QSO with Gedas W8BYA - A New Grid, #70!

 For the past several months, I've been trying to confirm EM58 for Gedas W8BYA.  We've had several "almosts.' Either I could hear him and he couldn't hear me or vice-versa.  Throughout that time, I've been looking for "good" uW spots to operate.  We found one near Staunton, IL but the vacant restaurant proprietor is a bit touchy about us operating from her vacant parking lot.  Oh well.

I have in-laws living in Vandalia, IL and that city borders EM58 and EM59.  Why not try to work Gedas from there and also visit in-laws?  It's closer to Gedas than from Staunton.

As luck would have it, summer weather patterns are still with us in early fall.  An omega block was setting up over the Midwest.  It wasn't nowhere as intense as the one in September.  In September we had heat indices between 110-115 F with relative humidity approaching the upper 70s and very little wind.  In a word, the weather was oppressive. This go-around it was nice to be outside, but propagation suffers.

Last July, I presented an hypothesis at the CSVHFS conference which theorized there are inland, atmospheric seas that propagate uW signals through ET (evapotranspiration), high pressure systems, high relative humidity levels and little to no wind present.

This Sunday, October 1, we have a weaker omega block, nowhere near the high relative humidity levels, lower ET values and a southeast wind as the high pressure system begins to move eastward.  With temps in the 70s F and RH of 60 degrees there was still some 3 cm present.  I located myself at Vandalia, IL EM58kx municipal airport next to a hangar and eventually worked Gedas W8BYA in EN70jt, 394 km or 245 miles away to my northeast.  QSB was very much present.  Still, we managed a CW QSO at 18:28 Z.  We were on the ragged edge, with RST of419 at best on peaks and 319 on average.

It was interesting to listen/see our signals rise and fade over a 10 to 15 minute time span as we beaconed.  In spite of the QSB, we persevered and we made the two-way for Gedas' 70th confirmed grid square on 10 GHz!

              NWS weather map for Sunday, 1 Oct 2023,  I added the red to indicate the omega block.

                                              Vandalia, IL EM58kx municipal airport.

                               I set-up beside a hangar and made the QSO with Gedas 394 km away!

\

            Here is my signal at Gedas' end.  The squiggle in my trace is the RIT tuning me in.

Later that same afternoon, I went to Altamont, IL EM58pw about 23 miles southeast of Vandalia.  A farmer gave me permission to operate near his bean field.  By the time I was set-up and running there was absolutely no propagation to the northeast.  However, I did faintly hear the WB9PNU beacon to my west about 95 miles (153 km) away.

Potential uW site EN50ce

Debbie KC9ULA and me, KO0Z checked out a promising tower site about 5 miles southwest of Mason City, IL EN50ce.  For reference Mason City is about half-way between Springfield, IL an Peoria, IL.  It is a high location, but there is a stand of trees that could be a problem pointing north.  The east location looks promising and depending on corn, a path to St. Louis is possible.  It's not the greatest site, but it does offer some possibilities.  Ron W9ZIH in EN51nv is 127 miles away, Zack in EN50rl is 69 miles away and St. Louis is about 110 miles away.

                       Mason City, IL Tower site EN50ce.  Looking west on County road 850N

                                                                 EN50ce Tower

                                            Looking north from EN50ce

                                             Looking northeast and east from EN50ce

                                         Debbie KC9ULA and southeast in the background

   Looking south towards St. Louis from EN50ce

SLAMS 24 GHz Breakfast -2015

Saturday, April 18, 2015, Troy, IL SLAMS met at the Country Pride restaurant for their annual 24 GHz breakfast.  The weather was very nice and welcome change from the rain.  At breakfast, Herbert AF4JF showed the group some great bargains on an RF noise source, a spectrum analyzer board with sweep generator that goes from 138 MHz to 4.4 GHz and a dongle that receives VLF frequencies all the way to 1.2 GHz!

After the breakfast, we went to a nearby park and Harry, WA0CNS set up the SLAMS 24 GHz beacon as well as his 24 GHz transverter.  Zack, W9SZ set up his 24 GHz transverter and Qs were exchanged in EM58br!

Dave, KB0PE is working on a second 24 GHz rig and Ron, KO0Z is very close to getting his station on the air.  Mike, N0OBI had a horn and a diode and he was able to detect the 24 GHz RF.

                          138 MHz-4.4 GHz Spectrum Analyzer board with tracking generator.

                                         
                                                           RF Noise Source

                                                   VLF to UHF Dongle!

                                             Zack, W9SZ and Dave, KB0PE

 
                                           Herbert, AF4JF, Harry, WA0CNS and Zack, W9SZ

                                                         24 GHz 1/2 watt amp.

                                                     Zack, W9SZ's 24 GHz rig.

                                                       Dave, KB0PE's 24 GHz transverter.

                                                        Dave, KB0PE and Zack, W9SZ

                                                      Harry, WA0CNS 24 GHz Beacon.

                                                       Inner workings of the 24 GHz beacon.

                                                       Harry, WA0CNS with his 24 GHz rig.

                                          Cassegrain feed for 24 GHz also known as a penny or splash feed.

                                                       Zack, W9SZ's 24 GHz rig

                                                        W9SZ's 24 GHz dish antenna

                        SLAM members :  W9SZ, AF4JF, KO0Z, WA0CNS, N0OBI and KB0PE

                                          Zack, W9SZ looking for 24 GHz signals with his SDR radio

                   Zack, W9SZ to the left and Harry, WA0CNS to the right working each other on 24 GHz.

                                    Mike, N0OBI with his horn feed and diode detector.
       
                                    Below, Zack picking up some 24 GHz signals.

November SLAMS meeting in Troy, IL

It was good seeing most of the SLAMS members at our monthly meeting.  This month it was held at the TA Truck Stop in Troy, IL just off of I-55.  We chatted about inexpensive modules to get on 10 GHz, 24 GHz activity and our plans to activate the grid corner of EM49, EM59, EN40 and EN50 this upcoming Saturday, November 8 at 8:00 am.  Zack, W9SZ drove down from Champaign, IL to my Girard, IL QTH and we carpooled the rest of the way to Troy.  Good company and good food!

 

ARRL UHF Contest 2014

For the second morning in a row, my cell phone alarm clock woke me up at 09:30 Z (4:30 am, CDT).  Yesterday, it was to get me up and going to unlock the venue for the West Central Illinois hamfest in Carlinville, IL.  Today, it awakened me to my trek to participate in the ARRL UHF contest.  Earlier, it dawned on me that I hadn't dragged my 10 GHz rig out at all for 2014 and I needed to rectify that omission.  A few days earlier, I posted with SLAMS asking if anyone was planning to participate in this contest.  Jim, N5MU wrote that he'd be available on Sunday morning.  We agreed to try and work each other at 7:00 am.  Jim went to the tried and true YMCA site in EM48 and I went to Ohlman cemetery hill, just east of Ohlman, IL. 

When my alarm woke me up from a deep sleep, I asked myself, "Ochu, what on God's green Earth were you thinking?"  I forced my self up, showered, dressed and loaded up the car and made the 42 mile trek to the cemetery, but not before first making a pot of coffee to assist me along the way.

It was spectacular morning.  The sun was peaking above the eastern horizon and it was awash in orange behind the low-hanging, fog banks.  The birds were chirping and there was the promise of working Jim, N5MU later on this morning.  Now, I remembered why I agreed to do this; especially so, since I just spent the prior day working on a hamfest!

I made it to Ohlman Cemetery an hour later after leaving my Girard QTH.  It was 7:00 am and I called Jim on the cell phone to tell him that I had arrived and that I would be up and running in about 20 minutes.  Less than ten minutes later I had the tripod set up and the 10 GHz rig warming up.  I erected my mast for my six element 70 cm yagi, connected the coax and hooked it up to the 817.  I gave Jim a call and we heard each other with no problem at 12:35 Z.  The S meter wasn't indicating anything, but we both had solid copy on USB.  An 81.5 mile QSO.  Now, let's try 10 GHz.  I was copying John, WB9PNU's beacon about a S-5.  It had been almost a year since I heard it last and hearing the beacon's CW telemetry was like hearing an old friend again after a long absence!

Peaking up on the beacon, I nudged my dish a degree or so to the south to hear Jim.  I could copy his CW about 519.  A short while later Jim was 579.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go back to him because my FT 817 wasn't keying up.  I could hear my rig's sidetone, but the rig itself wasn't keying up.  It turns out that, somehow, a menu setting had changed and once I found it, I was able to correct for it and I was putting out CW.  Jim and I made the QSO at 13:22 Z with 519 reports!

After working Jim, I swung my 70 cm yagi towards Ron, W9ZIH's direction and towards Chicago and I made some noise, both CW and USB, but to no avail.  I took down my portable station and soon I was on the road to nearby Pana for a sausage and egg McMuffin before heading back to Girard. By 10:40 am, I was pulling into my driveway.  All said and done, it was an exceptional start to my day.  Thank you Jim!

 

                                          ( About 4 miles east of Girard, IL.  Notice the sun and the fog bank)

                              ( A better shot of the fog bank.  A good day for microwaving!)

                                          (  My view to the south.  Notice the fog bank)

 ( Here I am on top of the Ohlman cemetery hill.  My 70 cm yagi and 10 GHz rig are visible)

                                           (Another view of the cemetery portable set up from EM59ji)

                             ( My view back southwest towards Jim in EM48, 81.5 miles away)

More pictures from SLAMS Breakfast near Troy, IL

Couple of pictures made by my wife Alice:

73 Herbert

AF4JF