07/02/2004 | N NRW EN41 (Iowa) ()
This year I operated in the low power single operator all band section ...I tried the same scenario as last year. Testing a qrp signal 1st on 2 & 6 meters in preparation of the July CQ WW Vhf Contest ....If I made the contact great,, it meant things could go well for me come July... But ,,, if I just wasn't being heard at qrp levels,,, I could turn on the 170 watt brick ...
Saturday ::: 6 meters started out good with a nice opening to the south ( Texas ),,,southeast ( Florida ),,,, & southwest ( Arizona/New Mexico )... No problem working most of these stations on 10 watts... I couldn't just sit in one place and call cq... I had to surf up & down the band ... when things started dying out I turned on the 170 watt brick... It netted me a few more.... 2 meters was so - so ... 10 watts was much tougher here...no band enhancement to speak of... Ended up using the 170 watt brick alot more on this band.... I also ran 222,432 & 1296 , but I only went to those bands when someone else had those to run... 222 & 432 were average along with 1296............

Sunday ::: Not much of anything out of the norm on Sunday... 6 & 2 pretty much dead all day... Occasionally a distant station would pop in outta nowhere on 6 ,,, this was very welcomed as it was almost always a new multiplier... 222 seemed to be very good ,,, signals were up,,,,but,,,,the only way to make a contact there was to bring someone up from 6 or 2 ,,,, 432 was again average along with 1296.........

Big thanks goes out to the rovers.....keep up the good work....
I would also like to thank all the suppliers of ham radio & associated equipment ...
And of course a big thanks to the ARRL for hosting these vhf contest..
Look for me next in the July CQ WW VHF Contest July 17th , 18th...
I haven't decided yet if I will run in the qrp section or kick on the 8877's... Tune in to find out !!!!!
73's all.... Dan (ֿ -- N