[Lowfer] No 74.5 kHz tonight...

[JD]

>>> Moved back to 74.5495 for remainder of evening as long as storms don't 
>>> move in-

Saw you come on in mid-X about halfway through the last hour, Bob.  Amazing 
signal, despite all the storm static between us.

I started capturing Dex sending "XRS/5" at 2300 UTC, just as I left for a 
supper break.  It started out nicely visible, but beginning 30 or 40 minutes 
after sunset, the signal began getting stronger and stronger.  It ended up 
audible under all the static

Before I left, I didn't realize Dex was using QRSS30, while I was set for 
60.  When I returned and noticed that the capture was all scrunched 
together, I switched to QRSS30 as well.  Even then, I had to crank Argo's 
sensitivity way down to get cleaner spaces.  Even fired up an instance of 
Argo at QRSS3, which would have worked just fine too.  A little after 7:35 
CST, two dots into the "5" of a perfect capture, there seemed to be normal 
Morse, then the start of an "X" in QRSS60.  And about an hour after that, 
along came 74.5495 as well!  I'll post captures and/or links later, once 
I've retrieved the radio and computer.

This is the first time in over two weeks I've been able to listen.  The 
mobile listening post was disassembled to transition to the indoor 
arrangement; which, unfortunately, took longer to get set up solidly than I 
hoped.

I can now monitor indoors, stand up and walk around to keep muscles and 
joints from getting stiff, and have as much light as I want to read and 
write with.  I can recharge both the computer and the deep cycle battery on 
the spot without having to return to town, and if I need to (as right now), 
I can _briefly_ let the gear work in my absence.   On the down side, the 
little building is still far from comfortable (actually, downright nippy 
since sunset) because it lacks crucial interior walls and a ceiling.  It's 
not that convenient logistically yet, either.  No way to access the Internet 
there, and little likelihood that will change.  Worse, I don't currently 
dare leave a single piece of electronic hardware out there overnight. 
Absolutely everything has to come back to town... radio, computer, 12V 
battery, 12V and computer chargers, generator and/or inverter, extension 
cords, coax, heat source... and that requires two carloads.  Once the walls 
and wiring are in place (hopefully before winter) then it'll basically only 
be the radio, computer and generator which have to be transported each time, 
and that should simplify things to a single carload.

73
John