432 MHz Spring Sprint - 2023
Call: N2SLN
Operator(s): N2SLN
Station: N2SLN/P
Class: Single Op LP
QTH: FN12
Operating Time (hrs): 2.5
Summary:
Total: QSOs = 6 Mults = 5 Total Score = 30
Club:
Comments:
In last year's fall version of this event I had traveled to a hilltop south of
Syracuse, NY that I tried 20 years ago. In the early 2000's it wasn't a great
location because of poor placement of one of the commercial dishes as well as
insufficient room to set up my own antennas. But I was pleased to see that those
problems disappeared, and I wanted to assess the site for future use as a rover
and portable operating location. Unfortunately, problems with the connectors on
the phasing lines prevented me from getting on the air during the fall 432
Sprint 2022. So I decided to use the spring 432 Sprint 2023 to try again. I
began watching the forecasts for 6 hilltops several days in advance, and the
hilltop described above had the best forecast. So I made the 75-minute trip to
northeast FN12 armed with new phasing lines for the pair of FO-25's. I had my
first experience with airplane scatter. I was aimed at 10 degrees trying to work
Quebec station VA2IW who was in and out of the noise (177 miles / 285 km) due to
heavy QSB, when suddenly his signal jumped to 579. Subsequent research revealed
that my antenna's beam heading at that point in time (10 degrees) included the
beam heading for him (5 degrees) and also for Syracuse Hancock International
Airport (15 degrees) and the beamwidth of the antenna is 22 degrees. That was
the highlight of the evening for me. Rain came down almost all the way to the
hilltop, but not at the hilltop, and the site was mostly quiet on 432, so
mission accomplished.
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