How to make over five thousand points in VKV PA? A practical guide from A to Z. It starts with an alarm clock at six o'clock in the morning. After documenting the remaining things in the car, which the low night temperatures would not benefit from heading out shortly before seven through Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Stará Turá and Myjava to the usual field near the village of Brestovec. The journey takes approx. 50 minutes.
The place is cold and there is a dusting of snow on the grass, but there are not many of them. Since after the transition to winter time VKV PA starts at nine o'clock, there is a little over an hour left to prepare everything.
You will read:
HINT: quick construction of an antenna mast
Antenna rotator connected to the pin joint. The mast consists of two pipes connected by a coupling. It's on the top oven bearing with four lugs, to which mooring lines are attached. The hex nuts for attaching the pipes to the rotator are replaced with nut with plastic head.
There is a thin cable in the heel of the rotator, c.. 6 meters. It serves as a meter for anchor pin distances, which are in the four directions after 90 degrees. Experience speaks, that with four mast anchors, the mast rises better and the stability is also better.
Thanks to, that the anchor pins are approximately at the right distance, just connect the anchors. Anchor in front of the mast (in the lifting direction) it passes through the carabiner on the pin and returns under the lying mast. It is therefore longer than other anchors. By her pulling and pushing the mast, I raise it.
When initially raised, the mast will not be completely vertical. I make adjustments by changing the length of the individual anchors. They are on them tensioners for anchor cables. This is how I quickly fix the mast vertically. Then I fold it down - it's ready for the antenna.
Setting up the broadcasting workplace
This is followed by the assembly of the H-piece and installation four 5-element DK7ZB yagi. It speeds up this more laborious part construction from square profiles, which makes joining easier. It also helps Electric screwdriver.
A board is suspended from the headrests. It forms a table with a rotator, laptop, a microphone and of course a radio station. Power supply, drum extensions are in front. There is a foot switch under the feet and a small electric heater in the cold months (400W).
November VKV PA
I'm starting a few minutes late. There are not many signals and they are weak. Several test connections confirm, that it won't be famous this time. So I try the challenge and surprisingly there are enough callers. But they are all nearby stations.
The sked will also run quickly 9A3SM. With Matej and a few others, we do such quick skeds. The connection is increasing, after the first hour they are over 40, but multipliers are sorely lacking.
Stations are mixed on ON4KST, that work meteor scatter with those, which implement classical connections.
The second hour is not so rich in connections, but i collect multipliers, for example HA9MDN from JN97, YT1WP as the first station from KN04, YU7ACO from KN05, SP6KEP z JO90.
I'm starting the third class with a JN76 multiplier, thanks It is not easy. It will surprise OK1AME zJN69, which comes to the challenge and I will find it later OE1GDA/P z JN77. The last connection is with Slávek, OK2SLC. It has a serial number 90.
Resumé
I have 301 points, 17 násobičov, which gives 5117 points. At the same time, several connections were not successful (HA4BF, YO2BBT, YO5DND, YO5AVN whose DK0A). Not a single connection to Germany or Italy was successful. The kilometer average for one connection is below 170.
Packing is always faster. In less than an hour, everything is loaded and I'm on my way back. Again I heard and greeted friends on the air. Let's see each other next time!
