SLAMS Annual Chadler Hill Winery Meeting

Saturday, November 5, 2022, Herbert AF4JF, Darcy, Harry WA0CNS, Tammy KI7GVT, Kevin AD7OI, Debbie KC9ULA and Ron KO0Z gathered at Chandler Hill Winery near Defiance, MO for our annual get together.  We discussed our calendar of uW events/meetings for 2023's calendar, Kevin's plans to put a 10 GHz beacon near Hannibal and our 122 GHz progress.

Although it was windy, we were able to sit outside on a covered porch with propane heaters and enjoyed good food and great company!  A big shout out to Kevin and Tammy for making the trek from Hannibal to be at our meeting.

Left to right:  Tammy KI7GVT, Kevin AD7OI, Ron KO0Z, Debbie KC9ULA and Harry WA0CNS

Left to right:  Harry WA0CNS, Herbert AF4JF, Tammy KI7GVT and Kevin AD7OI

                                                                       Darcy

Hepburn Tropo Forecast for the Aug 20-21 10 GHz and Up Contest

 It's helpful to check William Hepburn's Tropospheric Ducting Forecast page:  https://www.dxinfocentre.com/tr_map/archive/1eam.png for possible uW openings.  Here was his forecast for the 2022 ARRL 10 GHz and Up contest on Saturday, 20 August and Sunday 21 August 2022.  Credit goes to William Hepburn.  These forecasts can be very useful in correlating actual, observed field uW conditions with forecast modeling.

August 2022 ARRL 10 GHz and Up

 Saturday, 20 August, 5:00am, my alarm woke both me Ron KO0Z, and Debbie KC9ULA up.  After quickly showering, Debbie, Toula (our Aussie) and I met up with Herbert AF4JF and Harry WA0CNS in St. Peters by 6:00 am and formed a caravan up to Hannibal, MO EM49hq for the first leg of the ARRL August 2022 10 GHz and Up contest.  We were looking forward to meeting two, new SLAMS members Kevin AD7OI and his wife Tammy KI7GVT who recently moved from Arizona.  Kevin and Tammy are originally from Hannibal and both are experienced microwavers. 

 AD7OI has a very strong signal with his 10 GHz 60 watt signal!  We all met up just south of Hannibal at Lovers' Leap EM49hq.  This river ridge park is an excellent microwave location.  

Pictured left to right:  Debbie KC9ULA, Harry WA0CNS, Herbert AF4JF, Tammy KI7GVT and Kevin AD7OI at Lovers' Leap EM49hq, just south of Hannibal, MO.

 After our meet and greet, we set-up our rigs and began to make contacts.  One attempt was with some buddies near Cedar Rapids, but band conditions were not with us even with Kevin's 60 watt flame thrower.  However our group had much better luck working Gedas W8BYA, 337 miles (537 km) away near Ft. Wayne, IN!  We also succeeded working Zack W9SZ north of Champaign, IL in EN50rl 159 miles (256 km) to our east.  Zack went to another hill in EN50 for a successful 10 GHz Q.  

Ron KO0Z and Debbie KC9ULA crossed over the mighty Mississippi River to John Hays Recreation Area in EM49hr72. It is clearly visible a mile away as a gravel area from Lovers' Leap.

      The yellow arrow points to the Hays Recreational Area in East Hannibal about 1 mile away.
 

 Unfortunately Ron, Herbert and Harry were not able to make a successful two-way 24 GHz Q.  Herbert and Harry could hear me, but I was only able to copy one of them just for a short time, but not long enough to make a valid Q.  Drats.  But the weather was nice and the breeze across the river was welcome.

24 GHz dish pointing back across the Mississippi River towards Lovers' Leap EM49hq, 1 mile away from Hays Recreation Area EM49hr72.

 

Debbie KC9ULA is enjoying a good novel while her hubby Ron plays with 24 GHz.

 

                      

                                 Toula, our Aussie is taking in the sights and smells of EM49hr72.

 

              Larry KA9GWM spotted our uW activity and stopped by for a nice "eyeball" QSO.

 

 

Once we completed our EM49hq Qs, our next stop further down MO Hwy 79 is Lousiana, MO.  Zack W9SZ was making tracks for Ohlman Cemetery EM59ji and we needed a clear shot.  This was our first attempt to work Ohlman from this location.  We arrived on site after 2:00 pm and set-up. Although, we had partly cloudy skies, rain clouds were forming to our east which gave us rain scatter opportunities.

We worked Gedas W8BYA (322 miles, 518 km) and Zack W9SZ  ( 98 miles, 157 km) from that location.  Lousiana is another good uW location towards the northeast through southeast along the Mississippi River.

              Kevin AD7OI's dish aimed  towards Zack W9SZ in EM59ji from Louisana EM49lk.

 

 Kevin, Harry and Herbert made two-way 10 GHz Qs with Zack from Louisana to Ohoman cemetery!

Our next Saturday stop would be the park and Cottleville, MO  EM48qs and Dow, IL EM49ua.  Zack left Ohlman and headed towards Dow.  In the meantime, we parted company with Kevin.  He headed back home to Hannibal.  It was great meeting him and Tammy for the first time.  We made plans to continue with the contest on Sunday.

   Tired, but not exhausted 12 hours later Harry WA0CNS and Herbert AF4JF made a successful 10 GHz two-way Q with Zack 25 miles away at Dow, IL.  EM48qs to EM49ua.

 Twelve hours later Harry and Herbert made a ten gig contact with Zack W9SZ in Dow.  As luck would have it with microwaving, the shortest distance contact proved to be the most challenging.  It took a few tries, but the effort was worth it!  A huge rainbow complimented everyone's efforts.  Fortunately for us we had a few miles to go before home.  Poor Zack had at least a 3 hour drive for him back to Champaign, IL.  

Sunday, 21 August 2021  

 On Saturday we all agreed to not get up so early on Sunday.  Herbert called me around 9:40 am and asked if I'd like to accompany him to Kingdom City EM38xw to work Kevin planning to set up somewhere Macon, MO.  Sure!  A tall coffee cup later from Flying J Truck Stop and armed with a banana and two apples I was ready!  We arrived at our location along I-70 about 3 miles west of Kingdom City EM38xw to work Kevin AD7OI.

Successful 10 GHz Q with Kevin AD7OI Sunday afternoon from EM39xw and EM39uf.  About 25 miles.

 

Herbert AF4JF tried to work Harry WA0CNS in EM48pq, near High Ridge, MO but no luck on this attempt.

                            A close up screenshot of our uW site outside of Kingdom City EM38xw

 

                                       Darcy checking out the sights and smells of EM38xw
 
 EM38xw, about 3 miles west of Kingdom City alongside the I-70 south service road.  It's a good spot in almost all directions.  Noisy with all the interstate traffic, but not a bad contest location.  AD7OI and KI7GVT joined us for another meet and greet and to check out this location for future reference.  Afterwards we headed east towards St. Peters and Kevin and Tammy went into town for lunch.

All in all, a great contest and 10 GHz outing.  As luck would prevail, we got our 24 GHz rigs working towards the end of the contest.  Next month!

More contest photos

KO0Z's 2nd 24 GHz QSO between Missouri and Illinois !

 Saturday morning, July 16th, TV weather forecasters promising a hot, humid day.  A high pressure cell is retreating from an advancing northwesterly, cold front.  A good day to attempt my second ever 24 GHz QSO.  A week before, Harry WA0CNS lent me his second 24 GHz rig to experiment with.  I made my first 24 GHz Q with Harry and Herbert AF4JF across Creve Coeur Park (approximately 110 yards).  

TV weather forecasters were right (this time) it was hot, getting hotter and the relative humidity increasing from the low 60s.  Outside temp at 10 am CDT, 15:00 Z was 90 F.  Earlier in the morning Herbert AF4JF took the Golden Eagle Ferry across the mighty Mississippi River to the Calhoun County, IL peninsula to gather some peaches before crossing the Illinois River near Grafton and on to Pere Marquette State Park in EM48rx.  His destination is Eagle Roost, a scenic, 800 foot overlook with a uninterrupted view of the southeast to almost west direction.  It is shaded and relatively cool.  A great spot, and one of our favorite microwave locations.  Ron KO0Z, using Harry's loaner 24 GHz rig set up in (EM48qt) MidRiver's Mall, western parking lot (468 ft) looking 17 degrees and 13.22 miles (21.3 km) towards the distant Illinois river bluffs and AF4JF's location.

Herbert aimed his dish southwest (197 degrees) and transmitted USB.  Ron immediately heard his 3 x 9 signal. Herbert's signal strength was solid, but his transmitted audio was distorted.  AF4JF is using SDR/Pluto.  It sounds like his SSB is a bit over driven, but it is copy able.  Herbert's audio sounded cleaner today as compared to last week's test.  Apparently my audio and signal were fine at Eagle Roost!  Herbert is running 100 milliwatts output and Ron has 25 microwatts and we made the 21 km path today!

 We made the 24 GHz QSO around 10:35 am, 15:35 Z and not a minute too soon.  Although Eagle Roost has shade, the parking lot does not. Ron pointed his truck so it would offer a little, precious shade on this hot day.  Remarkably, the Q was made on the first try.  Harry cautioned me that the dish beam width is very narrow and he is so right.  After we made the Q, I experimented and moving the dish. Moving the dish more than a degree made the difference between hearing AF4JF and not hearing him.  

I'd like to thank Harry WA0CNS for lending me his second 24 GHz rig and Herbert AF4JF for making the trek to EM48rx.  I only had to travel less than a mile to get to my uW spot, but Herbert took two ferry boats and crossed the Calhoun county peninsula to reach the park.  Of course there was the added benefit of procuring delicious Illinois peaches and a road trip for his loving canine,companion Darcy.

                               Elevation profile between EM48rx and EM48qt.  The peaks in the middle are the Illinois bluffs just north east of the Mississippi River.

                           The white line is the path between Eagle Roost, IL and MidRiver's Mall, MO.

              Ron KO0Z's truck temporarily offered welcome shade from the 90 F plus temps. The dish is looking 17 degrees towards Eagle Roost 21 km to the northeast.

                               Just to the left on the light pole near Famous Shoes was the 17 degree marker. Eagle Roost and Pere Marquette park are off in them yonder hills.

                       KO0Z's setup and shade on the otherwise, hot, asphalt parking lot at 16:00 Z

                            Harry WA0CNS rig is using a W2PED 24 GHz transverter.

                               Herbert AF4JF forged across the mighty Mississippi via the Golden Eagle Ferry from St. Charles county, MO to Calhoun county, IL and the Calhoun peninsula.  Later, he took the Brussels Ferry across the Illinois River to IL Hwy 100.

                 Herbert AF4JF's Eagle Roost, EM48rx, Illinois 24 GHz location.

                   AF4JF is using SDR as his IF rig for 24 GHz.  He is making a lot of progress working out any bugs.

                                                   Darcy, is always up for microwaving!

                               AF4JF (EM48rx) aiming southwest, 197 degrees towards Ron KO0Z in St. Peters, MO EM48 qt,  13.22 miles (21.3 km) away,.

             NOAA's weather forecast map for Saturday, July 16.  Note the approaching cold front.  Although the map shows rain potential for Missouri, it did not rain on our parade today.  Sunday's forecast calls for much needed rain, so we picked a good day to try out 24 GHz.

Activity from EM38xw

The EM38xw location is conveniently accessible from the interstate highway I-70, exit 144 (easy to remember). We usually set up on the intersection of a service road that goes parallel with I-70 on its southern side and the gravel country road. There is little to no traffic on either road, but we always make sure there is enough space left for farm vehicles.

We have been there several times in the past, see for example the postings here, here or here.

I went there twice this year so far. My first trip there was on Saturday June 4, 2022 for a MAD Day (Microwave Activity Day). I took 1296MHz and 10GHz with me and tried to work several stations on both bands. It was a hot day without any clouds, no Rain Scatter on 10GHz possible. I have only made 2 QSOs on 23cm - with Zack W9SZ who was 350km away (I used 2W of RF power) and with Pete N0OY who was 498km away (but I needed 40W of power to my 16el. COMET antenna).

AF4JF set up in EM38xw

My second trip to that location took place on Saturday July 2nd, 2022 for another MAD Day. I only took 10GHz with me. It was a rainy day and I was hoping for some Rain Scatter (RS) QSOs on that band. The weather map looked very promising in the morning - I expected the storms to pass just South of my location. Unfortunately, the storm cells decided otherwise and included me in their path.

I have tried to work Greg WQ0P in EM19, but there was too much water in the air between us. We tried several times, but no luck. However, several attempts that we made with Gedas W8BYA finally lead to success. We have made a nice RS QSO on 10GHz across 620km (387miles)!

AF4JF aiming for WQ0P (dish pointing West)

View towards West

Aiming East (South of W8BYA) at a storm cell

Rain Scatter map that day

Zoom in on the pictures from July 2nd, you will see lots of water drops on the equipment. I was hiding under the open back gate of my SUV but the station was exposed to the water, so I have packed everything up after spending 2 hours at that location and went to nearby gas station for hot coffee. My dog refused to leave the car the entire time.

This is one good location for future activities, the SLAMS team will return here in the future.

ARRL VHF Contest - June 2022

Harry WA0CNS and Herbert AF4JF went to Potosi, MO in EM47 and De Soto, MO in EM48 to make some contest QSOs as Rovers on Saturday June 11th. Worked several stations on the usual bands CW/SSB, nothing unusual. The location on one of the highest hills in Missouri is good, definitely worth returning there.

Herbert AF4JF/r getting ready to have fun in EM47ow

Harry WA0CNS/r in EM47ow

Herbert moved to De Soto in EM48rd to make some contacts with Harry later in the afternoon. We have both returned home for the night and went to the Egyptian Hamfest in Granite City, IL on Sunday. Made several more contest QSOs from the Hamfest parking lot in EM48wr. Herbert fried his power inverter (that makes 110V AC from 12V DC, needed to run the 40W PA for 23cm) and finished in the early afternoon, Harry went to Edwardsville in EM58 to activate another grid.

Everything considered, a successful weekend. Little too hot outdoors. We will try to do even better next time.

SPRINT Contests this Spring

We have attended the Central States VHF Society sponsored Spring SPRINT contests 2022. Missed the 144MHz part this year, but managed to attend the 222MHz contest on April 19 and 432MHz section on April 27. There was very little to no activity in the Saint Louis area this year. Following pictures are from the 432MHz contest on April 27th:

AF4JF/R in EM49pa

WA0CNS in EM48rl

AF4JF/R in EM48qs

Missouri River in EM49pa 
(Winfield, MO)

We are looking forward for the microwave part of the SPRINT contest that takes place on Saturday May 7th!

Note that CSVHF will hold the annual conference on July 22-23 in La Crosse, WI.