[Lowfer] SJ in KS

JD listread at lwca.org
Wed Jan 4 04:25:47 EST 2012


I was sufficiently sleepy when I tuned up to 186.849 to try for SJ that I 
forgot Sal uses QRSS20, so everything is compressed in the attached view.

In an earlier message I referred to this as a new reception, although I now 
realize I have seen the same signal before.  There are multiple reasons I 
never previously recognized it for what it is:
(1)  It has always been very weak way out here on the Plains, and usually 
surrounded by sferics and PLCs that partially obscure it.
(2)  It is subject to fading that can completely take out anything from a 
single dit to an entire letter at a time.
(3)  The two letters run together without normal spacing between them.
Because of those factors, I have previously gotten my hopes up and then 
decided "nope, that's just random interference."  It wasn't until I got good 
enough signal tonight to see one complete ID that I could "reverse engineer" 
the timing of the broken-up dits and dahs and see that it was a genuine 
repeating sequence with different pieces missing at different times.

By then, of course, I also remembered the dit timing and switched Argo to 
QRSS20.  Alas, after one very strong S and a good beginning to the next J, a 
long and deep fade set in and one of the PLCs a fraction of a Hz away began 
picking up in level.  That's when I decided my old bones would be a lot 
happier back in town.

John 
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