[Lowfer] 10 mW into SE Kansas on 630 m
JD
listread at lwca.org
Wed May 21 23:40:48 EDT 2014
Well, thanks for YOUR efforts, John. I got a big kick out of seeing that
little signal come through for such a surprisingly high percentage of the
time.
I finally concluded the 76 hour continuous monitoring marathon (from
mid-afternoon Sunday to nearly 8 PM tonight), and decided I'd wait til
daylight to unload the truck. Otherwise, I'd gladly attach a view of your
initial decodes this evening. XIQ was showing about -23 dB despite
increased storm static levels before sunset that were rivaling last night's
post-sunset QRN.
[That static also put a premature end to my intended all-day Argo capture of
MP. I was going to start with the sunrise fade-in and continue through the
sunset fade and into the twilight recovery. However, it appears MP didn't
switch on until about 8:40 this morning CDT, and the S9+ static finally
overwhelmed the signal a little after 2:30 this afternoon.]
The whole three-plus days was kind of like Field Day on steroids. My
previous longest session at the farm was between 36 and 40 hours during the
winter, and I wasn't actually trying to beat my "personal best" by any
means. Without the bitter cold to battle this time, though, the radio
worked flawlessly, the computer battery lasted its full nominal capacity,
and the battery pack for the antenna buffer amp ended up with plenty of
charge left, too. That was the one system which I had no means to recharge
while it was still in use.
Thunderstorms stayed well away, and temperatures remained pleasant at night.
The truck seat is not the most comfortable place to nap, but it was
effective. I was able to awake reasonably rested and achieve full mobility
within seconds... something I can't say if I doze off in my easy chair at
home, which leaves me nearly crippled for 20 or 30 minutes afterward.
Overall, it was a positive and motivating experience!
John
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