[MRCA] [MMRCG] M&S Southern version test this Saturday

[mstangelo at comcast.net]

The D layer affects 5 MHz. During the day, especially during the summer, and times of high solar activity D layer absorption attenuates the signal. During the summer of 2023 I could work the M&S net portable with 20 watts; during the summer of 2024 I required 50-80 watts to work the net. The QRM when working portable is extremely low so was not an issue. My antenna was mostly a Hustler whip, occasionally a quarter wavelength wire. In both case I run them against four 20 four wire radials.

The absorption goes down as the sun sets and signals are much stronger. Unfortunately channel 3 is in the international 60 meter band and FT8 takes over.

QRM at home is a different story. This is another incentive to go on-patrol but the body is no longer willing during the wintertime. Most of the time I have to use effective Noise Reduction (NR). Unfortunately I don't know of any effective NR algorithms in Mil radios. I corner case is the Elecraft KX2 which Elecraft notes had been used by "special forces" but has not provided details. I have a KX2 and the NR is very effective.

Note I say effective Noise Reduction. The NR in my IC-7300 is not effective  so I feed it through one of these SDR control programs such as SDR# or SDR++ which has effective NR.

Enough. If I am available I will try to join the net.

Mike N2MS


> On 12/20/2024 11:16 AM EST Ray Fantini via groups.io <rafantini=salisbury.edu at groups.io> wrote:
> 
> 
> Propagation never been my strong point, lots of layers and E things. But like I said, just ain’t getting any love from trying to copy WB2JWU at home. When I am on the road up in Hagerstown or at Red Ball have no problems but not in Maryland. Copy K3TZJ in PA or N2MS in NJ solid but all the others are in the noise. Do have a high background noise level at home QTH that I have not been able to track down and maybe that has something to do with it? So, let’s see what happens tomorrow.
> 
> Ray F/KA3EKH
>