[Lowfer] WSPR 15 tonight-72.7 dial as last night-2200 start...

[JD]

OK, here's tonight's decodes in SE Kansas.  Late start, unfortunately.  I 
was actually in the field on time, but that was the problem--I was IN the 
field, not the building.  Long story, but basically, I took the SUV to the 
base of the tower to unload and hook up the buffer amp.  Should've carried 
the stuff by hand, as it turns out, but I was trying to save a few minutes. 
The regular car had no problem getting out and back there earlier this 
weekend through the relatively minor mud left over from the winter storm, so 
I figured the SUV could make it too.

It couldn't.

I carted the radio, battery, and computer to the building and lashed them 
together real quickly to monitor HiFERs until I had time to set the computer 
clock for WSPR.  I first worked on getting the SUV unstuck without tearing 
up my ground system in the process.  A little after 2300, just after sunset, 
I finally succeeded, set the clock, and got to WSPRing.  The first decodes 
were with the radio in normal CW mode and the appropriate values entered 
into WSPR X.

2330  -12  -0.2    0.074322    0   WG4XRS        FN12     30
2345  -12   0.1    0.074322    0   WG4XRS        FN12     30
0000  -13  -0.2    0.074322    0   WG4XRS        FN12     30
0015  -16  -0.2    0.074322    0   WG4XRS        FN12     30
0030  -13  -0.2    0.074322    0   WG4XRS        FN12     30
0045  -14  -0.2    0.074322    0   WG4XRS        FN12     30
0100  -13  -0.2    0.074322    0   WG4XRS        FN12     30

By 0100 the relative levels of signal to QRN had stabilized, so I used the 
0115 slot to switch over to the SSB arrangement that I had settled on the 
last time.  The 0130 slot shows the degraded SNR indication.  In practice, 
Argo showed less increase in noise when comparing the level of the signal 
and the FFT bins next to it, but still slightly lower detection level 
because the receiver's dynamic range was being affected by a strong signal 
on ~73.5 that wasn't there with the CW filter.  This is the result:

0130  -22  -0.2    0.074322    0   WG4XRS        FN12     30

After that one, I switched to looking for DK7FC for a few hours.  (Slight 
success; more on that later.)  Then I came back to XSR/4 with my CW filter. 
The 0445 slot is with my "normal" audio limiting, and the 0500 slot is with 
more aggressive limiting, confirming the same improvement I saw the other 
night.

0445  -15  -0.6    0.074322    0   WG4XRS        FN12     30
0500  -12  -0.2    0.074322    0   WG4XRS        FN12     30

After that, I switched to monitoring the 1750 Meter watering hole.  I'll 
report on that later.

73
John