My Whimsical Sojourn to the 2025 Central States VHF Conference
Ah, the open road! This year, I embark on my maiden voyage to the Central States VHF Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska, with my N5ZY rover packed fuller than a clown car at a circus. Antennas? Check. Tools? Check. Snacks? Check. Spare coax connectors hiding in every conceivable (and inconceivable) compartment? Check and check!
The Oklahoma sunrise will find me in high spirits and higher frequencies, ready to activate EM16, EM17, EM18, EM19 and EN10. I will be pausing in each square to call CQ on FT8 like a ham radio rooster greeting the dawn. Will I hit elusive propagation? Will my meticulously planned coffee and snack supply survive to the destination? Time will tell. Hopefully every stop on the map where I transmit a signal will return with a break in the static from far away Multi-Hop Sporadic-E paths and across many bands where only the slightly mad roam.
Until then: May your SWR be low, your connections many, and your rover well-stocked with snacks, many high quality snap-on ferrites and spare fuses.
| Local Time | Grid | Lat/Lon | Elevation (Ft) | Note | Gmap Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM16 | 36.82583, -97.34289 | 1070 | Overpass-W. Adobe Rd (Blackwell, OK) | Google Map | |
| EM17 | 37.92717, -97.32759 | 1435 | Newton KS Rest Stop | Google Map | |
| EM17 | 37.99988, -97.32756 | 1469 | Newton SE36-I135EntRamp | Google Map | |
| EM18 | 38.000135215001286, -97.32760999567188 | 1469 | Newton SE36-I135EntRamp | Google Map | |
| EM19 | 39.6824267391772, -97.656580687234 | 1530 | Xavier Rd/County Road X Hilltop (easyButDirtRd) | Google Map | |
| EN10 | 40.02425, -97.61409 | 1645 | Cemetary | Google Map | |