W3DHJ/rover

VHF Contesting on S.E. Colorado's High Plains

DM77 DM78 DM87 DM88

Where the rovers and antelope play.....

In mid-2005 I moved from a 'rare' grid (DM68mn) to a not-so-rare grid (DM78rf). I always had a ball working 6 Meter openings and handing out my grid from the previous QTH in Gunnison, Colorado. I still enjoy working the openings, but I was looking for that 'extra something' to add to my VHF operating activities.

It turns out my new QTH is not that far from several rare grid squares: DM77, DM87, and DM88. In a survey published in 2007 (PDF: The Most Wanted Grids of the 488 ConUS Grids), DM87 was listed as the #23 Most Wanted Grid of the 488 grids in the ConUS. DM88 came in at #80, and DM77 even shows up as #127.

Even before the survey, I had decided to add rover'ing to my bag of tricks. Late in the Fall of 2005 I scouted out a route which would allow me to rover in the 4-corner region of DM78, DM77, DM87, and DM88 (38°N 104°W). This is all out in ranchland south of Fowler & Manzanola, and south of US HiWay 50.

In the 2006 June ARRL VHF Contest I went out and played rover on Sunday. I did "ok" -- for selected definitions of "ok". I learned what 'stuff' I needed and what 'stuff' was more nuisance than help, and I revised my route and operating locations somewhat.

In the 2006 July CQ WW VHF Contest I started my rovering on Saturday during a return trip from Gunnison to Pueblo (DM68 → DM78). Then on Sunday I went out and rovered around the four corners of DM78 - DM77 - DM87 - finishing up in DM88. This time I did Way Better than "ok". Propagation was better than it had been back in June - with contacts to both coasts being made at times on both days. Not only were folks excited to get the extra multiplier(s) for the contest, but many, many were ecstatic to add the new grids to their VUCC total. Wow!, the pileups on Sunday!! At times it was like 20M on Field Day! A Great Time Was Had By All. I was taking a liking to this rover stuff!

On both days in my first two contests as rover I proceeded in the sequence: DM78 - DM77 - DM87 - and DM88. Upon reflection, I decided to rove in that sequence on the Saturday(s) of a contest, and then reverse the route on the Sunday(s) of the contest. (Or, versy-vicey) That-a-way I may re-jigger the odds of getting propagation from any one of my grids to all comers. Anyway, that's what I started doing with the 2006 ARRL September VHF contest -- and, all in all, I think it was A Good Thing.

I'll update this page as I gain more experience, take better pictures, make equipment changes, and (surprisingly) collect "wallpaper" (see the bottom of the page.)

Environment

It's lonely out there! At least there's no Big Distractions for a rover. During the times the band dies down, there is usually something to observe through the binoculars: antelope, coyote, rabbit, prairie dogs, tarantula, snakes, lizards, turkey buzzards, pheasant, grouse, quail, hawks, and eagles. (Well, ok, maybe I don't use the binoculars to watch the tarantulæ. HI!HI!)

In June, 2007, I had an absolutely surreal encounter with an eagle. I was parked to the side of a r e m o t e dirt road in DM87. The eagle came down from the heights to about 5 feet off the road about 200 feet out in front of me. He proceeded to glide down the center of the road towards me. Nary a wing flap the whole time. As he glided past me, I could have reached out the open window and grabbed him. No noise at all in his passing. I swear he was staring at me as he passed. About 100 feet behind me, he rose in a thermal and reached 2-300 feet within seconds. It was one of those pee-in-your-pants moments.

Depending on the month and on the recent precipitation, the flora can also be quite a sight on the Colorado high plains: yucca, flowers, cactus.

As well, depending on drought and recent precipitation, wildland fires happen. The drought of 2008: compare the topmost ↑ "Antelope" picture (circa 2006) with the "KK6MC/r" picture (July 2008) down ↓ near the end.

The sunsets can be awesome.

During the June, July and September contests, I don't believe I ever see more than a half-dozen vehicles during my Saturday-Sunday outings. And that's been only at my DM78 and DM77 (paved road) sites. I've never seen signs of humanity while at my DM87 and DM88 sites.

All of this rover'ing is in Otero County. I would like to thank the county commissioners of Otero County for the excellent shape I find the gravel roads in! (And, for cleverly locating their county at 38°N, 104°W. HI!HI!)

Equipment

Operating just two bands -- 6m and 2M -- makes it simple for a single-op rover.
Higher bands don't interest me and I'll probably never add them.
And, beginning in 2008, the ARRL recognized my proclivities by introducing the ROVER-LIMITED class in their VHF contests. HI!HI!

My mobile setup is not something any real rover would admire.

For 6M it is simply an IC-706 MKII at 100W into my homebrew 6M Halo.

My 2M gear for my very first two outings (the June and July, 2006 VHF contests) was a sorry-assed setup. All I had was the IC-706 MKII at 20W into a 5/8λ vertical. Between then and the September 2006 VHF contest, I built a stacked 2M Halo array, and added a Mirage amplifier that gives me approx 110W out. (Real Soon Now there will be a web page here covering the construction of my homebrew stacked 2M Halos, too.)

For the 2007 ARRL Sep VHF contest I added the N8XJK 12 Volt Boost Regulator.
That sucker is FANTASTIC! My IC-706 MKII (Hell, everybody's IC-706) transmits like a squished rat when the supply voltage drops below something like 12.5999 VDC. All my previous rovering involved driving to a grid site - parking - and contesting for 5-10 minutes with the engine off before someone would remark that my signal was distorted. Then, I had to start the engine at high idle and suffer. I'm sure I missed a few very weak sigs due to that problem.

NO MORE!! Now I drive to a grid site - park - and operate for AT LEAST 1 hour with the engine OFF. Being curious with First Use, I was monitoring both the input and output volts on the thing. The output held at a stiff 13.8 VDC, and the lowest that the battery sagged (after a 1+ hour session in DM87) was 11 volts.

So, I have the Boost Regulator running the IC-706 at 100W on 6M. And, on 2M, it runs the IC-706 at 20W plus the Mirage amp at 110W. All this on the single, bog standard 12VDC battery in the car.
Recommended!

Pictures

If you copy and paste the Lat-and-Longs into Google Earth, you'll be taken to within 100 feet or so of my operating sites. (Notice that I'm still driving a 1991 Mercury Tracer that still gives me 37-40 MPG...)

DM78 looking North

DM78xa 38° 02' N 104° 02.5' W
The DM78 location is about 5.7 miles south of U.S. Highway 50 near Fowler on 2 Road. This is the last rise in the road before entering DM77. This is as far as I can pull off to the side - there being ditches on either side.

2 Road is probably the longest paved, unused road I've ever come across. HI!HI! DM78 looking South

DM77xw 37° 56.9' N 104° 02.5' W
Going another 7 miles or so down 2 Road bring me to my DM77 location - the last good rise before there is a 'drop' into the Apishapa River valley -- just about 150 yards past a microwave tower to the east.

(Don't look for flowing water in the Apishapa "River" bed.) DM77 looking South

DM87bw 37° 55.8' N 103° 52.6' W
The DM87 location is more remote. Taking 2 Road on south to its junction with Colorado 10, I turn east and go approx. 11 miles to mile marker 54 and turn south on 11 Road - a dirt, gravel road. Then I drive south for a couple of miles to the "high point". Des-o-late! DM87 looking South

DM88bb 38° 02.95' N 103° 51.45' W
To move on to DM88, I retrace my route back to Colorado 10 and continue north on 11 Road. It is still all gravel road from here on. After approx. 4.7 miles, I turn east on (unmarked) DD Road. Then, after a mile, I turn north on 12 Road for a mile and a half or so. DM88 looking South

To get back to civilization, it's 6 miles north on 12 Road to Manzanola and U.S. Highway 50. Then it's back west towards Pueblo and the home QTH. The whole rover'ing distance - from home out and back again - is 118 miles. Or, 236 miles for the weekend.

( I wonder what this country might look like in the January contest....... )

ARRL VHF June 2008 -- K8GP 2M QSO

An amazing highlight occurred on Sunday morning of this contest. I always over-night in my own bed -- the best motel in the 4 grids I trawl through. I had plans to go back out 'early' on Sunday. But, I stayed way out in DM87 until after 9 P.M. on Saturday night, and I just could not throw myself on the floor that easily on Sunday morning. So, it was 8 A.M. when I was getting ready to drive off.

I got in the car and turned on the rig to see if "all systems are go!". I heard this tremendous signal low in frequency when the rig came on. I tuned down and BINGO!, there was K8GP FM08 at 5/9+. I was pretty sure I hadn't work him on 6M from DM78 on Saturday -- so I gave him a shout and he came back and we 'exchanged'. I started logging it and looked more closely at the display on the IC-706 to see what frequency we were on. The numbers looked Real Weird! HOLY CRAP!! I'm on 144.197!!!

The chatter I heard later on the bands informed me I had slept through the best of the 2M Es. sigh.......

In a later email exchange with W3ZZ, Gene told me: "It was the longest reported (2M) contact at 2176 km (1352 miles)."

Wowser! Little ol' me with 110W and 2 homebrew halos from my driveway.

CQ WW VHF July 2008 -- KK6MC/r

Duffey (on the left) along with his loving wife and driver, Virginia (taking this picture) dropped in at my DM87 site during his 2-day rove from Hastings, Nebr. (EN00) to his home QTH in New Mexico (DM65). He was roving with a homebrew 6M halo and a homebrew 3-el 2M Yagi on a 12 foot mast. Six Meters was open at the time, and we probably lost something like 100 QSOs from DM87 between us while we spent 30-some minutes swapping lies. (Sorry, guys!) This was my first 'path crossing' with another rover, and it made my outing that day a little more 'special'.

My rover results since moving to S.E. Colorado:

2006 ARRL Jun VHF
2006 CQ WW VHF . . . . U.S.A. Rover: 7th Place!
2006 ARRL Sep VHF
2007 ARRL Jun VHF
2007 CQ WW VHF . . . . Rocky Mountain Rover: 1st Place!
2007 ARRL Sep VHF
2008 ARRL Jun VHF
2008 CQ WW VHF

...nothing much to brag about, all in all.

One of the 'alterations' I made to my route was to get away from any power lines. The QRN is almost always unbearable, and there is no guarantee that conditions, if good, would remain the same for the next contest.
And, sigh..., it seems that the microwave and cell-phone systems have already locked up the 'best' spots.

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Last updated: 9-Aug-08