Photo: K5ND/R in EM14 near Bennington, Oklahoma, at sunrise Sunday.
That was a fun contest. Thanks to everyone who worked me. A special thank you to what I’m calling my Rover All Star Super Stations that I could rely on working me wherever I was as well as working all my bands. Here’s the tremendous trio:
- W5LUA, 43 out of 44 possible QSOs. I feel we just forgot 6 meters in one grid late Saturday night.
- W5ZN, 28 QSOs, lots of them on 144, 222, and 432. Note that I’ve heard Joel at conferences say “I brake for Rovers.” He sure does.
- WA5DM, 16 QSOs, most on 6 and 2 but one SSB on 432.
Having this group on text messages made all the difference. It also raised my spirits as I drove between the 11 grids I activated, knowing they were there to work me. Thanks Al, Joel, and Chris.
Overall Results
I managed 201 QSOs and 48 grid multipliers, plus the 11 grids I activated came in at 14,514 points. That’s far and away the best score I’ve managed in this contest.
- 50 MHz — 89 QSOs and 27 grids. FT8 and a few MSK144.
- 144 MHz — 67 QSOs and 14 grids. All FT8. I was pleased to make so many QSOs here.
- 222 MHz — 23 QSOs and 4 grids. FT8 and one CW. The new 100 watt amp worked well.
- 432 MHz — 22 QSOs and 3 grids. FT8 and one SSB. The 3 grids represent my All Stars above.
Challenges
DC power is still a challenge. I installed two N8XJK power boosters, one for each rig and assorted amps and transverter. They worked well. However, I blew a few fuses in my RigRunner 8012 distribution box. That happened when I tried to run too much power on the 6 meter amp. Not only that but the DC voltage dropped significantly due to the relatively long 8 AWG cable from the car battery to the back of the car.
Here’s my operating position. You can see the N8XJK remote monitoring meters in the upper right hand corner of the image. These kept me posted on the input and output voltages for the two units.
I also had a few challenges with the 4O3A Azimuth Sensor. It would lock up, typically after the drive to the next grid. See improvement thoughts below.
Planned Improvements — DC Power
For DC power, I’m considering rerouting the cable from the car battery to the front passenger seat. That’s where I’ll set up distribution, power boosters, amps, and transverters. That will cut the cable length in half, which should greatly help the voltage levels.
I’m also giving some thought to adding a battery at that point to be switched in and out on demand. It could charge on the drive between grids. I have a battery to give this a try. Now to consider how best to bring it into the DC power system.
Planned Improvements — Azimuth Sensor
The sensor worked great in testing and then in the rover before I took off for my test drive. Got back and it wasn’t communicating. Pulled the USB connector and plugged it back in, all working fine.
Got to my first grid. It wasn’t working and the USB thing didn’t do the trick. Then I tried resetting the 12 VDC connection. That got it to work. Not sure if vibration is the issue or what. I also observed some RFI challenges and lock up. I will be adding ferrites on the various wires.
My next adjustment is to wire in a “reset” button or switch that will disconnect the USB and DC power. I have a connection box for it that rides inside the rover. So adding a reset switch should be easy and accessible.
I’m also considering mounting it with it’s own attachment to the mast rather than strapping it onto the boom of one of the antennas. That may help just a bit with RFI in addition to the ferrites.
I’m sure 4O3A never considered a crazy rover blasting down the highway at 75 mph with wind and vibration. But I really love this thing for pointing the antennas.
Grid Activation Improvements
The route worked well. Although I got to EM11 pretty late Saturday evening with not many stations still on the air. It could be I should move that grid into my Sunday route.
I do want to implement new activation locations for EM22 and EM12. I’ve seen a better spot for EM22 that is a great deal higher up. I’ve been reluctant to consider that spot as it is at a four-way stop and labeled State of Texas property, no parking. But it is a wide open space for construction equipment parking and supplies. So it should work.
The stop at home in EM12 was a good thought. But I don’t have a clear shot to the south from there. I have another excellent spot on the southern edge of the grid. So I’ll probably go back to activating that one.
The change I made to the EM23 location worked very well. It allowed me to activate 3 grids in fairly quick succession on Sunday morning (EM14, EM24, EM23).
Contest Logging
I dropped N1MM+ this time around. I had a great deal of trouble with the WSJT connection in the last contest. This time I used N3FJP’s VHF Contest Log. It worked just fine and I found that it adds Rover Grids to the scoring. I believe this is an improvement from the last time I used the software.
Grid Confirmations in Logbook of the World
Today I’ve been working on Logbook of the World uploads. In the past I’ve used TQSL station locations for each grid. That means separating the full log into 11 separate logs, one for each grid. Well, N1MM doesn’t do this nor does VHF Contest Log.
I mistakenly uploaded the full log this morning with my Oklahoma EM14 station location. That revealed some interesting issues. I had already set the TQSL software to “override station location with QTH details from your log” under the Log Handling Preferences.
What I got in LoTW was all the QSLs for grids located in Texas showing up with invalid grids, since I used a station location in Oklahoma and most grids I activated aren’t in Oklahoma.
After a few exchanges with Bart Jahnke, W9JJ, at ARRL, who was very prompt and helpful. I determined that I needed a new station location in TQSL that had only my K5ND/R callsign and no information selected for grid, zone, state, or county. I figured that should make the log’s information for my rover grid at least all set for LoTW.
It worked! The only proviso is that the confirmation only shows the grid. if you need state or county, I’ll have to upload separately to match your request. So let me know if that becomes an issue.
Looking Forward to the Next Contest
During setup for a contest, I get pretty worn out. I also start to wonder if it is all worth it. Well this contest was a blast. So I’m back for the next one.
Thanks to everyone who helped make it a blast. See you next time.
