[Lowfer] I know I shouldn't be thinking... but...

[Ed Phillips]

k2ors at comcast.net wrote:

>Mike,
>
>    Not sure what you mean by mixing bands, but with the advent of high power 500kHz stations we now the ability to 
>do this in one hop. I expect that Rudy in Oregon will work one or more East Coast stations when the static and 
>geomagnetic conditions cooperate in the very near future.
>
>    As for LF, its true that there are now modes like WOLF suited to sending text with very weak signals.
>    However, there are a lot fewer Part 15 stations now than in the 80s, and only a couple of them
>    are capable of transmitting anything other than QRSS or cw.
>    The active Part 5 LF LF stations probably couldn't do it either.
>    On the West Coast there is only Dave Curry - and I don't know what he's up to 
>    for sure but I've heard that he transmits ssb over local distances.
>    In the past several years of running high power on 137kHz, the furthest West I've
>    received a report was Vancouver, BC. In the U.S. I've received a report (once) from Arizona.
>    Nobody in Washington/Oregon/California seems to be looking for LF signals (other than NDBs)
>
>73 Warren K2ORS (& 4 experimental calls)
>
    Here's the beginning of a web page for Dave Curry:

    http://www.auroralchorus.com/pli/pli.htm

Dave has his Part 5 beacon on the air most of the time now [183.50 kHz] 
sending station dope in slow CW.  At present he and Randy [WD6ELU/ELU] 
are the only ones locally set up for SSB but Dave is trying to get one 
other friend on the band.  At one time in the mid 1980's there was a 
regular Saturday morning SSB net with six and sometimes even members 
here in the LA area, all using small tube transceivers built by Charles 
Faulkner, [W6]FPV.  Gradually the guys lost interest and at least a 
couple have died.  At that time I could copy at least 12 LF beacons here 
in DM04, farthest up in NV.   Dave is the only left as I had to shut 
down IZJ because of QRM to the local WWVB clocks.  A couple of years ago 
Dave and I were on the air with various PSK formats including Hell but 
at our distance [only about 20 miles] that didn't prove much except that 
the waveforms worked.  Not sure what Dave's plans for the future are but 
he has been talking about trying more exotic waveforms for the beacon.  
He just renewed his Part 5 license and plans to be active.

Ed