What a difference a month can make! A month ago, in August, we were broiling. A huge, omega block created a high pressure ridge combined with very high humidity, it made for oppressive heat, but outstanding propagation. A month later in September, we experienced cool mornings and afternoons in the low eighties. Nice!
For the second leg of the ARRL 10 GHz and Up contest, SLAMS members decided to head west along I-70 from St. Louis and U.S. 36 from Hannibal. Harry WA0CNS anchored the east end of I 70 at High Ridge, MO EM48rl. Ron KO0Z and Herbert AF4JF headed west along I-70 starting in St. Peters, EM48qt and EM48qs. Kevin AD7OI and his wife Tammy KI7GVT handled the U.S. 36 corridor.
While we were planning our strategy, we jokingly called this leg of the contest our Iron Skillet assault. Herbert AF4JF and truth be told, Ron KO0Z love eating at Iron Skillet. There is an Iron Skillet located in Kingdom City and one near Odessa. Lunch and dinner were covered on Ron and Herbert's end.
Both teams began early Saturday morning 16 Sept. The contest started off poorly for Ron. Only three miles apart, Ron wasn't able to hear each Herbert. Ron was at MidRivers Mall and Herbert was at the community college park. Ron met up with Herbert at his location. Ron's receiver was deaf. Perhaps it was the relay, but after loosening and tightening some SMA connectors that appeared to correct the problem. KO0Z worked Harry WA0CNS in EM48rl, a distance of 20 miles/32km. Earlier, Herbert worked Harry and Gedas W8BYA in EN70jt (321 miles/517km)!
Next stop was Foristell, MO EM4mt. Ron and Herbert logged Kevin AD7OI and Tammy KI7GVT near Macon, MO EM39sv (110 miles/177km) on SSB around 9:55 am.
Herbert AF4JF and Darcy working AD7OI & KI7GVT 110 miles away in EM39sv
Foristell EM48mt proved to be a good location
An hour later and further west along I-70, Ron & Herbert located near New Florence EM48gv. Google Earth didn't indicate MO DOT was installing roundabouts off the I-70 off ramp. The north service road was closed going east towards our initial uW site near the Ameren MO solar panel array farm. Worse yet, one of our favorite wineries was on the same, closed road! Drats.
However, hams are resourceful and we crossed over to the south service road and found a suitable location almost directly across the solar panel farm at a nursery. Fortunately for us, the nursery was closed and we set up in their driveway. Whereupon, we logged Kevin AD7OI and Tammy KI7GVT in EM39sv (87 miles/140km) on SSB around 11:18 am. We tried to work Wyatt AC0RA in EN32xb (472 miles/760km) away near Cedar Rapids, IA. We heard him faintly and he us,but not well enough for a two-way QSO.
AF4JF and Darcy set up near New Florence, MO EM48gv
Ron KO0Z in EM48gv. Note the Ameren solar panels along I-70. We logged Kevin and Tammy in EM39sv 87 miles away on SSB.
Now it was time for lunch and that meant traveling 30 miles west to Kingdom City, MO and Iron Skillet. We were in for a rude awakening. Herbert enjoys their soup and Ron their salad bar. The buffet is gone! What a major disappointment. We blamed Murphy for the early morning difficulty with KO0Z's rig and for the missing buffet.
Looks can be deceiving. Although AF4JF is smiling for the camera, he is disappointed the buffet is gone from Iron Skillet. FYI, so was Ron. He was so looking forward to the salad bar.
After lunch, Ron and Herbert went to nearby EM38xw. We've been to this location before. It is just west of the EM38/EM48 grid border. Around 2:10 pm we worked AD7OI & KI7GVT now located in EM39ur (56 miles/90km) on SSB. We also logged Wyatt AC0RA and KC0SKM in Iowa EN32xb (216.5 miles/348km) away on SSB! Both of us were also able to log Greg WQ0P in Kansas EM19wf (220 miles/354km) on CW via rainscatter!
KO0Z's rig aimed north towards AD7OI, KI7GVT in EM39ur (east of Macon, MO) and AC0RA, KC0SKM in EN32xb.
Herbert AF4JF working Kevin, Tammy and Wyatt from Kingdom City EM38xw
Watching Herbert and Ron play with microwaves is exhausting work for Darcy
Notice the darkening skies above Kingdom City, MO EM38xw.
Tired but undaunted, Herbert and Ron's next I-70 stop was a regional airport near Boonville, MO, EM38pw. Around 3:58 pm we logged Greg WQ0P in EM19wf (185miles/298km) via rainscatter and FM! We tried working Mike KM0T in EM13vb but no propagation paths existed between us at the time.
Feeling great after working Greg WQ0P in Kansas from the Boonville regional airport EM38pw
Looking in WQ0P's direction from Boonville airport (EM38 pw). We logged Greg on FM via rainscatter. Note the gathering storm clouds associated with an advancing cold front.
More tired and still undaunted, AF4JF and KO0Z head off westerly to our next location Nelson, MO, but somehow we missed the turnoff and went a few more miles down I-70 to Marshall Junction. We ended up near a water tower and the rain was coming down. Looking at the weather radar we could see a "train" of T-storms along I-70 from Kansas to our location. When you're in the middle of a T-storm, rain scatter isn't viable. By this time is was close to 6:00 pm, the storms were not letting up, so we decided to call it a day and to head home. We ate dinner near Booneville since Iron Skillet did not have its buffet. All in all it was a very good day!
On Sunday, Herbert and Ron gathered at the MidRivers Mall parking lot in an attempt to put Mike KM0T into the log. Mike needs EM48 for a new grid but there was no propagation between us. Only sunshine. Debbie KC9ULA came along today and we ended up working each other on 10 GHz and 24 GHz before calling it a day.
Here is AF4JF's APRS map of our Saturday "Iron Skillet Assault."
We made it two-thirds of the way across the Show-Me-State for this leg of the contest.
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