[NLRS] 10GHz Contest - 1st weekend

[Donn Baker]

Like a number of other NLRS'ers, I spent the first weekend of the 10GHz
contest along the shores of Lake Superior.  Working from Michigans'
Keweenaw Peninsula to the roving gang on Minnesota's North Shore, I made
216 Qs.  (I'm willing to bet that's more total Qs than my previous 5 years
!)  17 Unique stations, with a total claimed score of 46,870.  Best DX of
333.2 km (grid to grid: 331.6 km (206.1 mi) actual distance (Mt.
Brockway-EN67al to Thompson Hill Rest Stop-EN36vr)

A few of surprises:
1) Working Thompson Hill (on the bluffs W of Duluth) to the UP.  This
didn't work for nuthin' last year - one Q with ~3 hours trying.  Piece of
cake to only a little work this time around.  (And, yes, I know I need to
pay up!  One I don't mind losing.)

2) The good WX conditions (especially for Lake Superior) held all weekend.
Signals were typically S9 to S9+.  A couple of times fell to really noisy
and also got up to 30-40 dB over S9.

3) The almost total lack of need for liasion frequency use.  Virtually
always, when we looked in more or less the correct direction, tuned a tad,
and there was the North Shore stations !

4) Working W0GHZ and K0FQA on the "Bayfield peninsula" of Wisconson by
reflection of signals off the granite bluffs of the North Shore.  Totally
obstructed direct path, but S2-S3 signals off the bluffs/hills.  1W and 18"
DSS dishes both ends.

5) Working KF9US near Onontagon, MI (~120 km) by some backscatter
mechanism.  No signals in direct bearings... S1-S2 via backscatter
(tropospheric ?)  Phil had 1W and a 17dB horn.

Bummers:
1) BARELY hearing K2YAZ from Mt. Brockway... but not enough to try a QSO.
2) Not having enough time to play tourist.  Beautiful area; some
interesting history.  Next trip !

Really need to thank the North Shore folks for their EXCELLENT efforts.
They had the harder part... lots of travel.  They figured it our from the
git-go, and things worked VERY WELL from the UP end.  Sunday, when they
didn't have to search for locations, we seldom had more than 5 minutes of
inactivity.  (Made it hard to go potty!)  Wonderful experience!

73 Donn
WA2VOI/0