220 Activity during VHF Contests? - VHFUHF Forum at eHam.net

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220 Activity during VHF Contests?	Reply
by W3UTD on April 12, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
Anyone have experience with 220 Mhz during contests? I'm considering adding it to my hill topping setup. Is the activity mostly SSB/CW, FM or both? I know I can pick up an FM rig fairly cheap, but a transverter for 220 seems a bit pricey. The best I've seen is the Elecraft XV222 for $350. Any advice?

RE: 220 Activity during VHF Contests?	Reply
by WB2WIK on April 12, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
There's more activity on 222 MHz during contests than at any other time! It's a mix of SSB & CW for weak-signal work (picking up more grids) and FM for local work. All the "big" VHF-UHF contest stations have large facilities for 222 MHz SSB/CW, so if you can work them on two meters, you can work them again on 135cm; thus, to really "compete," you need to add these grids. I find I can work only 3-4 grids on FM, but maybe 15 on SSB/CW, so the addition of the weak signal modes is definitely worthwhile. The "big guns," especially in the Northeastern states where there's a lot of activity and not too many high mountain ranges to block off the tropo, often work 25-30 grids on 222 MHz SSB/CW. DEM makes a good transverter, also... WB2WIK/6

RE: 220 Activity during VHF Contests?	Reply
by W3UTD on April 12, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
All I can find on transverters at this point is: Elecraft XV222, 25 watts out for $349 (Kit form) Down East Microwave 222-28, 20 watts out for $395 Assembled SSB USA LT-220S for $890 The Down East TXVTR is leading the pack of choices at this point. Are there any other's I've missed>

RE: 220 Activity during VHF Contests?	Reply
by WB2WIK on April 13, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
I think you've hit them all -- the current ones. In the past, there was also the Microwave Modules MMT220/28, and I used one of those for years with good results. The FT-736R (discontinued) also had a 220 MHz module as a plug-in option, and that works well, too -- if you have the rig! Currently, the DEM is very popular.

RE: 220 Activity during VHF Contests?	Reply
by K7VO on April 13, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
There was an article in QST awhile back describing converting a Ten Tec 2m transverter into a 222 transverter. If you're on a tight budget that may be a viable option. 73 de Caity, K7VO

RE: 220 Activity during VHF Contests?	Reply
by KE4DRN on April 14, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
Hi, Here is the QST article and additional info May 2001 QST Pg 28 Get On 222 MHz with a Ten-Tec 1210 Transverter! by Botts, J.G., K4EJQ Apr 2002 QST 71 Re: Get on 222 MHz with a Ten-Tec 1210 Transverter! (Technical Correspondence) Bloom, Alan, N1AL Apr 2002 QST 71 Re: Get on 222 MHz with a Ten-Tec 1210 Transverter! (reply) (Technical Correspondence) Botts, James G., K4EJQ 73 james

RE: 220 Activity during VHF Contests?	Reply
by WB2PID on May 6, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
If you operate 220 FM during a contest, a simple trick is to leave the rig parked and squelched on 223.5 MHz, the common simplex channel. If someone breaks the squelch looking for a contact - work 'em! I only have FM for this band (so far), the bigger stations generally call CQ on FM a number of times during the contest - and so can you. Jim WB2PID

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