[NLRS] Ontario Canada / 10Ghz

[billd at 2z.net]

Hi Bob and 10Ghz gang

  We worked everyone I EXPECTED to from Wawa, with for the most part 
excellent signals. Many S9 ... 

  The first 12hrs of listening was done within 30kc of "10,368.100". The 
K2YAZ group was worked very easily and was within 1kc of "on freq". We 
coordinated our runs with them on 144.260 SSB from the mobile. 


  Sat at 23:30Z when we started listening for the UP gang ... we heard 
nothing for the first 14min ... we never tuned more than 30kc higher than the 
calling freq since we had had a report earlier that the group was running 
20kc to 25kc high. On a "fluke", Jim spun the tuning dial in desperation and 
he heard Bruce calling ... S9 on a freq 43kc higher than what we consider 
"100" .... 

  We had no luck Sunday with VE4MA and VE3KRP. We set up and ran in 
the rain under Jim's canvas rain shelter coordinated via phone Saturday 
night.


  On the way home (via Thunder Bay) I was in Marathon from 2:50pm EDT 
to 4:10pm EDT ( Sunday August 22nd ). I was calling CQ on 144.260 SSB 
hoping to get a chance to try 10Ghz from there. GREAT location 20ft above 
the water.

   At about 2:57pm I hear K2YAZ calling CQ 10Ghz Contest on 144.260 
SSB and I called him but I never heard him again. I drove to the highway, 
went to a motel and called his cell phone after being unable to find his home 
phone number on the internet (Motel business office computer) . I got his 
voice mailbox....  I returned to the lake shore and called until 4:10pm. We 
got a bite to eat and called some more ... left Marathon  I would guess about 
4:45pm or so, nothing more heard.

 My FT290RII is now in need of a new tuning control, it is now intermittent 
from the abuse of tuning Saturday. The last 5hrs I had to use the mike 
UP/DOWN buttons for tuning ... I should have been using them all along I 
guess, but it is very unnatural and slow. Has anyone replaced this control ? 
ARGH .........

    It was great to work the 16 stations worked plus Jim. Great fun and 
beautiful country. What is possible ?????????

   At this point, Jim and I have the same question we had before the 
1400mile trip. Can we work across the entire lake? We never tuned high 
enough to know during the operations Saturday, when dishes were looking 
at the UP AND US from the MN Northshore............

  I will have a full write up later .... storys about WIND, rain and people 
wondering if we were listening to the salmon fisherman ETC. Lots of nice 
people and very kind to us ... also about our 10Ghz operations of course.

  Thanks guys ........

Bill  K0AWU  EN37ed    (Once EN77nw ... again???)