Portable operating isn't always pleasant. This was certainly true for the Sunday in November when the VKV PA event took place. Just like last time, I went without a trailer, so I transported all my gear in the car. This has its pros and cons. However, since the VHF PA starts as early as 9:00 a.m. after the switch to daylight saving time, and given the length of the drive and the time needed to set up, there’s no point in even considering a more complex setup.
A distant view of Černecký vrch, JN88rs
I leave home at 6:45 a.m., and snowflakes are falling on the landscape. It’s clear that if it’s like this at an elevation of 200 meters, then 300 meters higher up it’s going to be… fun. And so it was. Snow, wind, fog, rain, snow. The temperature is right around zero, which means everything is wet and cold right now. I’m glad when I finally get to hide in the car.
The heater is running, but AirScout reports that it has no data on aircraft. There’s no time to figure out why. I’ll have to make do without this helper. With a slight delay, I start scanning. There aren’t many stations; Draho OM3CQF isn’t at nearby Žalostina, but he’s still on the band. This is very valuable and a sign of solidarity. Several stations respond to the call. The azimuth on the rotator is slightly off, but if I have to choose between getting out of the car to adjust it and staying put, I’d rather not. Especially since I can already hear the patter of raindrops.
VHF PA 11/2023 point tally by azimuth
In the first hour, I make 41 contacts, including three to Germany: DB7MM/P, DK1FG, and DK4MD. In the second hour, I’m focusing on multipliers. Through the KST chat, I’m also chasing nearby stations from JN87 (HA1VQ) and JN97 (HA4BF and HA5OO). OK1MHU, who comes on the sked almost immediately, gets a star. It’s a shame that no one from the Slovak KN squares is on the KST chat. KN17, for example, is doing well (YO5DND, YO5BQQ, and YO5AVN).
Dano, OM4AQP, kicks off the last hour—he dusted off his VHF gear and called in. Italian stations are also appearing. I3QJZ from JN55 is really coming through loud and clear, and I4GHG from JN63 takes over. I’m still adding multipliers with SN9W from JO90.
VHF PA 11/2023 theoretical kilometer gain by azimuth
VHF PA 11/2023 contact map
VHF PA 11/2023 DXCC
A total of 95 contacts across 24 locator squares yields just over 8,000 points. I managed to make contact with several friends. I used a Kenwood TS-2000 transceiver with an HA8ET preamplifier and a 4x 5-element DK7ZB Yagi.
I really don’t want to get out of the car, but there’s no one here to take down the antennas and the mast. The temperature has risen a bit, so the cables and anything that touched the ground—which was almost everything—are now covered in mud. Just before I leave, two horsemen emerge from the fog. The entire time, the number of cars that passed on the nearby road could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The weather’s so bad you couldn’t even chase a dog out. But apparently, you can chase away a ham radio operator…