We hope to field one rover for the June 2009 VHF Contest. KR5J will operate from the van below.
We believe he will make it to four grids including the rare DM88.
A work in progress.
The Rover configuration for the June 2009 ARRL VHF QSO Party:
6 Meters: Icom IC-746 (100W)
3 ring Saturn halo ant
2 Meters: Icom IC-746 (100W)
13 el Hy-Gain Yagi
Hustler colinear vertical
222 MHz: Icom IC-375A (25W)
Mirage C1012 Amplifier (120W)
12 el Cush Yagi
Larson 5/8 wave mag mount
432 MHz: Kenwood TR-851A (25W)
Mirage D1010 (100W)
9 el Cush Yagi
902/3 MHz: Yaesu FT-817ND
DEMI Xvtr (30W)
9 el M2 Yagi
1296 MHz: Yaesu FT-817ND
SSB LT-23S Xvtr (10W)
32 el Loop Yagi
2304 MHz: Yaesu FT-817ND
DEMI 2304-144
DEMI Amp (15W)
Directive Systems 45 el Loop Yagi
3456 MHz: Kenwood TS-700SP
DEMI Xvtr (1W)
2' dish
5760 MHz: Kenwood TS-700SP
DEMI Xvtr (1W)
2' dish
10368 MHz: Yaesu FT-817ND
DEMI 10368-144 Xvtr
DEMI Amp (8W) and receive preamp
2' dish
24 GHz: ARR wideband FM (.2W)
17dB Horn
47 GHz: Kenwood TS-700SP
DB6NT MKU 47G (-7 dBm)
Power: Both a direct connection to the vehicle's battery and a 12V 1000AH battery are available.
Keeping which radio does what straight is half the battle.
KR5J was the rover again in the 2006 September VHF QSO Party contest. The dishes don't have to be very high here, there are many high spots to stop at. When you have a fourteen year old van and need to put the feed lines from the new dishes into it, grabbing a hole saw is not a problem. They come through the roof right above the radios.
That's a 300lb. 1000 AH 12 V battery.
A work in progress. Yes there is a rotor under the antennas that wasn't part of the setup for the June 2005 VHF contest.
Gone but not forgotten.
This rover was actually old enough to have existed briefly before the rover class rules were added to the VHF contest rules. One of the best roves done with it included a stop at a ski 'mountain' in North central Indiana where the three of us in the rover had a lot of fun operating. I'm glad the ARRL created the unlimited Rover class. We had great fun before the Rover rules with three in a Rover, now it can happen again.
There has been a lot of discussion of various events that have occured during roves on the VHF reflectors. Three events that happened to rovers in this van are worth noting.
On I57 near Marion Illinois, about four hours before a June contest started, the right rear wheel came off the rover at 65 MPH. I was in the left lane and ended up in the center median, where we watched the wheel & tire roll by, still on the highway. Thanks to a tow truck and a great mechanic we were back on the road about an hour after the contest started. When we got back after the contest, I replaced the aluminum rims on the van and never had a loose wheel again.
Another year we started the van and left it running to charge the batteries for a while before the contest started. When we climbed in the van was full of carbon monoxide which we didn't immediately realize. After both nearly losing conciousness we stopped, opened all the doors, and aired it out. This is something that anyone who stops and leaves the engine running has to watch out for.
Later on that same trip the third interesting incident occured. We were chased out of a marajuana field in Western Kentucky by three well armed 'farmers' in a pick-up truck. They followed us for miles after we left the spot where we had started setting up. There were no NO TRESPASSING signs, no fences, no hint of private property along the road we were on. Just three 'good ol' boys' with 12 Ga. shotguns and a desire to be left alone...
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