January is the home of another VHF contest. With VHF, one can benefit quite a bit from aiming antennas where people are actually listening. Unless you’re using spotting networks, most often that means that you’re aiming at population centers.
It’s pretty easy to aim an antenna in a general direction. But what if you want to maximize forward gain directly at a city or grid square? How do you know how to aim the antenna most accurately?
One answer is Azimuthal Maps. Maps with “you” in the center, and the world around you.
Just find the city you’re aiming for, and find out what degree it is from you. Then on your compass (or smartphone compass app), aim the antenna so that it is directly aligned with the bearing.
You can create your own map with various sizes and customization options at NS6T’s website.
73, N0TJN (formerly KC0LQL).
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