2M SPRING SPRINT 2002
 SINGLE OPERATOR CATEGORY






ANTENNA SYSTEM

    2 meter 7-element yagi by Gulf Alpha Antennas






RADIO EQUIPMENT

    Icom IC-706mkIIG turned down to 10 watts for amp input

    Mirage B1016G 160 watt amplifier

    radio & amp in a wx-proof box

    terminal block to distribute all necessary DC power from vehicle battery







DESCRIPTION

The 2 meter spring sprint 2002 was sponsored by ETDXA, the Eastern Tennessee DX Association. This single band contest ran from 7pm until 11pm local time, Monday, April 1st, 2002. Some thought was given to entering the contest as a rover, but since the contest is only 4 hours long it would have been tough to work several grids. We also decided that AA2YG himself would run the whole show since "single operator" is the preferred category. The rover vehicle was used, and the location was our favorite nearby rover stop in our home county and gridsquare FN22dn. The elevation is 1960 feet above sea level, and with the antenna support structure adding about 35 feet, that puts the beam at about 2000 feet, with a downward slope in all directions, plus no foliage in the area, and all that within 10 radio miles of home. The weather was poor by April 1st standards...see the weather section of this page. Luckily there was no noise generated by snow nor rain, just noise generated by other things! The idling engine and the AC inverter driving the rotor were the main sources of noise, plus there was occasional receiver desense as a result of NYSEG data transmissions on 161.025 MHz only a few yards away. There was no band enhancement of any kind, but we were pleased to discover that there was more participation than we expected. Contacts were made at an average rate of about 1 QSO every 9 minutes for 4 hours straight. The longest distance reached was 246 miles during a QSO with AI3Z in FM19sc. The most popular grid worked was FN20, which supplied us with 1/4 of our score.







POINTS SUMMARY 



BAND   QSOs   QSO    UNIQUE   STATES   CANADIAN
              PTS.   GRIDS             PROVINCES
------------------------------------------------
144     27    27      13        7          1


          --- Claimed score = 351 ---




LOG 


UTC     CALLSIGN   GRID   OTHER
-----------------------------------
0010    VE3AX      FN02   Ontario
0020    K1TEO      FN31
0029    N2JMH      FN13
0033    WA2FGK     FN21
0043    K2SMN      FN20
0044    AI3Z       FM19   246 miles
0056    N3FUJ      FN20
0101    WB2SIH     FN22
0103    N2EZS      FN13
0117    K2AN       FN02
0128    K3EOD      FM29
0135    N3ITT      FN20
0146    K1DS       FN20
0200    W2FU       FN13
0202    KJ1K       FN13
0216    N3NGE      FN20
0219    N2RXK      FN22
0223    AF1T       FN43
0246    WA3DRC     FN20
0254    K2AXX      FN12
0255    VE3YCU     FN03   Ontario
0259    KA2LIM     FN12
0331    VE3IEY     FN14   CW
0334    AA3GN      FN20
0335    K2ZRJ      FM29
0349    N3RN       FN11
0354    VA3ST      FN03   CW





WEATHER CONDITIONS 

LOCAL   WIND        WIND    WIND GUST   TEMPERATURE   WIND
TIME    DIRECTION   SPEED   PAST HOUR                 CHILL
-----------------------------------------------------------
7pm     280 (WNW)   13.8      18.4        30.6 F       20
8pm     290 (WNW)   10.4      n/a         28.8 F       20
9pm     290 (WNW)   10.4      n/a         27.9 F       18
10pm    280 (WNW)   11.5      n/a         27.0 F       17
11pm    300 (WNW)    8.0      n/a         26.4 F       18






Thanks to W2EMO for loaning us an antenna for the 2002 spring 2m sprint. Another thanks to local weak signal VHFer N2RXK who provided us with one more contest point. All photos of the contest effort courtesy of AA2YG. Long live VHF!




Professionals are predictable, it is the amateurs who are dangerous.