222 MhZ Activity Night

Attic Antennas Can Work AA2SD ! Success on the 222 MHz Tuesday Activity Night

AA2ASD- As a new operator living in a townhome with restrictions I can not put up a large VHF Yagi antenna, that’s why I got into Roving and POTA. Recently I added a “stacked” pair of small ELK 2/440 Log Periodic antennas with a small tv rotor in the attic which works well for our local Pack Rat Nets. I also built a “Cheap Yagi 6-element 222Mhz” antenna using the boom from a discarded aluminum office easel stand, with elements from Harbor Freight brass welding rods with good success.

In my attempt to work the “Big Guns in the North East”  I needed more gain and added a 12 element custom built ‘N3RG” antenna from Ray, which was built to the K1FO design. To get this antenna into the attic I cut the boom in 3 locations, and installed removable safety pins and carefully reassembled it back into place set up for Tuesday Night operation. 

During my first Tuesday Night attempt on 11/29 I was able to work David K1WHS 324 miles in Maine, and Ron WZ1V in Connecticut 164 miles using a 35 Watt  Demi Transvertor with a FT-991A. I also used ON4KST to coordinate contacts for the first time. I also worked W8ZN Terrance, W2INF John, WA3NUF Phil and KA3FQS Tom.

A special Thanks to Phil WA3NUF and Jim KC3BVL for the encouragement to give it a try on 222 during Tuesday, and Ray N3RG for the custom antenna build. For a Pack Rats Newbie this was an exciting event, and I appreciate all of the PackRat Club support and comradery.

I hope to work you all as a Rover during the Jan VHF Contest ! link for Rover Plan. and see you on the air on Tuesday evenings on 222 Mhz Night.

About AA2SD Visit https://www.aa2sd.com/

I operate within the local Southern New Jersey Area including,  South Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Philadelphia.  Thank you for contacting me on Parks on the Air,  I activate parks for K2AA South Jersey Radio Association and AA2SD. I also operate as a Rover in the field for the ARRL VHF Contests with call sign AA2SD/R.  You can view the YouTube AA2SD/R channel here.

About  The South Jersey Radio Association Visit  https://sjra.club/sjraclub/         Established in 1916 is the Oldest Continuously Meeting Amateur Club in North America. Over the years Amateur Radio Operators have stood to provide critical communications in the event of various emergencies.  About South Jersey Radio Association - The SJRA operates the K2AA Repeater located in Medford, NJ and the K2UK Repeater located in Pine Hill, NJ. Both Repeaters are FM and C4FM compatible. The repeaters are open for use without restriction to all licensed amateur operators. 

About the Mount Air VHF Radio Club-  Visit  https://www.packratvhf.com/index.php  Dedicated to serving the VHF / UHF /microwave  Amateur Radio community as well as enhancing the state of the art for 50 MHz and above weak signal operation.   The Mt. Airy VHF Radio Club was founded in 1956 by a group of Philadelphia area hams whose main interests were building equipment and operating the amateur radio frequencies of 50 MHz and above. The founding members almost immediately were nicknamed the "Pack Rats" because of their propensity for collecting all manner of electronic equipment and parts. The nickname stuck and for more than 60 years the Mt. Airy VHF Radio Club, better known as the "Pack Rats", has grown and prospered.