[Lowfer] MN Missing -- LEK in "summer" mode

[Lyle Koehler]

>I had been wondering if moving to regular CW for the summer would be a wise
move.

LEK reverts to CW mode during the summer doldrums for the benefit of anyone
who still enjoys actually _hearing_ a LowFER beacon. In my case it may make
sense, because there are several listeners within easy ground-wave distance.

A few years ago, most LowFER beacons were operating in real-time CW mode
except for special tests of "exotic" modes like BPSK, WOLF and QRSS. During
the summer months, when interest was at a low level, we either shut our
beacons down completely or went back to the default mode of CW. Now the
situation is reversed, and most beacons are using QRSS on a regular basis.
At the same time, the on-line LowFER list, LWCA message board and this
reflector provide up-to-date information on who is operating what mode on
what frequency. The excitement of tuning across the band and finding a
LowFER beacon by accident is gone. That's the price of progress. In return,
some beacons that had little chance of being copied by ear have been
received at great distances with the help of the newer modes. Changes and
innovations are what keeps interest in the hobby alive.

Lyle, K0LR