[MAMS] 10 GHz Contest, Round Deux

Tue Sep 20 11:32:51 EDT 2016

The talk over the weekend was that we will all be doing the same next year,
but in 2018 many of the ops will be going to Lake Superior instead. That's
two years off, so I have some time to think about it. But that's a lot of
driving for me.

It sure was a blast, though, and the weather was perfect the whole weekend.
Now if I can just get caught up on sleep ...

73, Zack W9SZ

On Tue, Sep 20, 2016 at 9:48 AM, Ron Ochu <ronochu.sky at gmail.com> wrote:

> Sounds like a great outing Zack!  Congratulations on the contacts.  I am
> hoping to rove next September around the lake.  Later this month I am
> heading to Herbert's to program my Elcom synthesizer and get on 24 GHz.
>
> 73,
>
> Ron, KO0Z
>
> On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 6:21 PM, Zack Widup <w9sz.zack at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Well, darn it, that's sad that you didn't make any QSO's.
> >
> > I met with Pete K9PW on Saturday morning near Highland Park, IL and the
> > park we planned on using was closed, so we went to our next stop,
> Illinois
> > Beach State Park. I worked three out of four stations available to us
> then
> > and Pete worked all four (one was really weak). We started working up the
> > lakefront of Lake Michigan and several other ops joined the gang on the
> > Michigan side. We worked whoever was around at each of our stops from
> then
> > on. Conditions were rather poor and we were not able to work anyone on 24
> > GHz. As we went along, we were joined by Bruce W9FZ and Janice, KA9VVQ;
> > Jim, W9SNR; and Mike AA9IL. So there were maybe 8 or 9 stations in
> Michigan
> > and 6 in Wisconsin. Pete was pretty much running things in our group and
> > Bob K2YAZ was running things on the other side of the lake. Conditions
> > improved later in the day on 10 GHz but we were never able to hear anyone
> > on 24 GHz.
> >
> > We got as far north as Red Arrow Park in Manitowoc on Saturday, then
> called
> > it a night (many of the ops on the other side had left for the K2YAZ
> annual
> > Brat Cookout). We went to a restaurant in Manitowoc to eat, then went to
> > our separate motels.
> >
> > Sunday morning we started out in Algoma, WI, which might be the closest
> > place to the area in Michigan where most of the ops there were.
> Conditions
> > were better than Saturday but still not as good as last year. We tried a
> > few times on 24 GHz without success. Finally, in a little park called Two
> > Creeks just south of Kewaunee, a few of us managed to work K3SIW on 24
> GHz
> > across the lake. Pete found out he had a receive problem on 24 GHz, so he
> > didn't get to work Garry. The rest of the day, some locations had really
> > good signals and some didn't. I'm not sure why the ones with poor signals
> > were that way. It might have been band conditions or it might have been
> > something else. Anyway, eventually Bruce and Janice went inland to try to
> > work some of the Minnesota gang, Mike AA9IL and Jim W9SNR left for home.
> > Pete K9PW and I finished up the contest roving together, working a
> > dwindling number of stations on the other side of the lake as people
> left.
> > Our last stop was in Kenosha, WI, where we worked WB8TGY right at sunset
> on
> > Sunday and called it quits ourselves.  I got home at about midnight last
> > night - ugh!
> >
> > Quickly looking over my log, it appears I made 102 QSO's in the September
> > weekend. This is the most I have ever made in this contest. Participation
> > has increased on both sides over past years; that helped. Alex NN9X
> brought
> > his 12 year old son Andrew KD9GGZ with him. We all worked him when he was
> > on. I'll bet he had a blast!
> >
> > Next year I hope to have 47 GHz with me also.
> >
> > 73, Zack W9SZ
> >
> > On Mon, Sep 19, 2016 at 5:24 PM, Ron Ochu <ronochu.sky at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Saturday, September 17, 2016:  Round Two of the ARRL 10 GHz and Up
> > > Contest.  I wasn't able to participate
> > > in Round One, a month earlier, as a result of a death in the family.
> > So, I
> > > was really looking forward to
> > > getting on the air for round two.  Most of the Illinois microwave ops
> > were
> > > heading for Lake Michigan.  I chose to stay
> > > close to home and to activate grid square EM59ji from Ohlman Cemetery.
> > >
> > > Unfortunately, Herbert, AF4JF wasn't able to participate and Harry,
> > WA0CNS
> > > went to High Ridge, MO to
> > > activate grid square EM48rl a distance of 94 miles.  Saturday morning,
> > > Harry was looking into a dark
> > > cloud from the ridge and the vegetation had taken over since he was
> there
> > > last.  I was looking into some
> > > fog banks.  We tried to work each other, but conditions were not good
> at
> > > all.  I wasn't able to hear the
> > > St. Louis beacon, WB9PNU/b until about 45 minutes later and then it was
> > > only just above the noise level and then only for about 10 minutes.
> > > Temperature was in the low 70s.  Unfortunately, Harry had limited time
> so
> > > we called it a day.  I called
> > > Ron, W9ZIH in Malta, IL EN51nv, but we weren't able to work each other.
> > > We've done it before from that
> > > spot, but Ron is looking into a hill towards the southeast.  We need
> > > enhanced conditions and Saturday was
> > > not providing us any.  Ron said he wasn't working anybody on Saturday.
> I
> > > also tried working Greg, KA9VDU
> > >  in EN53ms (WI), but no luck either.
> > >
> > > Disappointing to say the least.  However, wishing to turn lemons into
> > > lemonade, to borrow a cliched phrase,
> > > I decided to scout out some potential microwave sites.  A chap told me
> > that
> > > there was a hill between Nokomis,
> > > IL and Taylorville, IL on the blacktop road that might fit the bill.  I
> > > found the site about five miles south
> > > of Taylorville on Nokomis-Taylorville blacktop road and the
> intersection
> > of
> > > E. 700 North Rd, EM59ik.
> > >
> > > The site looks promising.  There is a FM tower and a former Western
> Union
> > > twin tower on the property, but
> > > tall, microwave absorbing corn stalks surround the entire site.  This
> > site
> > > will only be useable when the
> > > crops are lower.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  I went on into
> > > Taylorville, ate lunch at Sangchris Lake
> > > State Park and went on home for the day.  We'll see what Sunday will
> > bring.
> > >
> > > Sunday morning, I went to my favorite site east of Virden and only 10
> > miles
> > > away EM59dm.  I could actually copy
> > > the WB9PNU beacon, but nobody to work.   The beacon's telemetry
> indicated
> > > the beacon is putting out 1.18 watts,
> > > 12.9 VDC, and temps of 98 and 92 degrees.  Afterwards, I called Ron,
> > W9ZIH
> > > on the phone and we tried on 3 cm,
> > >  but again no joy.  I drove up to Elkhart, IL, about 40 miles away, to
> > > check out the hill in the afternoon.  I tried working W9ZIH
> > > from RT 66, just north of Elkhart EN50ga, but band conditions just
> > weren't
> > > there.  I couldn't get up on the hill,
> > > and it is forested.  I drove to Mt. Pulaski, ten miles to the east, but
> > no
> > > suitable sites were found there.  I
> > > drove to Lincoln, IL, but cornfields were everywhere.  High spots were
> > > privately owned and forested.
> > >
> > > At this point, I gave up, but at least I scouted out the area.  Just
> west
> > > of Elkart on I-55 is a smaller hill with
> > > views to the south, west and northeast.  East is looking into Elkhart
> > > hill.  There are two farmhouses on top of the
> > > smaller hill and I am thinking about asking them for permission to
> > operate
> > > sometime in the future.
> > >
> > > So my 10 GHz and Up contested resulted in 0 contacts and 0 points and
> > over
> > > 300 miles driving scouting out potential
> > > sites.  Disappointing, but fun nonetheless.  I've been able to
> eliminate
> > a
> > > lot of sites off my list.  All-in-all,
> > > not a bad way to spend the contest weekend with no 3 cm propagation.
> > >
> > > de Ron, KO0Z
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