1. Why Go Roving? - You Don’t Have to Live at a Good QTH!!! - No TVI/RFI Worries - There is an Unlimited Supply of Good Sites - You Can Work Guys Multiple Times - You Can Become Rare-DX - You Can Travel Close to Activity Centers - You Will Really Help Out Other Stations Score - Most Equipment Runs on +13.8VDC - VHF, UHF, & Microwave Antennas are Small - Coastal Ducting, Mountaintop DX - Activity Levels are Good…Lots of Action - It’s LOADS of FUN!!

2. Rover Challenges - Going Mobile with: - Good Rigs with Good Juice - Good Antennas - Ample DC Power - Requirement for fast setup/take down - Covering Lots of Grids - Finding Good Operating Sites - Handling Pileups Efficiently - Log Keeping - Finding all the Microwave Stations - Sleep Depravation

3. Rover Hardware - Basic Rover Configuration - FT100/IC706 6m, 2m, 432 MHz - Halo Antennas for 6/2, 432 - Desirable Upgrades: - More TX Power (esp 2m!) - Beams for 2m, 432 - Rotator with AC Inverter - Battery Bank, Charging System - More Bands! (222, 1296, 903, 2.3G, 10G, 3.4G, 5.7G) - More Antennas/Rotators/Amplifiers/Cables - GPS, Laptop, Map Software, Compass - Dual Operator Radio Capability

4. NQ2O/R KQ2O/R

5. W9RAY/R W9RAY/R

6. N0DQS/R N0DQS/R

7. ND3F/R

8. W3IY/R in FM19ha

9. Roving Strategies - What Does it Take to Win? - 10/12 Grids per Contest - 90 minutes per grid (activity dependent) - Operate While Mobile on 4 Lower Bands - Pick Good Operating Sites in Rare Grids - Microwaves, Microwaves, Microwaves - Good Antenna Aiming Skills - Knowledge of Other Active Stations/Bands - Good Battery System - More Power! (400W 6/2m; 225W 222; 185W 432) - Bigger Antennas (12-17ft Yagis are Doable) - Good Rover Partner (Irreplaceable!)

10. More Roving Strategies - CW Skills are Essential on the Microwaves - Take Advantage of Grid Corners - The “6-meter” Effect - Short Es Openings Provide Many Grids - Rovers are Usually Weak on 6m - Low Point Values - It’s Hard to Crack Pileups as a Rover - Publicize Your Operating Schedule - Use a Prearranged Frequency for 2 meters - Don’t Call CQ Excessively… - Rovers Usually Have to S&P lots - Take Advantage of Dual Operator Techniques

11. Scoring Example 2004 ARRL September VHF QSO Party W3IY/R Band QSOs QSO pts. Mults. 50 156 156 18 144 268 268 30 222 163 326 22 432 173 346 22 903 105 315 13 1296 106 318 14 2304 70 280 8 3456 61 244 8 5760 25 100 5 10368 40 160 3 -------------------------------------------- TOTALS 1167 2513 143 + 10 = 153 Claimed score = 384,489