[HCARC] 40 meter net

[Kerry Sandstrom]

Gang,

I was able to copy everybody up, here in Harper except KK5IA.  For the 
morning session I used a Ten Tec Omni D while for the afternoon session I 
used a Drtake TR-5.  Both had about 70 W output and the antenna was the same 
for both sessions, a Butternut HF-2V.

There was no QRM or QRN here either in the morning or the afternoon.

In the morning, a question cme up about whether or not it was NVIS.  I 
didn't think so at the time but I did try a few VOACAP runs.  For September 
with smoothed international sunspot numbers of 80, 70 and 60 the 
morning(1500Z) critical frequencies (vertical incidence) were 8.3, 7.9 and 
7.6 MHz respectively while for the afternoon (2000Z) they were 9.5, 9.2 and 
8.9 MHz respectively.  These sunspot numbers correspond with 10.7 cm solar 
fluxes of 128, 119 and 110 respectively.  My estimate is that 60 is probably 
the right number to be using at the moment, so it looks like for both the 
morning and afternoon sessions NVIS propagation could have been a player. 
Of course those of us with vertical antennas, K5KS and K5YB, wouldn't have 
gotten much benefit from NVIS!  I may have to put up a low dipole before the 
next 40 m net!

73,

Kerry