[ADXA] DX In Its Own Way

Tue Dec 19 05:19:19 EST 2023

Dennis,

I looked in my log to see when I took down the big 432 EME array years ago. It was in December, 1997. At that time, as you know, EME was all CW, the digital modes did not exist for EME back then. I had completed my 144 MHz WAS in 1992 working KH6 and KL7 on EME (K5UR and I had worked the contiguous 48 states on terrestrial, non-EME propagation!) and had pretty much worked all the DX that was on 144 MHz at the time, so I took that array down and put up the 432 EME array. There wasn’t much activity on 432 EME at the time but I worked everything that was on, ending with 37 states, many of which had been worked by terrestrial propagation but many others via EME, including Alaska. By the end of 1997 I was at the same place I was on 144 in 1992, I had worked everything that was on at the time so I took the array down. I finished with the 37 states and 25 DXCC.

It was good for you to get on during that time to fill an Arkansas gap for some new stations that came on the band seeking WAS.

EME was difficult on CW. You needed big antenna arrays and high power. When the WSJT digital modes came out it was a game changer for EME. That is what prompted me to get back on 144 MHz EME and complete my DXCC, then move up to 222 MHz to complete a WAS (DXCC is not possible on that band due to it only being allocated in Region 2), and now the pursuit to complete WAS on 432 MHz. The remaining states I need are AZ, ND, NH, NM, PA, RI, UT, VT. Those will be relatively easy if I can locate someone active there. The difficult ones are already in the log.

Something to do during the lulls in 160 DX’ing !!!

73 Joel W5ZN 

From: Dennis Schaefer <dennisw5rz at gmail.com> 
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2023 9:03 PM
To: w5znjoel at gmail.com
Cc: adxa at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [ADXA] DX In Its Own Way

Congratulations on Hawaii on 432!  Maybe there is enough activity on 432 to complete the rest of them.  I guess its mainly EME for the distant ones, though.  Tropo can be good and I've worked FL several times but I don't think that helps for the western states.  Maybe the rover guy can fill in some, though.  

I'm glad you're on EME.  Arkansas was scarce for a long time on 2 and 432.  I got a lot of requests and lashed up something Field Day style to give someone one of their last states.   The last one on 2 meters was K6PF.  Bob was moving from CA to AZ and had everything but Arkansas.  He was pushing his move back so he could work the last one.  I ran with him every day for about a month and copied every sequence from him.  He had an extremely bad noise source, and one morning it rained and it went away for a bit.  He called me and we ran and completed the contact quickly.  

Then I started working 432 a little and gave HB9Q a needed state, as well as a few others.  Got an article in QST during NPOTA when George and I activated a park on 432 EME.  I worked DL7APV with 50 watts to 2 elements, and had previously worked him with 5 watts at the feedpoint with the two Cushcraft 19 el yagis.  There just wasn't enough activity on 432 at the time to continue without significant upgrading.  I worked the same big stations every contest.  

I haven't gotten a request for several years, so thanks for fulfilling all those wishes for Arkansas, and I hope you can finish up the 432 WAS.  Also, good luck with the VU4N on 160.  If anybody can do it, you can.  I think he has noise problems but maybe you can break through if he gets to operate enough on 160.

73,

Dennis/RZ

On Mon, Dec 18, 2023 at 7:12 PM <w5znjoel at gmail.com <mailto:w5znjoel at gmail.com> > wrote:

Not “DX” as we know it here with ADXA but tonight was a special, early, Christmas present.

After I completed WAS on 222 MHz two years ago I began to focus on completing 432 MHz WAS. I was on 432 EME back in the early ‘90s and when I stopped I had worked everyone on the band at the time and had 36 states in the log either on tropo or EME. I fired back up on 432 EME a couple of months ago with a mission to complete WAS on that band. I had already worked KL7HFQ in Alaska back in the 90’s but the difficult one now would be KH6 in Hawaii. Tom, NH6Y, who I worked on 222 for my 50th state is now on 432 EME with 2xFO25 antennas and 500 watts. We ran tonight and after about 45 minutes finally completed for state # 42 !!!!

Time to celebrate, but just for a short while as I’m on VU4 160 meter watch !!!!!!

73 Joel W5ZN

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