I’ll be operating Limited Rover in the upcoming ARRL January VHF Contest.
I’ll have the following bands, power, and antennas with a roof top rotator mount.
- 6 meters, 170 watts, Par Electronics Moxon, IC-9100, TE Systems amp.
- 2 meters, 100 watts, Directive Systems 6-element rover Yagi, IC-9700.
- 1.25 meters, 25 watts, Directive Systems 10-element rover Yagi, DEMI Transverter, IC-9100.
- 70 cm, 75 watts, Directive Systems 15-element rover Yagi, IC-9700.
Modes will including SSB, FT8/FT4, MSK144, and CW. Preamps on 2m and 70cm. This will be my first time operating two rigs and first time with 222 MHz. I’ve built a connector box to share PTT, Mic, and headphones between the rigs. I’ll also be able to operate WSJT modes on each rig at the same time. Not sure I’ll need that, but we’ll see what happens.
As is my standard practice with the operating position in the back seat, I will operate stationary from each grid. I won’t be operating while in motion. My Sunday route will start with a number of other rovers collecting grids and bands across the first four grids on the list. Then the rest of the rovers head north while I head south.
Here’s the route and general times.
Saturday
- EM11dv — 1 to 2 PM Central
- EM01wv — 2:30 to 3:30 PM
- EM12aa — 3:30 to 4:30 PM
- EM02xa — 4:30 to 5:30 PM
- EM03xe — 7:30 to 8:30 PM
- EM13ae — 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Sunday
- EM14xa — 8 to 9 AM Central
- EM24aa — 9 to 9:30 AM
- EM23ax — 9:30 to 10 AM
- EM13xx — 10 to 10:30 AM
- EM22ax — 1 to 2 PM
- EM21ax — 4 to 5 PM
- EM12va — 5:30 to 6:30 PM
- EM11vx — 7 to 8 PM
The last two grids on Sunday are duplicates. If I’m dead tired or the bands aren’t cooperating, I may skip those and head home.
Here are the maps:
I notice no real high spots.. like ranger hill or talimena drive outside of talihena oklahoma,, why sid u chooce the spots u did to stop ?
Hi David,
Thanks for your comments and questions.
There are always trade-offs in any rover route. The first choice is maximizing the number of grids you can activate. The next choice is minimizing the distance traveled between stops. This in turn means you’ll generally select routes that run north and south as the dimensions of a grid are roughly 70 miles north-south by 100 miles east-west. Then you try to find suitable grid corners, where all four grids come together, that allows quick activation of all four grids. You also want to be as close as possible to the highest number of potential stations to work during the contest. For me, that means Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin/San Antonio. For this reason, the southerly grids on my route are usually the most productive.
As you point out ideally all these locations are higher than the surrounding terrain. But here in Texas and Southern Oklahoma it’s pretty easy to find a location that at least has a clear horizon for 360 degrees. All the locations on this map have been previously activated and work well.
The ones you’ve noted, if I’m finding them on the map correctly, are well away from the grid line, which would mean longer travel between grids and more time off the air while traveling. They may make great sense for a contest portable activation, where you set up for the entire contest from one location.
Thanks for reading and for your comments. Good luck in the contest. I hope to put you in the log many, many times.
73, Jim, K5ND
Jim,
Will you be using Slack? I will be operating 6, 2, 432 from EM22fm one or both days and possibly one other location. Sorry about 1.25 meters, my transverter and amp have not been completed.
Jerry/k5sop
Hi Jerry,
Yes, I’ll be on Slack and PingJockey. No worries about 222. This will be my first rove with the DEMI transverter at 25 W into a 10 element yagi. We’ll see how that goes and hopefully add an amplifier later this year. Definitely hope to put you in the log several times. 73, Jim, K5ND
What Slack channel will you be on, Jim. Hope to work you from EM04 this year. My plans to be a rover won’t work out but I will participate from home with my new E-Factor dual-band halo! 73 DE WA5RR
Hi Korey,
I’ll be on VHF-Chat on slack. I will also monitor PingJockey. I will point my antenna your way, particularly when I’m in EM03, EM13, EM14, EM24. Hope to work you.
73, Jim, K5ND
[…] original plan was to activate the IC-9700 on 144/432 and the IC-9100 on 50/222 with a six meter amp and 222 […]
Hi, Jim.
I find myself combing back through your wonderful site yet again today. Although I’ve been a ham for 35 years, my new challenge for the future focuses on VHF operation. Since I’m a fan of contesting, but stuck way up north on the Oklahoma-Texas border, the rover category really interested me. My first try was the 2020 January VHF Contest and now I’m hooked!
Today, I finished construction on two ‘easy Yagis’ for 1.25m and 70cm. After mounting them, along with my new Cushcraft 4-element 2m beam, I check SWR on the new antennas. The 1.25m antenna needed a bit of trimming since I purposely left it a bit long. The 70cm Yagi was dead-on with a 1.3:1 SWR! Since I am a federal civil servant, I said to my ham buddy, “Close enough for government work!”
I just wanted to stop by here and thank you for sharing your experiences and offering excellent write-ups. Your site, along with others, have really helped!
73,
Korey–WA5RR
Hi Korey,
Glad to hear that you’re getting set up for the VHF contests. Sounds like you have a great rover coming together. I look forward to working you.
73, Jim, K5ND