More DX on 10GHz

Jim N5MU and Herbert AF4JF worked Garth W0GR across 185 miles long path between EM48rq and EM38ax on 10GHz at 12:24 and 12:27 UTC today.

Garth has a 2ft. dish in 1017ft. a.s.l. and 8W into long waveguide, he thinks that only 4W make it to the antenna.

Jim has approx. 2ft. offset dish with DEMI transverter, 2W at the feed:

Herbert has the same 2ft. offset dish with 10mW DEMI transverter and external PA, only approx. 1.4W at the feed:

We have operated from EM48rq, using a parking lot of St. Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Facility just above the "Butterfly House" near Chesterfield. This place is in 700ft. a.s.l. and has nice open view towards West:

I believe that these QSOs were made through "wapor duct" that gets created by evaporation around sunrise. First, we didn't copy Garth until sunrise and second, we were aiming our dishes 5.5 deg. up (I have a digital gauge for that). There were no signals audible when aiming at the horizon, but I have copied Garth S8 after raising the antenna! 

Tropo conditions were promising today, so it might also have been tropospheric propagation:

Garth did NOT copy the WB9PNU/B beacon today.

73 Herbert

AF4JF

MAD Activity on September 1st and 2nd

We have set up at YMCA in EM48sq at early hour today - my 10GHz station was operational at 5:45am this morning. Reason for this early setup was a "sked" with Garth W0GR on 10GHz. Garth copies the WB9PNU/B beacon signals with significant strength almost every morning, so we wanted to try while remnants of the tropical storm ISAAC were still in the area. EM38 would be new grid for me on 10GHz. 

NOAA satellite picture

Rain Scatter conditions

I was hoping for Rain Scatter, but all the usable storms went North out of Garth's reach. The only one remaining didn't have much reflectivity and was moving North, behind a line of trees from my point of view.

However, we have set up close to Marine Ave. at the YMCA entrance. Jim KK0JIM came to participate. Note the orange flashing light in the middle of the picture at its bottom:

Well, we didn't work Garth, although we have heard his beacon from time to time. Signal was very weak and never lasted long enough to copy even a single character in morse code. Just a few beeps and elevated noise. Not good.

Sudden burst of wind finally turned the antenna over and everything landed on the road. This has never happened before, but I have never set up with that umbrella in windy weather. Anyway, here comes a solution that I will be using from now on:

We gave up Garth at approx. 7:30 and moved to the usual location in the YMCA parking lot to try with Ron KO0Z. Signals were not as strong as usual, but we made it, both CW and SSB between 8:05 and 8:25 this morning. Signals were coming from azimuth 19deg. while direct line between us was 33deg. Signal takeoff angle was approx. 15deg. Signal was showing signs of Rain Scatter distortion. Distance 65 miles.

This was new grid for Ron KO0Z and first QSO on 10GHz ever for Jim KK0JIM who also celebrated his birthday today! Congratulations and thanks for all your help, Jim!

Packed up and returned home after that.

--

Tried one more time on Sunday 09/02 in the morning, right before SLAMS breakfast meeting. Rainy weather, no luck, despite setting up across the road from the YMCA entrance. We have to bribe Mr. Hepburn for better propagation next time ...

Very inconvenient rain ...

Note my car parked across the street 

AND 

the tripod anchored by the heavy battery!

Garth was unable to copy the WB9PNU/B beacon on 10GHz this morning, not even on Spectran. Too much water in the air .. and Garth reported heavy groubd fog in his area. Well, next time ...

NOAA satellite picture from Sunday 09/02

Herbert

AF4JF

ARRL "10GHz And Up" contest by AF4JF

I have set up in EM49pa near Winfield, MO for the first day of the contest (Saturday 08/18). The intention was to find new location in EM49 closer to my house than the AT&T tower near Dow in Illinois where we usually go.

I have worked N5MU from EM48sq (27 miles) and WA0CNS from EM48rl (38 miles). Didn't work anybody East of me, probably thanks to the higher ground on the Illinois side of the Mississippi river.

--

I have set up at YMCA in West St. Louis County (in EM48sq) on Sunday 08/19. It was raining a little when I arrived at the hill, so I have "installed" an "all-weather-option" on top of my 10GHz station:

I have encountered Mr. Murphy today - found a damaged transfer relay at my dish antenna. The relay was switching (means clicking), but the "TX" path didn't connect. I have to check my sequencer before replacing that relay.

More details here and here.

73 Herbert

AF4JF

SPRINT Microwave Contest on May 5, 2012 (2)

Herbert AF4JF, Mel K0PFX and Jim KK0JIM met at YMCA in EM48sq shortly after 6:00am this morning. Temperature was around 80F and quite humid, my glasses were "foggy" through station setup.

Mel was testing another DEMI transverter for 10GHz, nicely installed on a tripod with all the usual accessories. Herbert brought his 23cm transverter and 16el. antenna along with his usual 10GHz setup.

Tripod Mounted at last!

I now have my 10 GHz dish mounted on its tripod!  I tested it out at MO Hwy 94 and I-70 and I copied the WB9PNU beacon S-20!  I also copied another beacon about 20 KHz lower in frequency, but the telemetry was gibberish for me.  For example, I copied TEEN06, thinking that I had a broken call in EN06!  However, it always repeated the same message.  I had with me Russ, KD0IGN along with me as well as his wife, Margarete, and Debbie, KC9ULA.  We did this on Saturday evening 21 April around 7:30 pm local time.  Anyone else copy this beacon telemetry?

I am ready for MAD on Saturday 5 May.  I will be set up in EM59bc.  I am looking forward to the day! I hope to activate this grid for all the deserving!
73,
Ron, KO0Z

EM59bc

Today, Sunday 15 April, on the way back to St. Peters I checked out some potential sites to activate EM59 from. The best one is just off exit 41 on I-55, but I need to secure permission for this site. Today I checked out Coop's mound in Macoupin County which doesn't look to favorable in terms of trees towards St. Louis or Urbana. The second site, Brushy Mound was obstructed by a coal mine and a forest. However, an old microwave site just west of Gillespie, IL is on flat and relatively unobstructed land which may turn out to be a good site. It is located at EM59bc. The top picture is the microwave site, the second picture is looking southwest towards St. Louis, the third picture is Coop's Mound in Macoupin County, IL (not the best towards St. Louis, and the fourth shot is the view northeast.

View from EM59ck

This is the location where I've been hearing the beacon, but only during rain. I tried early this morning right at sunrise, but there was a strong breeze which isn't too good for tropo to set up. Consequently, I didn't hear the beacon this morning, but last night during the rain it was S-2! The first picture is my dish in the upstairs window. The second photo is the view towards St. Louis. There are a lot of RF absorbers outside that window!

WB9PNU/B QSN on 14 April

Yep, I do believe I can hear the beacon from EM48ss to EM59ck due to rain scatter. Last night, after the rain stopped, I listened for the beacon before going to bed and I didn't hear a peep. This morning around 9:00 am and with light to moderate rain falling along with the rumble of distant thunder I listened again and there it was around S-2! Telemetry indicated 2.69 watts out, 12.9 volts, internal temp of 58.8 degrees and a PA temp of 68.6 degrees.

73,

Ron, KO0Z

WB9PNU/B QSN EM59ck

I brought my 10 GHz transverter up with me to KC9ULA's QTH in Girard, IL, EM59ck and I set it up in Debbie's upstair room which has a window facing the southwest (218 degrees) back to the beacon. So far I haven't had any luck hearing the beacon, but I was hoping with the advancing rain shield I may just luck out and get some rain scatter. Around 1:00 pm 18:00Z I thought I heard some faint cw, but it could have just as well been my hopeful fancy. As an experiment I opened up the window and the signal jumped up from out of the noise to an S1 to S2. I had taken off the window screen earlier, but the window does attenuate the beacon. I raised and lowered it a few times just to make sure. The window does not have any tinting. The beacon was staying in there rather well with just a hint of QSB. At the time Girard was experiencing light, but steady showers. Around 18:15Z I copied the beacon telemetry and I decoded the output as 2.77 watts, 12.94 volts, internal temp 51 (not sure about my copy on this one) degrees and the PA temp ast 62 degrees.

Yea, I've heard the beacon from 58.3 miles away with rain scatter propagation!

73,

Ron, KO0Z

MAD Day on April 7, 2012

Finally new microwave season! First SLAMS outdoor activity this year!

Zack W9SZ went to his hilltop in EN50rl.

Herbert AF4JF, Ron KO0Z and Jim N5MU met in the YMCA parking lot in Westport, EM48sq and tried to work Zack.

We have heard each other on CW, but signals were deep in the noise around 7:30am, so we decided to try 45 minutes later. Unfortunately, signals were even weaker, so no QSO with Zack today. It would be fair distance - about 160 miles! Maybe later in the season with some help from Mr. Hepburn ...

N5MU (left) and AF4JF (right) stations

Ron KO0Z (sitting) with his station

After second test with Zack, Herbert AF4JF went to nearby location on Dorsett Rd., EM48tq (672ft. a.s.l.) to make first QSO with Ron on 10GHz.

AF4JF set up in EM48tq

View from EM48tq towards YMCA in Westport

Despite the bush in our way close to AF4JF and a building on Westport Plaza close to KO0Z, we have made first 10GHz between us on CW. Good!

We have had lots of fun AND we have another 10GHz station in St. Louis. Let's hope for that QSO with Zack in EN50rl next time!

73 de AF4JF

SLAMERS, remember MAD is this Saturday and CSVHF 2 meter sprint is this upcoming Monday, 9 April. C U on the air, de Ron, KO0Z

My first 10 GHz QSO! No fooling!

Wahoo! Tnx to Harry, WA0CNS for being my first 10 GHz QSO! After the SLAMS breakfast, Harry and I went to Creve Coeur Park and visiting the old site where other SLAMS members made their first 10 GHz QSOs. Of course die hard SLAM members would tell me that the low 80s sure beat the low 40's from a year ago and they'd be right, but better late than never I say!

More success!

Hello fellow SLAMERS! Jubiation! John and Herbert, good news! The 10 GHz beacon is still working! My 10 GHz transverter was able to pick up the signal! I met with Dave, KB0PE at Graham Road and I-270 but we didn't hear it. We then parked near DePaul Hospital and we found the signal at 144.780 MHz, but the signal was drifting. This is from a cold start and we tracked the signal up until the 10 MHz osc stabilized and we now get the signal at 144.580 MHz. Next we went to MO Route 94 and I-70 and we copied the beacon there with no problems! Yea.

Next I couldn't get the transveter to key, but found out that I really needed to use the ACC port and not the Data port. We jury rigged a patch cable which works, but I need to get a 8 pin mini din plug and make a permanent patch cord.

After I get that then I will need to set the power levels for XMIT and Receive!

A big tnx to Dave, KB0PE for his enthusiasm and assistance!

Progress is being made!

73,

Ron, KO0Z