[Lowfer] DX record?

[Lyle Koehler]

I'm going to give a LowFER presentation at the Fargo, ND hamfest in
mid-March. The idea of detecting a signal way below the noise level will be
fascinating to at least some of the audience. Others will wonder what is the
point of taking all night to receive a couple of characters on a screen.
Although ham radio has many aspects, the dominant interest is real-time,
person-to-person communication in one form or another. So while much of my
talk (and of necessity, any actual receiving demonstrations in a noisy
environment 200 miles from the nearest LowFER) will focus on digital modes,
I'll also take along some recordings of CW signals that the audience can
actually relate to.

The LowFER hobby isn't necessarily about DX records, it's about having fun
and getting the most out of the limited ERP we have available. "Getting the
most" means different things to different people. Raw distance is
irrelevant. It's a known fact that if you integrate a signal long enough,
eventually it will be detectable in the noise. The trick is to find the
technique that best meets your own personal interests. A few years ago, my
son, a couple of other local LowFERs, and I used to exchange CW messages by
recording them and cycling them repeatedly until the other station sent a
reply and a new message. The distances involved were only about 100 miles,
but it was the most fun I've had on LF!

Lyle, K0LR