[Lowfer] Radio is like being in the Army...

[JD]

...there's an MP everywhere you look.

I went to the field this evening.  First time in a week and a half that I 
was physically able to sit out there for a while, and by a miracle it was a 
pleasantly warm evening with little static.  Took a quick look for HiFERs 
right at dusk, and there was nobody but MP (and later, snippets of RY). 
Tuned down to 137, and MP was already nicely AUDIBLE there.  It was like 
late winter again, but without the cold and the mud--yet.

Before doing anything else, I then took a quick detour to 1750 meters, which 
turned out to be plagued with PLCs and LWBC carriers, so I spent a little 
time listening to the latter.  France Inter was the best I've ever heard it 
(S9+20 with my buffer amp and a 10 dB attenuator in line), and it lasted all 
evening!  Morroco came and went, including some pretty raucous rock music. 
Europe 1 wasn't very consistent early on, but did better later.  (The LEDs 
in my passive clipper revealed that Allouis places considerable emphasis on 
asymmetrical modulation!  I managed to have the clipper partially in circuit 
while using the speaker.  There was just enough drive for a ghostly glow 
from the diodes during modulation peaks, and for the first time since I've 
been using the gadget--to my astonishment--the two diodes were NOT flashing 
at the same rate and intensity like they normally do!  They kept trading off 
during music, but on speech alone, one stayed lit quite a bit more than the 
other.)

Back down to 137 I went for a couple of hours, during which time I snapped 
several versions of the attached.  Both MP and XES were audible when keyed, 
and the beat note between them was very distinct when both were on 
simultaneously.

Later on, I tried for EAR on 1750 meters, but without luck. 
(Congratulations on your copy, Paul!)

I had no idea where to listen for anyone at 600 meters any more, but 
eventually ran across WD2XSH/6 in slow regular CW on 508.8 kHz, and /7 
trying to melt power lines across several states around 495.7.  The high 
speed CW ID was a great plenty for aural copy.  Tried for VX9BDQ on the 
chance it'd be on tonight, but without luck.  Didn't know about XGR/1 being 
on before I went to the field, or I would have tried for it too.

The rest of the time I spent browsing through NDBs, a lot of which I don't 
appear to have logged before.  There were just so many, it actually got a 
little irritating.  I'll have to go through the log tomorrow when I'm more 
awake to determine who some of them are and see how many really are new.  I 
have to admit, though, I never thought I'd find myself actually thinking of 
abundant DX as a nuisance!

John


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