[Lowfer] OT: 7MHz Moonbounce!

[Zack Widup]

Wow, was that cool!

I used my TS-850SAT and full-wave vertical 40m loop for receiving.  I 
didn't have the computer hooked up to the rig; I just used my ears.

Before the test, I listened on 6792.5 for a while.  I heard a couple pings 
and someone sending "599". I wonder if that was part of the test?

I heard the HAARP transmissions throughout the first hour on 6792.5 except 
for the time slot of 0529-0530 when they seemed to disappear completely. 
Did anyone else notice this? They were fairly strong at 0500Z (S7 plus or 
minus) but by about 0545Z they had dropped to about S2. The echoes I heard 
were right in the noise but very audible sometimes.  I made a record of 
all the time slots when I heard echoes. The loudest on that frequency were 
around 05:38:30. I heard a total of 36 echoes.

Someone transmitted a carrier around 0503Z for over a minute.  He first 
showed up slightly higher in frequency and tuned down to zero-beat the 
HAARP signal.  Near the end he detuned in frequency slightly before QRT. I 
wish I knew who that was.  Is nothing sacred?

I could not hear the HAARP transmitter at all on 7407.5.  I did hear a few 
echoes. I had no BC station interference but there seemed to be some sort 
of broadband noise on this frequency which was S5 here.  Despite that, I 
heard 19 echoes. Toward the end of the hour I heard some SSB chatter 
off-frequency a bit.

Tonight should be interesting!

73, Zack W9SZ


On Fri, 18 Jan 2008, Steve Ratzlaff wrote:

> Lunar echoes heard for the full 2 hours; had to switch to my 6 Hz narrow 
> audio filter about 45 minutes into the test in order to keep hearing the 
> echoes. The TX was barely heard the last 30 minutes or so too--but the 
> doppler effect had the TX about 8Hz away from the echoes, so I could tell 
> which was which with the narrow filter.
> Lots of fun!
> Steve
> NE Oregon
>