[Lowfer] LF 02 Dec.

[pbunn]

I cannot tell a lie!  USC was interfering with a measurement that I was making and I unplugged it for a few minutes a while back and I forgot to plug it back in.

Pat
N4LTA

-----Original Message-----
From: lowfer-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:lowfer-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of JD
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 12:29 AM
To: Discussion of the Lowfer (US, European, & UK) and MedFer bands
Subject: [Lowfer] LF 02 Dec.

After a fairly successful afternoon of HiFERing (USC for the first time in two weeks, both SIWs until about 3:49 PM CST, EH, MP, EDJ and NC visible; plus MTI audible at times; everyone else conspicuous by their absence) I tuned to 137.78 right at 5 PM to see how MP was doing and got one solid dash underway.  I went outside to take advantage of an unusually long and pretty twilight for this time of year, and when I went back in, I discovered that single dash was the last thing thing captured for several minutes.  Faint traces of something unidentifiable appeared briefly about 20 minutes later, but nothing more.

At half past the hour, I took a chance and tuned to 74.55.  Watched a blank screen for 45 or 50 minutes, then went back to 137.78.  Blank there too, but eventually a faint dot appeared, then a less faint dash, and so on. 
Finally, by 7:15 PM CST, MP was reaching its typical strength.  If that was a fade at 5:00, it was more abrupt, deeper, and a lot longer lasting than I've previously encountered with MP around sunset.

Wanted to try for WI, J, and/or MLS tonight.  Static was up about 2 units from last night all over LF, however, to levels where I never hear any 1750 m LowFERs.  So, I abandoned the chase for this evening.

John