shown here under the platform that supports my 19" monitor.� To the left of the 847 is an external speaker unit. With the FT-847 on 2M and 432, I need external amplifiers to get up to the 100w power level.� I use a Mirage B2516G on 2 meters and a prototype 432 amplifier that I bought on eBay from an un-named company in Japan.� I use a Heil Pro-Set with the HC-5 mic element and a foot switch and have also installed an Inrad 2.1 KHz SSB filter and an Inrad� 400Hz CW filter which improves the FT-847 tremendously.� For CW, I use an LPT port interface that I built in parallel with the output of a Logikey K-3 Keyer with a JM March paddle.� I use separate watt meters for each band. This photo was taken during the last hour of the contest.

I'm thinking that changing to SO2R would be effective in order to listen on 2m while running on 6m.� The FT-847 is very versatile, but it only receives on one band at a time.� I'm thinking of an arrangement of perhaps two FT-847's or an FT-920 to handle 6 meters along with the 847 for 2 and 432.

With this equipment, I entered the new Single - Operator "low-power" category.� The software that I used is Writelog from W5XD.� It worked perfectly and following the contest, I exported the log file to be imported into my normal logging program, DX4Win.� This process went without a hitch.

I finished the contest with the following:

50 MHz� 540 QSOS� 187 Grids

144 MHz� 38 QSOS�� 14 Grids

432 MHz� 14 QSOS��� 5 Grids (2 points per qso)

TOTAL�� 592 QSOS� 206 Grids

I did have a great time operating the contest and despite the less than optimum conditions from this area, I think the conditions were very good.� I do believe that other areas experienced much better openings than we did here in Texas.� I worked several new grids and enjoyed saying hello to contesters I know from HF contests too.

The next ARRL sponsored VHF contest will be in September.� There is also a CQ sponsored VHF contest in July.

I look forward to working you then!

73,

Bob Naumann
N5NJ
EM13PA

�*ADDENDUM*

It turns out that I placed 7th in the U.S. and Canada as shown on the certificate I received from the ARRL shown here:

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