The past few weeks have been extraordinary in the number of DXing adventures on VHF. And, there has been the start of some equipment changes and retirement from rover operations. Here are the details.
2 Meter DXing — 30 minutes of E Skip
On June 19, AA5AM alerted the crowd on VHF Slack that 2 meters was open. I had not yet fully set up the 2-meter station from my rove in the Texas Panhandle but quickly cobbled together some cabling. Using FT8 in JTDX, I put K1GG, W8ZN, KB2AYU, and KA2UQW into the log for four new grids! It was an E skip opening that you can glimpse in the nearby image. As quickly as it happened, it just as quickly went away, but it was certainly fun while it lasted.
6 Meter DXing — Europe into Texas
The next great DXing experience was a 6-meter opening to Europe on June 23. I put F4BKV, EI4KF, G0JHC, GI6ATZ, G0GGG, GD0TEP, and EI2GLB in the log, all on FT8. Fortunately, I installed my 5-element Directive Systems Yagi earlier in the week. That had to help tremendously. The total was two new DXCCs and six new grids.
Goodbye to Roving
You might have caught that after my Texas Panhandle roving a couple of weeks ago, I had resolved to retire from roving. My wife suggests this is my standard refrain after such a trip. But this time, it’s for real. I enjoyed my roving, but my age is advancing, and my resolve to overcome rover challenges has declined to zero. So, I’ve been concentrating on reconfiguring my home station and selling off some gear.
So Long Icom IC-910H
In 2015 I acquired an IC-910H to add 144 and 432 to my VHF contesting. It served me well in VHF contesting and DXing and engaging in quite a few satellite QSOs and some satellite roving. It was also the first rig I used as a VHF rover.
It’s sad to see it go, but it is now with a new owner, along with the eggbeaters and Arrow antenna. They will get a lot of use out of that rig for satellites.
What’s the Next Adventure?
At the moment, I’m focusing on 6 and 2 meters. Other bands add complexity along with antennas my fiberglass pushup mast can’t really hold here at home. My IC-9100 and amplifiers have been working nicely, as outlined above. Six meters continues to be a blast chasing new grids and hoping to advance toward FFMA (442 grids confirmed now). It’s also great fun to pursue some of the rovers out there.
Of course, there are always new adventures to chase in amateur radio. Stay tuned.
