Yesterday I decided that I’d give the RSGB 432MHz Low Power Contest a go.. I hadn’t had a single go with UHF SSB (apart from linear sats) and hoped it would produce some promising results to consider a home 70cm station…
I tweeted a question regarding the frequencies just to make sure I was going to be working in the right place… jotted everything I needed down such as the frequencies (432.100 – 432.400), serial, my locator & first two postcode letters… so I’m all ready for Sunday morning.
I’m awake early – 06:00 UTC – coffee & a twiddle on 40m (Marmite and how you spread it was the discussion I stumbled in to – obscure eh!).
I arrive at my usual /P location (IN89qk) a little late but I’m all set up for about 08:10 UTC twiddle between 100-400 and I hear absolutely nothing – I’m wondering if its because 70cms is more directional so I move the yagi about a bit – bit of banter on twitter about how quiet it is and I’m advised I should tune to 200, the centre of activity and call… so I do – I call in total for about 5-10 minutes… not a thing 🙁
So I redeploy the Arrow for 2m and have a couple of contacts in the UK, they are 4/1 signal reports but giving me 5/5 – 5/8 – I’m guessing its the coax attenuating the inbound signals and being RG58 (just a short run) I also guess that 70cms is worse and that’s my problem.
I’ve had enough and pack up at about 10:15 UTC – its 28 deg C – too hot for sitting and talking to myself – plus I’m hungry…
Back home and unpacking the kit back in to the shack, a little listen on HF again… and for whatever reason I decide to look at the band plan at what was above where I was operating on 70cms – it was then I noticed I’d made a big booboo…
I was listening and calling on 431.200MHz even though I knew it was 432.200MHz – doh….
I think this officially makes me a LID now – oops! ha ha ha!
The written note I had made was 431MHz – you would have thought that the name of the contest might give it away eh! no wonder it was quiet and I couldn’t hear anyone 🙁
Hoping for better luck next time! 🙂