[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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