SPRINT Microwave on September 29, 2012

Herbert AF4JF, Jim N5MU and Rich N0PQU met at YMCA in EM48sq for last microwave contest of the season. We didn't have big contesting plans, just intended to try with Zack W9SZ who went to EN50rl on 1296MHz/10GHz and Ron KO0Z who went to his new location in EM59cl this morning on 10GHz too.

Propagation didn't really look promising - a little Hepburn enhancement, some water vapors, but nothing really promising from our usual sources of prediction:

(I believe that this made the difference today)

The day started quite bad - Herbert has forgotten his 23cm antenna and Jim forgot to bring his antenna pole, so we have had to combine our hardware into one 23cm station. It didn't matter much, because we didn't work Zack on 23cm today. Zack copied Jim's signal S5 on 1296.100MHz but Jim didn't copy Zack this time. Oh well ...

However, after a year of trying and trying, we have both finally worked Zack W9SZ in EN50rl from YMCA in EM48sq! That is a #5 grid for Jim and #6 for Herbert from this particular location. Thanks for all your patience with us, Zack! There are no terrain obstacles between us, but the distance is over 160 miles, so it requires a little help from propagation. Following picture shows the terrain profile between both locations:

Wonder of all wonders, it has worked today! Zack didn't hear the St. Louis beacon on 10GHz, but he has heard a 2.3GHz beacon from Chicago unusually strong, so something has been happening this morning.

Following picture shows Jim working Zack on 10GHz. We have had to move Jim's station close to Herbert's, because there was no signal from Zack at all 10ft. down the parking lot!

We have tried with Ron KO0Z on 10GHz after working Zack, but didn't succeed this time. Well, we have always tried much earlier in the day before ...

One more achievement can be claimed today - Rich N0PQU tested his 10GHz transverter today. He uses a MACOM brick oscillator on 10224MHz with a mixer and IC251 radio (more info about modifying that radio here).

Signal from this simple transverter was very stable, Jim N5MU and Herbert AF4JF have both made SSB  contacts with N0PQU across the parking lot. Although there still are things to be improved, Rich has certainly made it to the qroup of 10GHz-capable stations in St. Louis area. Congrats!

73 Herbert

AF4JF

SLAMS Breakfast Meeting on October 7th

Our next SLAMS Breakfast will be Sunday October 7 at 8:00 am.

Location will again be at Denny’s, I-270 and Dorsett Road.

Who can make it ?

73, John
WB9PNU

SPRINT Microwave Contest

This coming Saturday, September 29th, is the day of SPRINT 902 MHz And Up Contest. Contest starts at 7:00am and ends at 01:00pm local (!) time.

   http://www.svhfs.org/sprints.html

Rules can be found here:

   http://www.svhfs.org/2012fallsprintrules.pdf

73 Herbert
AF4JF

EM49ua my fifth grid square!

This is the distant grain silo that reflected the signals from EM49ua!

Pointing towards EM49ua

A big thank you to Dave, KB0PE and John, WB9PNU for venturing out to the Dow site, EM49ua to put it on the air Saturday 15 September.  By six am they were up and running and they were able to work Garth, W0GR both CW and USB.  This makes another new grid for Garth!  Congrats guys.  Next they were able to hear Zack, W9SZ in EM50rl, but then his signal disappeared.  Evidently Zack's transverter went out of lock and they were unable to make a two-way, which was especially annoying because this is the first time John has been able to hear Zack from this particular site.  Drats. It is now around 7:00 am I am up and running and I am hearing the WB9PNU/b 5X7.    Telemetry indicates that at 12:58Z the beacon is putting out 2.45 watts, voltage is 12.94 volts, internal temp of 70.5 degrees and external PA temp of 49 degrees.  At 12:14Z I work Dave and John on CW with 599 signals.  At 13:06Z I work Dave and John on USB!  Propagation was so good that morning that I was able to hear Dave and John off the backside of my dish.  When I was swinging it back towards them I noticed that their signal peaked when my dish was pointed at a metal grain silo!  Sure enough, upon closer inspection, the angle of inflection equaled the angle of reflection!  Too cool!

ARRL VHF Contest

Some SLAMS members will participate in the upcoming  "ARRL September VHF" contest:

   http://www.arrl.org/september-vhf

From the ARRL web site:

The second full weekend of September. Begins 1800 UTC Saturday and runs through 0259 UTC Monday (September 8-10, 2012).

All authorized frequencies above 50 MHz (6 Meters).

Remember, every QSO counts!

73 Herbert
AF4JF

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

Finally, I put Zack, W9SZ in the log!

I noticed on the Hepburn page that at 12:00Z on 3 September conditions between Girard and Urbana didn't look too bad. I phoned Zack and asked him if he'd be up for a sked. We decided to see what the morning looked like and then we'd decide.  Around 6:40 am my phone rang and Zack was on his way about one-half an hour south of his QTH to EM59wx.  I need to work EM59 so that sounded good.  Packing up my rig in the car, waiting for a train to cross IL Route 4 and getting some coffee for the trip, I was up and running by 12:45Z.  I normally can copy WB9PNU/b anywhere from S-1 all the way to S-9, but this morning I could only to pick out "peeps."  It was buried in the noise floor.  Not very promising.  The temp was around 72 degrees with a dew point close by because my windows kept fogging up and I noticed that the fog was increasing.  Zack reported clear skies at first, but later the overcast and fog I was experiencing affected him as well. 

I turned my dish towards Zack in EM59wx, a heading of 68.2 and a distance of 95.2 miles.  I transmitted and Zack wasn't able to hear me.  Next he transmitted and I was able to able to hear his transmissions!  Barely, but he was copyable!  I made a few dish adjustments and then he listened to me and he was able to hear me!  At 13:16Z we made the two-way on 10 GHz!

Hepburn page for 3 Sept, but for 18:00Z  at 12:00 Z it looked much the same, but the green area in IL didn't extend so far towards the east.

Waiting for the train to cross IL Route 4 near Virden.

WB9PNU/b is towards the rear of my dish and to the left of the barn.  Only heard "peeps" from it this morning.

Azimuth of 68.2 degrees towards Zack, W9SZ in EM59wx and 95.2 miles away.

Tnx Zack for going out this morning!  I now only need one more grid for VUCC!

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