June 1997 ("Notes from W9FX/R"): ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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------------------------------------------- AAR (After Action Report) from W9FX/Rover, accompanied and chauffered by
N9BJG: 1. Operating from the back seat of a mini-van with the equipment balanced on
the folded-up middle seat, it is absolutely necessary to tie everything in
place, lest, during a braking maneuver, the AMPLIFIERS fall onto the power
strip, spare battery, etc., and make large sparking noises and smoke.
2. It is absolutely necessary to tie everything in place, lest, during a
braking maneuver, the KEYER PADDLES fall onto the power strip, spare battery,
etc., and make large sparking noises and smoke. 3. It is absolutely necessary to tie everything in place, lest, during a
braking maneuver, the PREAMPS fall onto the power strip, spare battery, etc.,
and make large sparking noises and smoke. 4. It is absolutely necessary to tie everything in place, lest, during a
braking maneuver, the WATTMETERS fall onto the power strip, spare battery, etc.,
and make large sparking noises and smoke. 5. It is absolutely necessary to carry a soldering iron and solder so that
when conditions (1) thru (4), above, present themselves, damaged connectors,
including PL-259's, can be reattached. 6. It is recommended that PTT be used instead of VOX so that when conditions
(1) thru (4), above, present themselves, the operator does not inadvertently
transmit expletives on 6 meters. 7. It is absolutely necessary that an itinerary be established lest, when
searching for a motel room at 2 AM in Danville, IL, the rover team be informed
that a scheduled hot air balloon festival has precluded the rental of such
facilities. 8. It is absolutely necessary that, when one is very tired and spots a
'motel,' one consider the number of roaches and other vermin per square foot
that might be regular occupants of said domicile...before paying the $37.50
rental fee. 9. In contrast to previous 'test, it is duly noted that operators in the
Chicagoland area have improved somewhat by occasionally pointing their antennas
to the south. 10. Operators at K8GP (FM08) working from a reported 4863' elevation had
commanding signals across the entire spectrum (from 144 - 432 Mhz, anyway...).
Working them while mobile, on CW and SSB, on both 432 and 222 Mhz on Sunday
morning from EM69 and EM68 was a real hoot, although keeping the yagis pointed
at them posed some unique obstacles. Note for future consideration: Indiana's 2
lane highways have lots of curves...consider installation of gyro for antenna
positioning while moving. 11. As previously noted by AA9D, we discovered that no outstanding warrants
exist for our arrest, compliments of the Champaign, IL, County Sheriff's
Department, all of whom (yes, there were many -- at about 30 minute intervals,
it seemed) thought we were University of Illinois personnel tracking coyotes. We
briefly considered telling them we were tracking the Energizer Bunny but, at the
last minute considered the potential consequences of being flippant to armed
officers of the law at midnight whilst housed in an aluminum festooned
mini-van... 12. Next year (or, maybe in September), we'll sacrifice a yagi or two and a
vintage copy of the ARRL VHF Manual prior to the 'test in order to appease the
Gods of 50 Mhz propagation. 13. Next year (or, maybe in September), I WILL equip my laptop with
appropriate logging software that allows for Rover operation. Hand written logs
are a pain in the butt to process post-contest. 14. Note for future consideration: low hanging branches can and will do
considerable damage to 432 Mhz yagis. 15. Note for future consideration: 6M halos attract (and demolish) a
considerable number of mosquitos and other flying critters. Must check and see
if the mosquito loading per square inch factor accounted for the high SWR that
was experienced in the heat of the 'test. All in all, folks, we had a BALL. Thanks to everybody who took the time to
dig our sigs out of the noise and twirl their antennas in our direction. Next
year (or, maybe in September), we'll do EM57, 58, 59, EN50, then head west and
back south through EN40, then onto EM's 49, 48 and 47. This time, as (sort of)
planned, we activated EM's 57, 58, 59, 69, 68, 67, along with EN's 50 and
60. Hope y'all had as much fun as we did. 73 de Brad W9FX EM57mx September 1997 ____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________ Hi, y'all. Notes from this year's Sept. VHF QSO Party from W9FX and
N9BJG: 1. Item to correct before next 'test: replace the rear shock absorbers in the
van. Bouncing up and down is not conducive to legible logging. 2. Item corrected from last test: Amps and accessories on floorboard. No
careening around of electronic apparatus, therefore, no sparks. Definite
improvement from June's experiences. 3. Still in the market for computer software for logging. Processing paper
logs after the 'test still compares favorably with root canal work. 4. Addition of 1296 was good news/bad news situation. It was nice to have the
extra band but the added wind load of the 25 ele loop yagi on the mast prevented
the rotor from returning to 'north' (bearing relative to direction of motion) at
speeds above 40 MPH. This required frequent periods of either driving slowly on
our Interstate highway system or pulling off on the shoulder any time we needed
to align/point antenna array. Will correct with more robust rotator next
'test. 5. Item to correct before next 'test: replace the rear shock absorbers in the
van. Bouncing up and down is not conducive to sending coherent CW. 6. Forgot the darned battery powered lantern. Spent majority of both nights
switching hands between rigs, pencil, soft drink, clipboard, seat belt, paddle,
and mini-Maglite (while bouncing up and down. See items 1 and 5, above). 7. 900 plus miles logged this trip. Nice to find a motel that didn't force us
to share space with hot and cold running vermin. 8. Note: Discovered interesting phenomenon... Evidence indicates that 160
watts of 144 Mhz CW emitted at midnight activates several different brands of
auto security alarms. Patrons of Super 8 Motel near Pontiac, IL, will verify
this. Tried it several times to make certain that empirical data was accurate.
Empirical data was conclusive in this regard. 9. Vending machine/rest area coffee machines make a passable cup of
cappuccino. Or, maybe I was just really tired and thought it tasted pretty
good. 9. Worked K0MQS on 144 Mhz from almost all 14 grids. What a powerhouse
station! 10. Six meters, the 'magic band,' was definitely magic. It magically absorbed
all evidence of RF originating more than 15 miles from our location. We worked
stations on 1296 with 10 watts that we couldn't work with 100 watts on 50
Mhz... 11. Item to correct before next 'test: Add preamp to 1296 rig. Had to run
audio gain so high when working there that returning to 144 Mhz without reducing
rig's gain resulted in intense pain to operator's eardrums. This caused operator
to engage in bouts of colorful language while resolving, each time, to REMEMBER
TO TURN IT DOWN, STUPID! Six meters was truly a disappointment, but, sigh, Cliff and I have both
learned to expect such disappointments on contest weekends. 2 meters, the 'money
band,' paid off big dividends, especially from the northern grids where we were
within striking distance of the Chicago metroplex. 222 and 432 offered fair
conditions, but nothing to really brag about. 1296's surprise was an
approximately 90 mile rover-to-rover QSO -- 10 watts on both ends. (thanks to
KF9US/R, Phil, for that contact) 'Course, we couldn't hear him on 6 meters at
all. All in all, we had a great time. For those who worked us and noticed flutter
on the signals, 98% of our QSO's were made while in motion. We did operate from
stationary locations for a few brief periods, but, for the most part, it was all
done mobile. We did, in fact, make all 14 grids (listed in order activated): EM56, EM57,
EM47, EM48, EM58, EM59, EN50, EN51, EN61, EN60, EM69, EM68, EM67, and EM66. We
drove 914 miles during the festivities. Thanks to all who worked us. See you in June (nope, not even going to THINK
about roving in January. I'll be warm and cozy for that one). Final tally was 270 QSO's, 370 QSO points, 80 grids worked, 14 activated,
resulting in a total claimed score of 34780 points. 73 de Brad W9FX EM57mx