ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest 2016, Round Two

   Potential microwave site near Taylorville, IL EM59ik when the corn is not so high or soy beans are growing.  It's on a high hill, but crops grow right up to the tower.




Saturday, September 17, 2016:  Round Two of the ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest.  I wasn't able to participate
in Round One, a month earlier, as a result of a death in the family.  So, I was really looking forward to
getting on the air for round two.  Most of the Illinois microwave ops were heading for Lake Michigan.  I chose to stay
close to home and to activate grid square EM59ji from Ohlman Cemetery.

Unfortunately, Herbert, AF4JF wasn't able to participate and Harry, WA0CNS went to High Ridge, MO to
activate grid square EM48rl a distance of 94 miles.  Saturday morning, Harry was looking into a dark
cloud from the ridge and the vegetation had taken over since he was there last.  I was looking into some
fog banks.  We tried to work each other, but conditions were not good at all.  I wasn't able to hear the
St. Louis beacon, WB9PNU/b until about 45 minutes later and then it was only just above the noise level and then only for about 10 minutes.
Temperature was in the low 70s.  Unfortunately, Harry had limited time so we called it a day.  I called
Ron, W9ZIH in Malta, IL EN51nv, but we weren't able to work each other.  We've done it before from that
spot, but Ron is looking into a hill towards the southeast.  We need enhanced conditions and Saturday was
not providing us any.  Ron said he wasn't working anybody on Saturday. I also tried working Greg, KA9VDU
 in EN53ms (WI), but no luck either.

Disappointing to say the least.  However, wishing to turn lemons into lemonade, to borrow a cliched phrase,
I decided to scout out some potential microwave sites.  A chap told me that there was a hill between Nokomis,
IL and Taylorville, IL on the blacktop road that might fit the bill.  I found the site about five miles south
of Taylorville on Nokomis-Taylorville blacktop road and the intersection of E. 700 North Rd, EM59ik.

The site looks promising.  There is a FM tower and a former Western Union twin tower on the property, but
tall, microwave absorbing corn stalks surround the entire site.  This site will only be useable when the
crops are lower.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  I went on into Taylorville, ate lunch at Sangchris Lake
State Park and went on home for the day.  We'll see what Sunday will bring.

Sunday morning, I went to my favorite site east of Virden and only 10 miles away EM59dm.  I could actually copy
the WB9PNU beacon, but nobody to work.   The beacon's telemetry indicated the beacon is putting out 1.18 watts,
12.9 VDC, and temps of 98 and 92 degrees.  Afterwards, I called Ron, W9ZIH on the phone and we tried on 3 cm,
 but again no joy.  I drove up to Elkhart, IL, about 40 miles away, to check out the hill in the afternoon.  I tried working W9ZIH
from RT 66, just north of Elkhart EN50ga, but band conditions just weren't there.  I couldn't get up on the hill,
and it is forested.  I drove to Mt. Pulaski, ten miles to the east, but no suitable sites were found there.  I
drove to Lincoln, IL, but cornfields were everywhere.  High spots were privately owned and forested. 

At this point, I gave up, but at least I scouted out the area.  Just west of Elkart on I-55 is a smaller hill with
views to the south, west and northeast.  East is looking into Elkhart hill.  There are two farmhouses on top of the
smaller hill and I am thinking about asking them for permission to operate sometime in the future.

So my 10 GHz and Up contested resulted in 0 contacts and 0 points and over 300 miles driving scouting out potential
sites.  Disappointing, but fun nonetheless.  I've been able to eliminate a lot of sites off my list.  All-in-all,
not a bad way to spend the contest weekend with no 3 cm propagation.

de Ron, KO0Z

ARRL 10 GHz & Up Contest 2015

Saturday, 5:30 am CDT, not too bright and way too early, my alarm awoke me to get showered, to get breakfast and to be out the door by 6:30 am to make the trek from Girard to Ohlman Cemetery EM59ji to participate in the first weekend of the ARRL 10 GHz and Up contest.  Since I had loaded the rig in my car the night before, all I had to do in the morning was to make a thermos of coffee, connect my 10 MHz OCXO to my car's 12 VDC so that it will be warmed up and stable when I arrived at the cemetery about 35 miles away.

By 7:45 am, I was not only up and running, but I was copying the WB9PNU beacon, 78.3 miles away, 599 +!  A personal first for me!  I tried to make a contact with Ron, W9ZIH, but I noticed that a juniper tree was directly in front of me about 70 yards.  I moved west about 60 feet and Ron's signal went from no reception to 559!  He was able to copy me at his QTH near Malta, IL EN51nv, 176.3 miles away at 8:15 am!  I made a video of our QSO which is posted here, but the other two videos (WB9PNU/B and W9SZ are too large to upload to this blog site, but they can be seen on my Facebook page.

My next QSO was with Jim, N5MU in Missouri, EM48qf (109 miles away) with a 519 report at 8:22 am.  Zack, W9SZ entered the log next with a 599 from EN50rl.  Zack was roaring in here and I've never heard him louder at 9:10 am!  I then tried to work Jim, W9SNR in EN62cc, 203.8 miles away, but we only heard bits and pieces of our signals - nowhere good enough to constitute a QSO.  After these QSOs I was feeling stoked!  I knew that Zack wasn't planning to operate on Sunday so, on the spur of the moment, I decided to drive to EN40 and EN50 to activate those grids!

An hour and  a half later, I was set up in EN50aa and I worked Zack, W9SZ at 1:22 pm in EN50xf (102.5 miles away with a report of 589.  He heard me just fine and then at 1:43 pm I made a two-way QSO with Steve, N4PZ in EN52gb (145 miles away with a 529 report.  At 1:52, Ron, W9ZIH and I made a Q - a distance of 105 miles.  Mike, AA9IL was not able to set up in EN52xi, so we were not able to try the path.  Next time!  Now on to EN40!

EN40 is only about a half of a mile away from my EN50aa spot, but trying to find a suitable microwave site proved to be quite a challenge.  When I had scoped it out last November, there were soy bean fields, but now there were tall, corn fields.  I spent the next 45 minutes driving around the countryside to find a good spot only to end up about a mile from the EN50aa location.  In about ten minutes I was now QRV from EN40xa.  It was flat and soybeans to the east and northeast, but tall corn to the north.  I gave Zack, W9SZ a call and after some trial and error, I arose out of the noise and we worked each other at 3:20 pm with a 529 report - a distance of 106.9 miles!  I tried calling Ron, W9ZIH on the phone, but he wasn 't home unfortunately.  I tried Steve, N4PZ and he could tell I was there, but I wasn't able to copy his signals.  The corn was just too tall and I didn't have a better spot to relocate.  A nice farmer came by to inquire about the set up and he was glad to see the operation.  After wishing me luck, he was on his way and I awaited Jim, W9SNR to arrive at his site.  Unfortunately, thunderstorms kept him from getting on the hill and he decided to call it a day.  By this time I was hot, tired and hungry, so I was ready to call it a day as well.

All in all, it was a great day to be out and about microwaving.  I am seriously thinking about activating EM69 and EM68 for the second half of the contest this September.  Debbie could visit her niece attending Indiana State U, as a freshman, in Terre Haute and she could also offer ops another call sign to work!  We will see what my search of Google Maps reveals in terms of potentially high locations.

                                         A great microwave tool - an engineering compass!

                                 Another important microwave tool - a thermos of hot coffee!

                                               EN40xa looking towards Zack, W9SZ

                               EN40xa looking towards Steve, N4PZ.  The corn was just too tall.

                 EN40xa looking southwest towards St. Louis.  Too hilly and corn is too tall.

Congratulations to Herbert, AF4JF on working Ron, W9ZIH this morning on not just 432 MHz and 1.2 GHz, but 10 GHz as well!!! Way to go H!!!

Here is a screen capture of the Hepburn Tropo forecast for 12:00Z on 5 August 2012.  Notice the blue section towards Malta where Ron, W9ZIH resides.  The front was just to the south east of St. Louis.  Herbert sure called this one correctly!