KC9BQA

  W0UC Paul in EN44 has again created a Google spreadsheet where you can enter your contest plans.  Before I share the link, I want a few things to be clear.
   1)  I know nothing about a Google spreadsheet.  I’m just the messenger.
   2)  Notice on the lower left that there are tabs for both fixed stations and rovers.  
   3)  We kindly ask that with this sheet, the emphasis remains on WI and nearby states.  We’re NOT trying to create a nationwide sheet.  If you are more than say 300-400 miles from WI, considering doing something similar for your own area.  It would be a big boost to V/UHF contesting if there were similar listings for other parts of the USA and Canada.   We’ve all seen what KA1ZE and the 144.205 morning group has done to get more signals on the air, 7 mornings a week.   If you have no idea what I’m talking about, visit ka1ze.com and take some time to go thru his ”Activity Newsletter Archives”, plus click on ”Letter from Stan regarding the mission of the .205 morning group”. 
   4)  Please spread the word among your V/UHF buddies in WI and nearby states to list your UHF Contest Plans here:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvU0R8d2qq2DdHc0NEI0bEVUU0cyYzhhcC1jYjJMZHc#gid=1

   1:45pm Monday –

   Starting at 1800Z, this Saturday, August 4th, and running for the next 24 hours, we have the ARRL UHF contest. 
   All bands 222 MHz and higher are in play.  Talking 432, 902/903, 1296, 2304, 3456 MHz,  and 5.7 and 10 Gig, (I suppose some areas even have activity on higher bands like 24 GHz and beyond) 
   Here’s the link to the rules:  http://www.arrl.org/august-uhf  

   If there was ever a contest that needs a shot in the arm, it’s this one.   Try to get as many UHF’ers as possible on the air this weekend. 
   I’m a poor one to talk, because it looks like the only time I may have this weekend is a few hours Sunday morning.   

   If you’re new to VHF contesting, remember my series of articles called VHF Contesting School.  
    These links are in order from a basic introduction, to antennas, to what bands and frequencies to use, and so on.  
   http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1677   VHF Contesting School — Introduction.
   http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1689    Antennas – The Most Important Part of Your V/UHF Station.
  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1700    What Bands and Frequencies to Use.
  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1717     How to Log a V/UHF Contest.
  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1727    Helpful Hints — Being a Smarter Operator.
  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1737    Go Roving!   Put the Antennas and Rigs in the Mobile.
  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1740    More Detailed Rover Info.
  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1750    Rules and Scoring.  
   You are free to share the VHF Contesting School articles with hams everywhere.

   This post was originally made on July 30, 2012
   I’ve promoted the (144).205MorningGroup many times at kc9bqa.com.   Happy to do it again.  This is the single-best thing going on 2m SSB in the USA/Canada. 

  EDIT — May 7, 2013
  I should have updated this post sooner.  Back in late February of 2013, KA1ZE went on hiatus with the 205MorningGroup and with his amazing daily V/UHF newsletter.  Stan did say that perhaps by the fall of 2013, his schedule might change and allow him to get things going again.   If I hear any good news, I’ll definitely post it to kc9bqa.com. 
  You still might find activity on 144.205 in the mornings, so it’s worth checking out.  Especially now that the weather is warmer and band conditions are improving.   
   Of course, 144.200 remains the general calling frequency on 2m SSB.  Use .200 to call CQ, and stir up activity.    Make sure to take longer QSO’s off 144.200, and keep it a *calling* frequency, not a ragchew frequency. 
  END OF EDIT –

   Want VHF’ers everywhere to remember the 205MorningGroup is helping to increase 2m (and other bands) activity every single morning.  Participation has been strongest in the Eastern Great Lakes, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley, but there’s no reason it can’t spread everywhere in the USA. 
   This is not a directed net, with a set start or finish time.  This is more about just getting guys on/near 144.205 starting anytime after 6-7am, and calling around to see how many contacts they can make and how far they get out.  Many of the stations are using bands like 50, 222 and 432 MHz or even the microwave bands, as well.  Details about the .205 Morning Group are at www.ka1ze.com   This has been happening since Oct. 2010. 
   When you visit ka1ze.com, make sure to visit his Activity Newsletter Archives.  The daily newsletters that Stan has been publishing are amazing.  Full of info about band openings, stations publishing their daily activity logs, and filled with pictures, QSL cards, listings of nets… even a few classifieds at the end.   Publishing something like this once a month would be a big deal, and Stan does it every day.  Enjoy.
      If you have questions, or want to observe what they do, follow them in the on4kst.com chat room.  They use the IARU Region 2 chat for 144-432 MHz every single morning, from about 1130–1230Z for at least the next hour or two, sometimes longer.   You could ask questions of them directly in the chat, or ask one of their stations to turn your way to pick you up.  That’s how they keep expanding the activity– by being friendly and available.  The 7 simple steps for getting signed up to the free, no B.S. ham chat rooms at on4kst.com are here:  http://kc9bqa.com/?p=1072

  1pm Monday – 

  Want everyone to get the word that N9OLT in EN64, Green Bay, will be net control this Wed. on the 144.240 long-range net from WI.  John will sub for WB9LYH, at the usual time of 0100Z/8pm central.    Expect N9OLT to start out calling N, then go clockwise a full 360 over the next hour or so.  Talking N, then NE, E, SE, S, SW, W and NW.  
   Thanks, John, for helping out this week and have fun.  Hope you get lots of activity. 

   K8TQK’s 144.252 net from EM89je (south-central OH) should also be on this Wed. at 0030Z/8:30pm eastern.  Bob also starts out looking to his north, then going a full 360, clockwise, over the next hour or so. 

   An early look at the Hepburn Forecast Tropo Maps:  http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html looks better-than-average for much of the next week.  You can always check the real-time APRS propagation map, too.  http://aprs.mountainlake.k12.mn.us/ 
   Remember our net controls enjoy DX check-ins so please help spread the word in a multi-state circle surrounding WI and OH.

   12:30pm Thursday –

Want to thank both WB9LYH and K8TQK for getting on last night, and putting up with a lot of t-storm static.   In fact, K8TQK had to cut his 144.252 net short, when t-storms were getting too close for comfort by 0050Z/8:50pm eastern. 

  Here’s Bob’s short report from EM89je:
  WB8AUK EN80;  K8KGM, KD8DJE and W8WG EM89;  KC8YJB EN91;  AC3L/M FN00. 
  Like I said, K8TQK had to QRT because of storms, 20 minutes into his net. 

   WB9LYH on 144.240 at 0100Z had plenty of static too.  Mark’s 10 check-ins were:
   K9CCL EN61;  KC9RJS EN53;  WA9BNZ EN40;  KC9CLM EN52;  WD9CHG EM49;  W0ANH EN47;  W0HXL EN21;  WV9E EN43;  N9KOR EN44 and VE3KRP EN58.    WB8AUK EN80 was trying to check in but net control had too much t-storm static to hear Dave. 
   Nice geographic distribution with this net. 
   Also want to welcome 2 new calls.  KC9RJS in Watertown, WI and WD9CHG in Hannibal, MO, about an hour NW of St. Louis.  Always good to hear more signals from MO.  

   REMEMBER — Next week N9OLT in EN64, Green Bay will be filling in for WB9LYH.  John’s had the VHF bug for a few years now, and is on the air nearly every morning.   So next Wed. at 0100Z/8pm central, look toward Green Bay, WI for the 144.240 net and say hello to N9OLT. 
    Expect K8TQK on 144.252 next Wed., at 0030Z/8:30pm eastern, from EM89je.

   1:15pm Tuesday –

   As mentioned at the end of last week’s net report, the long-range 2m SSB nets will be ON tomorrow night.  Talking K8TQK on 144.252 at 0030Z/8:30pm eastern, from EM89je, or far south-central OH.  Then you have WB9LYH on 144.240 at 0100Z/8pm central, from EN54cl, right in the middle of WI. 
   If you need more info, scroll down a few posts to last week’s net announcement, made on July 17th. 

   All hams are welcome, and DX check-ins are encouraged.   

   Because this is summer, thunderstorms are often part of the picture.  Tomorrow night, t-storms will be scattered across the Great Lakes.  If you don’t hear anything on the net frequencies, you will know why. 

   Heads-up for next week.  WB9LYH will be unavailable and N9OLT will be net control on 144.240.  John is located in EN64, Green Bay, WI.

   1:30pm Sunday

   Well this weekend sure turned out differently than I planned.  We’ve barely been home and I haven’t been around the radios.  Figured I’d make this update so nobody worries that anything’s wrong. 
   The little I’ve been near someone’s computer, it looked like there could have been good enhancement at the start of the contest yesterday.  Plus I hope that 6 was open for at least some of the time. 
   Usually if I miss a contest, that means it was a good one.  I still remember a June VHF where my niece got married.  Think it was 2005 or 06.  Whichever one it was, by the time I flipped on a rig about 9:30-10pm Sat. night, guys were raving about a huge 6m opening that was just shutting down.  
   Hope everyone had fun and I’ll look forward to reading the stories later this week.

   2:15pm Thursday – 
   As mentioned in both emails and on this website, K8TQK’s back on the 144.252 net at 0030Z, from EM89je.   
   Last night, Bob took 11 check-ins:
   K8GDT, W8GMC and KC8YJB EN91;  WB8AUK EN80;  KY4MRG EM77;  K4YA EM86;  WA4REE EM65;  N4PPG EM76;  N8XA EM79;  K9MRI EN70 and KD8HLV EN82.  

   As usual, WB9LYH was on with the 144.240 net at 0100Z, from EN54cl.
   Mark had 9 check-ins plus a near-miss in the DX category:
   N9OLT EN64;  KC8ZJL EN71;  WB8AUK EN80;  K9CCL EN61;  K8TQK EM89;  W0FAY EN42;  KG0SJ EN22;  WV9E EN43 and N9KOR EN44.  
   The near miss was K8ZES in FN02, western NY.  K8TQK relayed to net control that K8ZES was hearing WI, but the t-storm noise last night was too high for WI to hear FN02.   We’ll see if that path works next Wed.    Always remember our net controls love DX and pushing the propagation limits.   Those 500, 600 + mile surprises are really exciting. 

   As of now, plan on both K8TQK and WB9LYH next Wed.

   11:30 Tuesday –
   Been talking up the CQ WW VHF Contest for a few months now on this blog.  If you want the most recent post, scroll halfway down this front page for a July 7th post.  
   CQ WW VHF Contest is a fun one, 6m and 2m bands only.  Not so many things to keep track of and less band switching than with a full-blown ARRL multi-band contest.   The CQ WW VHF starts at 1800Z this Sat., July 21st and goes until 2100Z on Sun., July 22nd.  
   Link to the rules:  http://www.cqww-vhf.com/CQVHFContestRules2012.pdf

     W0UC Paul in EN44 has again created a Google spreadsheet where you can enter your contest plans.  Before I share the link, I want a few things to be clear.
   1)  I know nothing about a Google spreadsheet.  I’m just the messenger.
   2)  Notice on the lower left that there are tabs for both fixed stations and rovers.  
   3)  We kindly ask that with this sheet, the emphasis remains on WI and nearby states.  We’re NOT trying to create a nationwide sheet.  If you are more than say 300-400 miles from WI, considering doing something similar for your own area.  It would be a big boost to V/UHF contesting if there were similar listings for other parts of the USA and Canada.   We’ve all seen what KA1ZE and the 144.205 morning group has done to get more signals on the air, 7 mornings a week.   If you have no idea what I’m talking about, visit ka1ze.com and take some time to go thru his ”Activity Newsletter Archives”, plus click on ”Letter from Stan regarding the mission of the .205 morning group”. 
   4)  Please spread the word among your V/UHF buddies in WI and nearby states to list your CQ WW VHF plans here:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvU0R8d2qq2DdEJUaXBaZ0wwNjNCNU8wcGJYcVgwUWc#gid=0

  11:20 Tuesday – 
   W9WZJ would like everyone to know he now has a beacon on 144.289 MHz.  The location is EM69tr, or just west of Indianapolis.  Darin’s beacon is 1 watt into a pair of M2 omni loops up at 27′.  The loops are horizontally polarized (this is the custom on the SSB/CW portion of 2m.)  Darin says with good conditions, the beacon has been heard as far away as EN33, southern MN.   If you hear W9WZJ/B, I’m sure Darin would appreciate a report — his info is available at www.qrz.com