[Lowfer] Listening West for "WMS"

[Garry Hess]

Andy and Paul,

Glad to hear WMS is still beaconing away. There was a big lightning 
storm moving from Nebraska to Kansas over night. For headings to my 
south that placed the storm around a null of my shielded loop. Copied 
WD2XSH/6 in Mississippi quite well here on 505.266 kHz QRSS-3 around 
0300Z. Ran Wolf looking east for TAG on 185.8 kHz for several hours but 
nothing was detected. The storm racket leaking through the rear of the 
loop certainly didn't help. Then looked southwest for WEB on 189.95 kHz 
QRSS-30 around 0730Z and found it, a bit weaker than recent loggings but 
solid copy. Next, left ARGO on automatic tuned to 187.092 kHz QRSS-30 
for WMS. Finally around 1000Z traces of signal were evident, but 
short-lived as local sunset neared.

Using 6-digit grid square information in WinGrid gives me the following 
approximate path lengths: K3SIW-WEB=954 mi, K3SIW-WMS=534 mi, 
K3SIW-XR=493 mi, K3SIW-MP=372 mi, K3SIW-EAR=358 mi, XR-WMS=461 mi, 
WMS-WEB=423 mi. I'm generally able to copy WEB here in NE IL if the 
lightning map isn't too intimidating but I know you guys have had 
trouble seeing it. I wonder how much that's tied to the intermediate 
path lengths involved? Recently I don't see either WMS or XR as well as 
WEB. Also, MP and EAR are close enough for groundwave copy during the 
day (as I write this at 1325Z they're both in there weakly via my active 
antenna) but at night copy is difficult, if any.

73, Garry, K3SIW, EN52ta, Elgin, IL