We had originally planned to attend the BBQ put on by MUD organizer Jeff Kruth -WA3ZKR (Staff Electrical Engineer, Space Science Center at Morehead University) and his wife, but time and miles kept us from the party which I was told was very gracious and quite delicious according to Mel - K0PFX and Bob - N0IS! It's probably just as well for I am a "hearty" eater and I may have ate Jeff and his wife out of house and home...
I stayed with and made a new friend with James - W8ISS at the Hampton. James lives near Detroit and we hit it off immediately. Thanks James for making your room available!
Early Friday morning the fog began to lift and it promised to be a very beautiful, nice fall day! More importantly, if wasn't going to rain which was great because I desperately wanted to get my 10 GHz offset dish and feed measured on the antenna range and the antenna range at Central States was a rain wash out. My dish measured in at 31 dBi! Woo-hoo! While the antenna range and preamp measurements were occurring, Jeff and his undergrad students were conducting tours of the Space Science Center's facilities and of the 21 meter dish on top of a nearby hill! I missed out on that tour, but I was later able to see Al Ward - W5LUA and Barry Malowanchuk - VE4MA attempt to hear Sergi - RW3BP's 78 GHz signals via EME. Unfortunately they were unable to hear them, but I learned a great deal just by watching them late on Saturday evening around 10:00 pm.
The MUD Proceedings was well done and I am enjoying reading it still. Of course the actual presentations were extraordinary and the folks at the Morehead State University Space Science Center could not have been more welcoming or accommodating. Jeff - WA3ZKR and his boss, Dr. Benjamin Malphrus - KJ4HVE made this MUD an extraordinary event. This was both Zack's and my first MUD conference and we both agreed that the work of Jeff and Ben with undergrads is something to behold. This is a world class program, but without a lot of the politics and "stuffiness" that sometimes accompanies these types of programs at larger universities. Kudos to Jeff and Ben for their "hands-on-approach" to theoretical and practical applications of space science! Next year MUD 2014 will be held in Rochester, NY.
Kudos to Steve Kostro -N2CEI and his wife Sandra Estevez - K4SME and Ed Krome - K9EK with the Proceedings and presentations. In fact, nicely done to everyone involved with putting on MUD. It is deeply appreciated!
Of course, I'd like to thank Zack - W9SZ for his driving to and from MUD, but mostly for his company, keen insights and pleasant conversation!
( A fog shrouded Morehead State University )
