2M FALL SPRINT 2006
SINGLE OPERATOR CATEGORY (stationary mobile)
callsign: N2SLN / M








ANTENNA SYSTEM

    4 over 4 elements: two horizontally polarized 2m end-mount yagis stacked vertically







RADIO EQUIPMENT

    Icom IC-706mk2g at 10 watts

    Mirage B1016G amplifier at 150 watts plus receive preamp







DESCRIPTION

The 2 meter fall sprint 2006 was sponsored by SVHFS, the Southeastern VHF Society. This single band contest ran from 7pm until 11pm local time, Monday, September 18th, 2006.

Some thought was given to entering the contest as a rover, but due to the significant setup and teardown time as well as the lack of good equipment to use while in motion, I had to operate in the single operator category. The location was a favorite rover site of mine in FN22, my home gridsquare. The antennas were at 1940+ feet above sea level with a downward slope in all directions, plus there was no foliage in the immediate area. The weather was great with a strong southerly breeze to keep temperatures in the 60's. There was occasional receiver desensitivity from commercial radio installations on the hilltop, but not enough to ruin the sprint (and I forgot to turn my preamp off to improve my receive during the 3 or 4 "desense" episodes).

Band enhancement contributed significantly to the enjoyment of this sprint. I started a few minutes late but operated right through to the end and collected 40 QSOs and 23 grids. I decided to add signal strengths to my log (shown below) since some of them were so amazing due to the moderate tropo encountered. One of the most interesting contacts was with AF1T and NS1O who were located on the island of Martha's Vinyard (FN41) which was also my longest distance reached to the east at 265 miles (427 km). The best DX to the south was K4QI / FM06 at 485 miles (780 km), also my longest distance overall in this contest. Best to the west was northeast Ohio station W8ANS / EN91 at 275 miles (443 km) and to the north was VA2LYL / FN35 at 246 miles (396 km).

Here is a list of stations I heard but was unable to work: W4XP / FM18, W3RAR / FM19, K1HC, NN3Q / FN10, and K3TUF / FN10. Also, thanks to my turning the beam through the northerly directions, I heard VE1CBC/B FN63 Yarmouth, Nova Scotia for the first time ever. I then heard another new beacon giving out the grid FM18 but didn't spend the time copying the call. Two stations I expected to hear but did not: W3SO / FN00 and W3EV / FN03. In fact, I didn't hear anyone in those two grids, nor was there any activity from FN02, FN24, FN33, and FN44.







POINTS SUMMARY



BAND   QSOs   QSO    UNIQUE   STATES   CANADIAN
              PTS.   GRIDS             PROVINCES
------------------------------------------------
144     40    40      23        9          1


          --- Claimed score = 920 ---









LOG


EDT     CALLSIGN   GRID   OTHER
--------------------------------------------------------
1923    W3CMP      FN10
1924    KO4YC      FM17   5x9 Ruther Glen, VA
1926    KB2KIR     FN22   9+20 w/o preamp, 9+60 w/preamp
1927    K2OAK      FN20
1928    W2KV       FN20   5x9+20
1935    W8ANS      EN91   5x9 North Bloomfield, OH
1940    KJ1K       FN32
1942    K4LTX      FM08   5x7
1944    KA1LMR     FN43   5x7
1946    KF2PC      FN31   5x9+10
1949    WA4PGI     FM07   5x7
1951    KE2N       FM18   5x8
1953    K1WHS      FN43   5x9, 5x9+60 @ 2136
1955    KA2LIM     FN12   5x8 off the side of his beam
1957    W4SHG/R    FM19   5x7
2004    W3IP       FM19   5x9 Virginia
2005    KB3HJA     FN20   5x9+10
2011    K4QI       FM06   5x7 Efland, NC
2012    K2LCK      FN30   5x9 south Long Island, NY
2017    K3IWK      FN10   5x6
2031    K1TR       FN42   5x9+10
2033    WA2RQC     FN23
2036    KE2DN      FN12   5x9+20
2046    KC2JZK     FN12
2057    AF1T       FN41
2057    NS1O       FN41
2104    NA2T       FN21   5x7
2111    WA2FGK     FN21   5x9
2115    W3GAD      FN20
2121    WA3NUF     FN20
2125    N2SY       FM29   5x7
2126    N3OYO      FM19
2127    W1LBY      FN20
2134    WZ1V       FN31   5x9+20
2141    WA1T       FN43   5x9+10
2146    KA1ZE/3    FN01   5x9+60
2219    VA2LYL     FN35   Granby, Quebec
2230    W4SHG/R    FM08   5x6
2252    NG4C       FM16   Elizabeth City, NC
2256    K3TC       FM19   5x8









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