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<DIV>Multi band EME with a dish just takes thought, design and engineering. I
and, several others, have built systems that support speedy band changing. I can
change bands between 70cm and 6 cm in about 30-45 minutes. see this presentation
at the Swedish EME meeting. <A
title=http://moonbouncers.org/Orebro2017/G3LTF%206cm%20EME%20for%20SM%20Meeting%20.pptx
href="http://moonbouncers.org/Orebro2017/G3LTF%206cm%20EME%20for%20SM%20Meeting%20.pptx">http://moonbouncers.org/Orebro2017/G3LTF%206cm%20EME%20for%20SM%20Meeting%20.pptx</A>
OK1KIR’s 4m dish portable system is about the optimum with a beautiful
mechanical design, and it works brilliantly, maybe Zdenek can provide a
link.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Yes the present band distribution in ARRL EME contest is not very good but
my understanding (from an impeccable source) is that the ARRL regards this
contest as like a hornets nest. Just keep well away from it, let them buzz
around it doing their own thing but whatever you do dont poke a stick in
it. Several emminent US EMEers took part in a process to suggest changes
about 4 years ago and I believe what we have now reflects that.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The reason the contest started with 2 weekends for all bands, (but
practically, in 1974, that was just 432 and 144) was to try and avoid it being
wiped out by bad weather. Does that still apply these days with systems
generally being smaller? However I fear that finding a band distribution accross
3 weekends that satisfies even half the participants is going to be near
impossible especially as the major paticipaton is on 144 and 1296MHz.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>73 Peter G3LTF </DIV>
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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=moon-net@mailman.pe1itr.com
href="mailto:moon-net@mailman.pe1itr.com">Don Hawbaker via Moon-net</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, September 24, 2019 3:14 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=moon-net@mailman.pe1itr.com
href="mailto:moon-net@mailman.pe1itr.com">Moon-Net</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Cc:</B> <A title=moon-net@mailman.pe1itr.com
href="mailto:moon-net@mailman.pe1itr.com">Moon-Net</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Moon-Net] [Moon] ARRL contest Microwave
leg.</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
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style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'>
<DIV id=edo-message>
<DIV></DIV>So how do we get some changes made? Has anybody put together a
list? Who’s in charge of this activity? In what forum would it be
presented? Unfortunately EME and Microwave seem pretty low on the priority
list for the powers that be. How do we get it on the agenda? What
agenda? Can we appoint a working group?</DIV>
<DIV id=edo-message> </DIV>
<DIV id=edo-message>Changing bands can be difficult depending on how your
station is put together. I cannot do it easily. It’s not like
throwing the bandswitch and going from 40 meters to 20 meters. My 13 cm
box is mounted on the counterweight arms and weighs about 90 pounds. Not
easy to move. And then there are a lot of connections which must be made
or else you blow out the preamp. And then it would be good to check the
sun noise to make sure the feed horn is peaked and to check your IF drive
level. A lot of things have to work just right, unless you are on two
meters. I’ve never operated there, but it seems a lot easier than the
higher bands, but those lower bands are grouped in with 1296. Why?
If you want to give extra points for CW, then extra points for higher bands
seems logical.</DIV>
<DIV id=edo-message> </DIV>
<DIV id=edo-message>But don’t get me started on CW. What is this, 2019 or
1919? Bring back sparkgap? Young hams are not going to be attracted
to such old fashioned technology. Hell it would not even be attractive to
old hams. We are no longer novices with restricted operating
privileges. We’ve passed the test and moved on. If you want more
activity, where is it going to come from? CW is a non starter, especially
with libration. The biggest boast in recent activity is FT-8, not
CW. I can work it, but why would I want to? I’ve got a computer to
help me do the work. And especially at 3 AM, I can barely see the log
sheet let alone try to unscramble garbled CW. It’s not fun. It’s
work. Hard work. This is supposed to be a fun hobby.</DIV>
<DIV id=edo-message> </DIV>
<DIV id=edo-message>Why are there two weekends for the lower bands? As has
been noted, I’ve already worked most everybody on the first weekend, but then I
only go down to 1296. I guess if you had lower bands, you could divide
time between them. But I can’t, so now the guys with the most money, the
bigger systems, and the better operating locations get the bigger scores.
It has nothing to do with hard work, skill, or technical expertise.</DIV>
<DIV id=edo-message> </DIV>
<DIV id=edo-message>Seems to me there are things that could be discussed.
WA3RGQ</DIV>
<DIV id=edo-message> </DIV>
<DIV id=edo-message> </DIV>
<DIV id=edo-message> </DIV>
<DIV id=edo-message> </DIV>
<DIV id=edo-meta></DIV>
<DIV id=edo-original>
<DIV><BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 0.5ex; MARGIN: 1ex 0px 0px; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid"
type="cite">
<DIV>On Sep 23, 2019 at 5:24 PM, <<A
href="mailto:moon-net@mailman.pe1itr.com">Mike KL6M via Moon-net</A>>
wrote:<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV class=userStyles
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial; COLOR: #555555">There is a
<U>'perceived'</U> lack of activity on the ARRL Microwave segment. I say
perceived because I believe there were MANY stations active but the problem is
they were on many different bands. I personally only operated 13cm and
9cm. I love the 6m band but there was no way I was going to change feeds
at 4AM local in pitch dark and pouring rain.<BR><BR>The format of the ARRL EME
contests is seriously flawed and needs to be modified? modernized?
Renovated? Even the two weekends of 50 MHz to 1296MHz is flawed.
If you operate 1296 both weekends, the second weekend is full of stations you
already worked so you only pick up a mere additional few and spend most of
your time trying to decide if you already worked that station.<BR><BR>The
other problem I have with ARRL EME is digital vs CW modes. I see on the
'logger' many stations who are CW capable but 'hang' out on the logger and JT
modes, while CW is slowly dying. This is pathetic. A simple
solution is to give JT contacts 1 point and CW 3 points (or even 2 points)
which I believe would likely incentivize operation on BOTH modes.<BR><BR>It
seems every time I present any of these ideas to ARRL they fall on deaf
ears. Any ideas?<BR><BR>LONG LIVE DUBUS.<BR><BR> <FOOTER
class=signatureDivContainer><FOOTER class=signatureContainer
style="DISPLAY: inline">73<BR>Mike, KL6M BP51dc<BR>http://kl6m.com/</FOOTER>
</FOOTER><FOOTER class=replyforwardcontainer><BR><BR><SPAN>On Mon, 23 Sep 2019
21:44:35 +0200, "Ingolf, SM6FHZ via Moon-net"
<moon-net@mailman.pe1itr.com> wrote:</SPAN><BR>
<DIV dir=ltr>Hi all.
<DIV>I was on 6cm only and I can second Peter's comment about activity from an
6cm perspective. 6cm seems to have lost popularity a lot from previous years.
I managed to make the following QSO's; Sept 21: OK1CA, UR5LX, #VE6BGT and
VE6TA, Sept 22: JA4BLC, G3LTF, UA6PTW and #F5IGK. All on CW, without any
logger soliciting.</DIV>
<DIV>Great pleasure to work 2 new stations without any pre-notice. Very nice
surprise, thanks a lot and warm welcome to 6cm EME! Hope you will enjoy
it.</DIV>
<DIV>I heard no other stations on the band, but understand I missed a few.
Maybe because I did not call CQ constantly on a empty band nor took a
hound-hour pass Saturday morning (but I spent 45 minutes early Sunday morning
and went back to resting after that).</DIV>
<DIV>No US stations heard in this ARRL contest, quite an surprise as
well.</DIV>
<DIV>I understand running multi-band during this contest is a masterpiece in
compromising, trying to satisfy all constraints with bands and Moon
availability for all different stations. It turns out like all compromise,
dissatisfaction in a lot of places :-)</DIV>
<DIV>At Least I got time for the final touch in painting the house done during
the w/e. That satisfies me :-)</DIV>
<DIV>73 / Ingolf, SM6FHZ</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=gmail_attr dir=ltr>Den sön 22 sep. 2019 kl 23:10 skrev Peter Blair
via Moon <<A
href="mailto:moon@moonbounce.info">moon@moonbounce.info</A>>:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid">I
started on 13cm and worked (all CW) UA3PTW, OK1KIR, RA3EME, SP6OPN, OK1CA,
PA0PLY, SP3XBO, WD5AGO, G4CCH, K2UYH, OH1LRY, WA6PY, G4BAO, PA0BAT, and
KL6M. I changed the feed to 6cm before the end of the 1st pass and worked
VE6TA, K2UYH and HB9Q. At MR on the second pass I worked UA3PTW and JA4BLC
and later SM6FHZ and VE6BGT #. I then changed the feed to 9cm and
worked WA6PY, OH1LRY, KL6M, SM3BYA, LZ1DX, K2UYH and HB9Q. Activity seemed
down on previous years on these bands, especially 13cm but maybe because
more were concentrating on 3cm. Conditions were good, near moon-set on 6cm ,
close to the doppler reversal point and with very slow libration, I was
getting some amazing ssb echoes on the peaks.<BR>Thanks to all for the nice
QSOs<BR>73, Peter
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<DIV class=gmail_signature dir=ltr>Ingolf, SM6FHZ<BR><A
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