2017 Summer VHF/UHF Field Day - Jan 14 and 15

[VK4ADC]

Summer 2017 - Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 January.

General Info : http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/vhfuhf/

The rules will (undoubtedly) be the same as for the recent Spring Field Day http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/v...0Rules.pdf unless otherwise advised.

Contest Introduction

The VHF-UHF Field Days provide VHF-UHF operators with the opportunity to "head for the hills" and see how far and how many they can work.

The Field Days have separate sections for single and multiple operator stations. The duration of the Field Day is 24 hours, but there are also 8 hour sections for operators who may not be able to camp overnight. Most club stations prefer to operate for the full 24 hours.

The Field Days also generate plenty of activity from home stations, so there is also a separate Home Station section.

All contacts must be simplex: contacts through repeaters or satellites are not allowed. There is plenty of FM activity, but one feature of the Field Days is a high level of SSB activity.

It is possible to do very well with only modest antennas if you pick a good hilltop. Another option, if your station is easily transportable, is to operate from more than one location during the contest period.

Aim Of The Contest

The overriding aim is to get away for the weekend and have fun! But next after that, the aims are:
to encourage more activity on VHF and microwave bands;
to encourage people to work greater distances than usual by operating portable, and
to provide opportunities for people to activate or work into new grid squares.

[VK4KJJ]

I plan to be portable probably on both days with 6m,2m,432,1296,3398,10368 and 24048.

73 Geoff VK4KJJ

[VK4ADC]

My current plans are to operate portable from Kamarun Lookout, QG61NU, down along Lamington National Park Road in the Border Ranges area but only on the Saturday afternoon/evening - depending on whether someone else is already planning to go to the same spot. Whether that outing happens will depend on the weather forecast available in the days leading up to the FD weekend.

I have some work to do to make sure all of the portable gear is functioning correctly but the current plan is to operate 50.1xx SSB, 52.100 or 150 SSB, 52.525 FM, 144.1xx SSB, 146.500 FM, 432.1xx SSB, 439.000 FM, 1296.1xx SSB and/or 1296.200 FM, 2403.1xx SSB, 3398.1xx SSB, 5760.1xx SSB and 10368.1xx SSB, where .1xx starts at .150 and goes up in 5KHz increments. The fallback plan will be as many bands as the gear works correctly.

Please note the planned used of 3398.1xx in lieu of the 3400.1xx used in previous outings. The band segment has to be set before the microwave antennas/transverters are raised so if you are planning to operate on the 3.4GHz band and expect to be in a position to work me, please advise prior through a posting against this forum topic.

Similarly, please let me know through the topic if your planning is also for Kamarun Lookout so we can avoid any site conflicts.

73 Doug

[VK4ADC]

Bump

Two weeks tomorrow... what are you doing this time around ??

[VK4ADC]

This is a question for the multitudes.... Are any of you, particularly in SE Q'ld, going to be entering in the digital section ??

From the rules: "(d) Digital: contacts using non-voice digital modes (e.g. FSK441, JT4, JT65, MAP65, PSK31, RTTY, etc) are encouraged for any Section–Sub-section, but entries must be submitted in a separate log, scored separately. Operators may submit a log for any other section in addition to their digital entry. ‘Digital’ means those modes where the received signal is decoded by a computer. "

I guess I am asking if it is worthwhile even trying to take the gear setup for voice plus some digital modes or just leave it at voice... and what bands (list actual frequencies too please) & digital modes for each ??

Doug VK4ADC

[VK4TS]

Hi Doug

I will be active (if I shake the flu) for 24 hours on 6 2 and 70cm - just sampling a new location near Montville - I can have digital if you would like - Nominate the modes and I can have the laptop configured.


Trent VK4TS

[VK4ADC]

Hi Doug

I will be active (if I shake the flu) for 24 hours on 6 2 and 70cm - just sampling a new location near Montville - I can have digital if you would like - Nominate the modes and I can have the laptop configured.

Trent VK4TS

Trent,
I have my suspicions that there may not be a lot of other SE Qld stations on-air based on the responses here plus the numbers active on recent FDs. That means a bit of spare time to try some digital modes as fill-ins during my 8 hour stint Saturday arvo/evening.

I suspect that PSK31 might be the easiest mode from the suggested list (of FSK441, JT4, JT65, MAP65, PSK31, RTTY) in that the tuning is not as critical, ditto with timing, and is probably faster for QSOs than straight RTTY and definitely faster than FSK441, JT4 etc. The Tigertronics interface can plug into the 6/2/70 transceiver and I can have DigiPan running with little overhead on the little Netbook PC (1.6GHz Atom/2G RAM/Win7). The software for other modes will also be available on the Netbook but it is a slow device so may not work well - or at all - as it will be used for logging too.

The recommended 6M frequency for PSK31 seems to be 50.290 but it is probably better to go down around 50.210 or 50.220 to separate from the beacon band for the contest activities. I will pre-program some memories for 50.210, 50.220, 144.210, 144.220, 432.210 and 432.220 (all USB) operation in anticipation - unless I get "flamed" here and some other frequencies are suggested. This is also keeping in mind the "above .150" condition in the FD rules.

I won't be going if thunderstorms are forecast as that area (Beechmont/Lamington/Border Ranges) always seems to cop them and I have already weathered (pun included) too many during previous FDs up that way.

73 Doug

[VK3LL]

VK3KQ/p operating from usual Enfield site QF12VG for 24 hours. All bands 6m to 24GHz.
Ops will be Ralph (VK3LL) (6/2/70cm) and Damian (VK3KQ) (1296 and up).

All subject to Wx - check contest radar for details closer to the time.

This time we'll be running three of our new TNP units - internet aware and networkable rotator controllers with built in Weather and propagation mapping on the Raspberry Pi. :roll:

Cheers,
Ralph VK3LL

[VK3QI]

Friday13th, Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th are looking favourable for south east Australia for the upcoming VHF/UHF FD contest.

According to BOM's computer modelling (your taxes at work!) a large high pressure should develop and winds will be mild.

VK3ER/p will be out again at McLaughlin's Lookout QF22DM with the usual setup from 6 through 47Ghz .

Hopefully with the contest nearly a week earlier than previous, we will have some good sporadic E for 6 and 2 metres like in late November.

ZL on 2 metres was quite a thrill last contest.

Who else apart from VK3KQ/VK3LL will be out in SE Australia?


Cheers

Peter VK3QI

[VK4OE]

Greetings to all.
I too am looking forward to this coming weekend's event! Weather permitting, I plan to be operating for a few hours from Mt Gravatt in Brisbane (QG62MK) on the Saturday evening after about 7:00 p.m., followed on the Sunday morning by the Border Ranges National Park (QG61NP) from around 6:00 a.m. through to the end of the contesting period.
The weather is presently looking like it could be OK, even if the Summer heat does have it's drawbacks, with just some chance of rain on the Sunday morning. As a single operator, rain is a show stopper as far as I am concerned.
Equipment should be all bands from 50 MHz to 47 GHz, some of them depending on the availability of other stations operating....
Talk back/liaison could be 144.175 SSB, or 146.5 FM, or 439 FM, the FM simplex 'channels' being preferred.
Here's hoping for some extended propagation modes occurring!
Cheers and 73,
--Doug Friend, VK4OE.

[VK2ZRH]

The WIA VHF-UHF Field Days website has been updated.
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[VK4ADC]

Well I am going to call "chicken" on going portable this time around, however I will still operate from the home QTH on the various bands 6M up to 10.3GHz for the Saturday afternoon evening segment. We are currently going through a heatwave here in SE Q'ld and since my participation is provisional on it being "fun", the current weather outlook is not my picture of it. I have ventured forth for FDs in similar conditions over a number of years and have no intention of repeating it this time.

The BOM forecast for Saturday is as follows... Southeast Coast area : Min 22 Max 39 Hot. Possible shower.
Hot. Partly cloudy. Slight (30%) chance of a shower inland in the afternoon. Near zero chance of rain elsewhere. The chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening. Winds north to northwesterly 15 to 20 km/h tending north to northeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day. Overnight temperatures falling to the low to mid 20s with daytime temperatures reaching 35 to 40.

On a brighter note, this week I have reference locked my two IC-706 series transceivers using a frequency tripling arrangement (i.e. injection at 30.000 MHz), an original IC-706 plus the later IC-706Mk2G, so that there is no frequency drift or dial inaccuracy when used standalone (Mk2G) on 6/2/70 or as the microwave IF radio (706). I am working on the IC-7400 shack radio locking (32.000 MHz via a homebrew PLL synthesiser referenced to the 10.000 standard) again today and have it locking but not totally happy with it as yet. It should be ready to use over the FD weekend as a home station on 6 & 2 but reference locked so drift free and ready for some digital mode operations.

Good luck to all participants (& don't forget to transfer the log entries into Ross Hull contacts)
73 Doug VK4ADC

[VK3PY]

The VK3UHF crew will operate from the usual location 15km west of Geelong, QF21CU. All bands 50MHz to 47GHz inclusive will be available.

This time we're going to concentrate on supporting Mike VK3BDL's activation of Flinders Island. This requires us to set up our station in a position that is less favourable towards the northern arc, where most of the contest activity takes place. So be it.... we will still participate, though some microwave contacts might be difficult, or impossible due to local "clutter".

I ask all to be patient with us if we don't respond immediately to requests to QSY to another band. Last year I was berated by an operator who wanted me to QSY to 10GHz, but at the time I was the only body on deck trying to juggle six microwave bands, with a very weak station calling me on 3.4GHz. If you're a "local", you become a lower priority than a DX station, I'm afraid. Distance is everything, remember?

Chas
VK3PY