CQ Worldwide VHF Contest 2008

CQ Worldwide VHF Contest 2008
category: ROVER
callsign: N2SLN / R

OPERATORS

N2SLN -- all planning, operating, paper and pen logging, and running from storms

ROVER VEHICLE

N2SLN personal vehicle with Penninger "Tipper" drive-on mount and Alfa Spid 12VDC rotor

ANTENNA SYSTEM

6m: pair of 3-el yagis fed in phase.
2m: 6-element yagi, a Directive Systems Rover Special.

RADIO EQUIPMENT

6m: Icom IC-706mk2G at 100 watts
2m: same radio, 25 watts into Mirage brick at 150 watts

DESCRIPTION

FOR NEWCOMERS
The CQ Worldwide VHF Contest is sponsored by CQ Magazine and occurs every year in July. It is shorter in duration than the "big 3" ARRL contests of January, June, and September. This contest starts on a Saturday at 2 pm eastern time every year, and runs through 5 pm the next day (only 27 hours versus 33 hours for the big 3 ARRL VHF contests). It is a two-band contest (6m/2m only) and has many categories based on things like the number of bands you have available, how much time you want to spend operating, and how many operators you have.

My goal for this contest was to break 10,000 points in order to get an all-time high score in the rover category for call area 2. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time between thunderstorms to get in enough operating time.

THWARTED BY THUNDERSTORMS 3 TIMES
Here is the Hazardous Weather Outlook from 3:27 AM the day before the contest started. It mentions that thunderstorms are expected over the weekend, and that strong storms will be possible. Then came the Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued 16 minutes before the start of the contest. Then of course, the Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued only 79 minutes later. The rover vehicle didn't even get finished with repairs until an hour after the warning was issued. I drove the vehicle home, packed it with a few more things, and went with Plan B which was to visit a hilltop much closer to home for less traveling and more operating time. I got set up at about 300 feet above average terrain a little after 6 PM local time Saturday. I was hoping to spend the whole evening there in FN22, but thunderstorms rolled in after less than two hours.

Just before tearing down, I sneaked in a 6m contact with K4JPD EM73 which, little did I know at the time, would end up being my only E-skip contact. It was also nice to point the antennas north and hear W4TAA/VE3 in FN15. While beaming south, I was able to just barely hear W4MYA FM07 which is a ground wave distance that I would not have been able to obtain with my usual 6m rover antennas, so the mobile phased array appears to be working well.

The next day I wanted to go to FN23 in the morning, but Doppler radar showed heavy thunderstorm activity in the northern half of NY. So I skipped that grid and activated FN12 later in the day as planned.

Getting to my FN12 site with so much repetitive shower activity in the area and lightning static on the bands, I decided to put up only one 6m yagi to shorten setup and teardown time [pic]. NWS sent out a Severe Thunderstorm Watch at 2:58 PM while I was assembling the antennas. I finally got everything together and made my first contact at 3:28 PM. I did 15 minutes of operating, then my weather alert sounded, and the NWS warned that a line of thunderstorms would be here in 20-25 minutes, packing 60+ mph winds and nickel size hail. KE2DN showed up on the air at just the right moment, allowing me to hastily make two final contacts before starting a teardown routine that would have impressed NASCAR pit crews. At this point I was quite thankful that I didn't have to take down a second 6m yagi. I raced eastward toward home. When I got home, the same thunderstorm hit moments later--apparently I had stayed just ahead of it. It produced an incredible wind gust which launched hailstones into the living room windows like I've never heard before. Then right after things quieted down, 2100Z hit and the contest was over. Although I was annoyed that I couldn't put in a full contest effort, I was glad to have avoided all the perils of severe weather. Total operating time for this contest ended up being 1 hour 58 minutes (7.3 percent of the contest).

POINTS SUMMARY


Band    QSOs    QSO pts.    Mults.
-----------------------------------------------
 50      23        23        10
144      18        36         8
-----------------------------------------------
TOTALS   41        59        18
                             +2 grids activated
                             --
                             20


        --- Claimed score = 1,180 ---










LOG



START-OF-LOG: 2.0
CALLSIGN: N2SLN/R
CATEGORY: ROVER ALL HIGH 
CLAIMED-SCORE: 1180
CONTEST: CQ-VHF
CREATED-BY: WA7BNM Web2Cabrillo 1.08
NAME:
ADDRESS:
ADDRESS:
ADDRESS:
OPERATORS: N2SLN
SOAPBOX:
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2212 N2SLN/R          FN22   K8GP             FM19   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2213 N2SLN/R          FN22   K8GP             FM19   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2217 N2SLN/R          FN22   W2KV             FN20   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2217 N2SLN/R          FN22   K2PLF            FM19   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2219 N2SLN/R          FN22   K2PLF            FM19   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2226 N2SLN/R          FN22   K1TEO            FN31   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2226 N2SLN/R          FN22   K1TEO            FN31   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2227 N2SLN/R          FN22   W1XX             FN41   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2228 N2SLN/R          FN22   W1XX             FN41   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2230 N2SLN/R          FN22   K2PS             FM29   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2231 N2SLN/R          FN22   K1RZ             FM19   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2233 N2SLN/R          FN22   K1RZ             FM19   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2237 N2SLN/R          FN22   W3SO             FN00   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2239 N2SLN/R          FN22   W3SO             FN00   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2239 N2SLN/R          FN22   KE2DN            FN12   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2241 N2SLN/R          FN22   KE2DN            FN12   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2246 N2SLN/R          FN22   KA2LIM           FN12   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2247 N2SLN/R          FN22   KA2LIM           FN12   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2258 N2SLN/R          FN22   KB1DFB           FN41   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2303 N2SLN/R          FN22   W3BD             FM19   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2309 N2SLN/R          FN22   KA3ZLS           FM19   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2311 N2SLN/R          FN22   KA3ZLS           FM19   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2317 N2SLN/R          FN22   N3HBX            FM19   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2318 N2SLN/R          FN22   N3HBX            FM19   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2328 N2SLN/R          FN22   K2SQS            FN20   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2329 N2SLN/R          FN22   K2SQS            FN20   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2334 N2SLN/R          FN22   WA3NUF           FN20   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2335 N2SLN/R          FN22   WA3NUF           FN20   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2344 N2SLN/R          FN22   KA1LMR           FN43   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-19 2345 N2SLN/R          FN22   KA1LMR           FN43   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2351 N2SLN/R          FN22   K4JPD            EM73   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-19 2353 N2SLN/R          FN22   K1TR             FN42   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-20 1928 N2SLN/R          FN12   KA2LIM           FN12   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-20 1928 N2SLN/R          FN12   KA2LIM           FN12   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-20 1930 N2SLN/R          FN12   VE3CRU/R         FN04   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-20 1932 N2SLN/R          FN12   VE3CRU/R         FN04   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-20 1935 N2SLN/R          FN12   W3BD             FM19   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-20 1936 N2SLN/R          FN12   K8GP             FM19   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-20 1938 N2SLN/R          FN12   K8GP             FM19   
QSO:   144 PH 2008-07-20 1944 N2SLN/R          FN12   KE2DN            FN12   
QSO:    50 PH 2008-07-20 1945 N2SLN/R          FN12   KE2DN            FN12   
END-OF-LOG:

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the N2SLN rover team.