[Lowfer] DXing MP and the T-storms

[Bob Raide]

JD;
Where are you located?  Don't have your QTH.  
I hope to be going back to QRSS 60 on 72.401 tonite.  Have not gotten any decodes with OPERA.  What do you think of 74.5-74.6 as QRSS freq?  Getting comments from Europeans than it is better than 72.4.
Bob
 
From: listread at lwca.org
To: lowfer at mailman.qth.net
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 22:50:13 -0500
Subject: [Lowfer] DXing MP and the T-storms

There were only a few more storms tonight (north central Mexico, Cuba, the 
Bahamas) than there were this afternoon (norther Rockies, Manitoba, 
Florida), and they are all roughly as distant on average as the ones 
earlier, but apparently they're propagating quite well by skywave.
 
My first check of MP today was while working on the farm at mid-afternoon, 
and it was clear as a bell...well, a bell with slight dogbones.  The signal 
wasn't at the AGC threshold of the receiver, by any means, but conditions 
were quiet enough to hear the carrier key on and off.  Probably would've 
copied the CW ID if I'd been listening to the speaker at the right time. 
Static was around S1-S2 and very intermittent.  Did notice MP appeared to be 
a few tenths lower in frequency.
 
I resumed monitoring after supper, about 6:05 PM CDT, just over an hour 
before sunset.  The first results were easily as strong as this afternoon, 
so I eventually cranked up a second instance of Argo at 30 sec slow to give 
an expanded view.  Then I left the vehicle and resumed my work.  I returned 
to the car about 30 minutes after sunset to see MP trailing off into the 
distance.  Watched a few minutes longer, but no joy.  By then the static was 
continuous and ranging from S5 to S9, with an occasional burst above that. 
At 72.4, static was an S-unit higher, and at 185, nearly one unit 
lower...about the energy distribution to be expected from lightning when 
arriving by skywave from a distance.
 
Looked at 22 meters afterward, and observed an odd bifurcation in frequency 
on EH's signal.  The other signals visible this evening were USC and NC, 
with HiFER MP present briefly.  (Along with those, this afternoon MP was 
much better, EDJ was clear, and BC was faintly making an appearance from 
time to time.)  I'll post a capture of the EH anomaly later tonight at 
http://lwca.org/mb/
 
John

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