VHF
NFD 2019
I entered VHF
NFD as a "Sweeper" as usual, almost all operation was search &
pounce or skeds set up via ON4KST.
Conditions on
70MHz seemed quite good, with strong signals from the GM stations, as usual
some of the UK portables were hiding their light under a bushel so proved
rather elusive. The only Es heard were the OY and TF beacons. I was on the band
at various times through a 3 hour period on Sunday morning.
Conditions on
144MHz didn’t match last year. I worked SN7L in the guise of SO3Z on Friday
evening, but just heard short and rather weak aircraft reflections from them
during the contest. Solar panel noise is very bad to the East so I operated
mainly after dark on Saturday, and then looking around the UK on Sunday.
Activity on
432MHz seemed rather poor, with lots of empty spaces on the band. Best DX was
by aircraft scatter with OK2A and DM5D. The SSPA failed on Sunday morning, when
checked out the following day the series switching MOSFET in the 48V drain supply
had fried, due to thermal runaway, so an uprated design is needed.
On 23cm the best
DX was again OK2A and DM5D by aircraft scatter. DM5D was also worked on 13cm,
and copied well on 9cm, but a two way on this band was not to be. Other good
QSOs on 13cm included DJ5AR and DL3IAS in JN49. This contest was the first
outing for a new 23cm SSPA using a single PRF13750 device (W6PQL) and it worked
well.
John G3XDY
Results:
|
Band (MHz) |
QSOs |
Claimed Score |
Best DX |
Locator |
Distance (km) |
|
70 |
36 |
8416 |
GM4ZUK/P |
IO86RW |
594 |
|
144 |
75 |
25261 |
OL3Y |
JN69JJ |
867 |
|
432 |
26 |
13418 |
DM5D |
JO61OC |
834 |
|
1296 |
43 |
16644 |
DM5D |
JO61OC |
834 |
|
2320 |
13 |
5576 |
DM5D |
JO61OC |
834 |
|
3400 |
4 |
1846 |
DL3IAS |
JN49EJ |
585 |
|
5760 |
2 |
787 |
DK2MN |
JO32MC |
399 |
|
10368 |
6 |
3509 |
DF0MU |
JO32PC |
416 |