Transcript Roving in VHF Contests

Roving in VHF Contests
Presented at the 2009
HamCon
ARRL Rocky Mountain
Division Convention
May 30, 2009
KK6MC James Duffey
1
What Is a Rover?
• Competitive Class in
VHF/UHF Contests
• Goes from grid
square to grid
square operating
from each
• Can work the same
station from
different grid
squares
• Additional multiplier
for operating from
grid
VHFers like
to work grid
squares
World is
marked off
into 1 x 2
degree
rectangles
called grids
New Mexico
has 22 grid
squares
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Why Rove?
• Provide more contacts and multipliers for other
contestants
• Produce more multipliers for self
• Work more stations – dupes reset to zero at each new
grid!
• Operate from other than home QTH
–
–
–
–
Lower noise
Better location
Rare grids
Go where activity is
• Challenging operating and technical conditions
• See new sights
The Challenges of Roving
• Setting up effective multiple band VHF/UHF
contest station in a vehicle
– Power
– Antenna
– Operating position
• Set up new station for each new contest
• Planning
– Best route to get from one site to another
– Best sites for operating
• Good radio horizons
• Easy access
• Proximity to other ops
Operate in Motion?
In Motion 2008 CQ WW VHF Contest
Advantages
More operating time
Less set up time
Don’t miss openings
Disadvantages
Sub optimal signals
Antenna limited
or Stop and Set up?
Stop and Set up June ARRL VHF
2008
Advantages
Good locations, high, low noise
Large antennas possible
Disadvantages
set up time
travel time
Different Station
Each Contest
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Rigs
June 2008 ARRL VHF Contest
SIx Meters 80 Watts
IC551D
Two Meters 125 Watts
TR-9130
TE Systems 1512 amplifier
70 cm 10 Watts
FT780R
Things tidied up a bit for August 2008 UHF
70 cm 50 watts
FT780R
Mirage (KLM era) 3010 amplifier
Two meters for liaison
8
The Back side isn’t so pretty
9
Antennas - Stop and setup
Six meters
2 element Yagi W6MMA SuperYagi
Two meters
6 element WA5VJB Cheap and Easy Yagi
13 element Cushcraft 13B2
10
70 cm
11 element WA5VJB Cheap and Easy Yagi
Antennas - Operate in Motion
Six meter Square half wave loop (homebrew)
Two meter 3 element WA5VJB Cheap Yagi
70 cm Symmetrical Double Rectangular loop (Skeleton slot)
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Mast Mounts
Homebrew drive on mount
NN5K receiver hitch mount
12
How the antennas go up......
Traveling position,
antennas stowed on
roof rack and mast
lowered
13
Six meter elements slide into
boom......
14
Install 70 cm beam.....
15
Straighten Out
2 Meter
Elements...
16
Install 2 Meter Yagi...
17
Connect Feed Line.....
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Make sure
antennas
are all
pointed in
same
direction...
19
Make sure feedline is connected...
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Raise Mast and We’re on the
Air
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Normal Operating Position...
22
At night...
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Getting Coax into the Car
Use foam pipe insulation on top of window before it is rolled up
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Handling Power
Power Plug
(cigar lighter)
Battery Charger
DC/DC Converter
70 AH
Deep Cycle
Battery
N8XJK
Battery
Booster
Rigs &
Peripherals
- Charges battery while engine is running
- Isolates battery from car electrical bus
- Provides 13.8 V until battery is discharged
- Rigs operate at optimum voltage without degradation
- No permanent connection to car
- Battery can operate rigs all day without charging
- SSB and CW are pretty low duty cycle modes, even
- Charges battery while engine is running
- Remove and charge battery at night
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Trip Planning - Maps
• Road Atlas with lat and lon (Rand McNally, Universal,
some National Geographic)
• Benchmark Atlas for detail (also DeLorme)
• Google Maps
– F6 Gridmap overlay for Google Map
• Google Earth
• World Wind (NASA - one stop shopping)
• Topo! (National Geographic)
• On line topo maps, Topozone, other
• Printed maps from the internet usually have poorer
resolution than the paper equivalents
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Trip Planning - Other
• 511 Road conditions and construction
information
• Motel reservations - it is amazing how
much can go on in a small town in one
weekend
• Ask veteran VHF contesters for good
rover and operating site information
• Get permission where necessary
• Publicize it on internet
– I keep e-mail list and announce trips
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Planning - Path loss capability
path loss capability (plc) = efffective isotropic radiated power (eirp) + effective receiver
sensitivity (ers)
eirp = (10*log(P)) + Gtrans - transTL
where P = transmitter power, Gtrans is gain of antenna, trasnTL is transmission line loss
ers = -10*log(k*T*B) + Grecv - recvTL - threshold
where kTB = receiver noise power in bandwidth B, Grecv receiver antenna gain, recvTL receiver
transmission line loss
predicted snr = plc - pl
For my 25 watts to the WA5VJB Yagi:
P=25W, Gtrans=10, transTL=1
eirp:23 dBW
For a modest 2M weak signal station: T= 438 K (equivalent to nf=4dB), B=2500 (SSB), Grecv=15dBi,
recvTL=1, threshold=0 (SSB),
ers:-182
-- and the effective path loss capability
plc: 205 dB
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Planning - Path Loss
- Path profile and calculated path loss from on line SPLAT! (W5GFE)
- Path loss is for 50% reliability; 50% of the time it will be worse, and 50% of the
time it will be better
- Prediction is for ~200 dB path loss
- Made QSO on second (or more?) attempt an hour apart
- Online SPLAT! has holes in coverage and occasionally does strange things
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Rover Strategy
• Start at grid convergence or grid boundry near
populated area
– this lets people know you are on and gets their attention
– gives them two quick multipliers
• Keep moving and keep operating
– more grids are more multipliers
– maximize operating time while maximizing the number of
grids you go to
• Be loud on two - beam and amp
• Publicize where you are going and when
• Always sign/r, always use phonetics, always give
grid when you call CQ
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• Have CW available
Tips for Fixed Stations to Work
Rovers
• Know who is going out, where they are
going and when they will be in what grid
• Keep track of the rover’s progress and
location during contest
• Swing the beam
• Ask if they have additional bands
• Ask where they are going next
• Listen for the weak ones
• Have CW available
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Setting Goals in Contests
• “Goals keep one focused, driven, and effectively
measure one’s progress.” - AA5B
• “... there is no harm in charging oneself up with
delusions between moments of valid inspiration.” - Steve
Martin (“Born Standing Up”)
• Goals set for June 2007 VHF Contest (first rove)
– 100 contacts (how hard can that be with E on 6?)
– call in QST results (top in division or top 5 in region)
• Long term goal set before September 2007 VHF Contest
– rove from all 22 grids in NM
– Met in September 2008 VHF contest
• Long term goal - reverse VUCC
• Long term goal - improve rover each contest
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Status of KK6MC/Rover
• New TS-2000X reduces clutter and adds a new band
1296 MHz, fixes 6M problems
• 222 MHz up and running at 120 Watts with 6 element
WA5VJB
• Move up from Limited Rover to Classic Rover
Category
• Future plans
– laptop logging
– 10 to 12 ft boom Yagis on 2M and 70cm
– WSJT
• Will be going to northern AZ in June
• Colorado in July, September, or January
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Official KK6MC/r Driver and
Photographer
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