[NLRS] Microwaves today...

[Mike King - KM0T]

Hi all, as Jon mentioned, we made a few QSOs today here.  Thanks Jon and
Dave for the 10 Ghz tuneup.

After you guys, I worked Gene as expected as it was only 138 miles or so.
Signals for SSB on 10 ghz were good, but QSB made it hard to understand
unless Gene talked a bit slower.  CW was a non issue.  He had borrowed my
combo 5/10 ghz dish which I had made some improvements on this winter.
Upgraded the IF to FT-817 as one major item.  It runs a 4 watt amp on 10 ghz
and 12 watts or so on 5.7 ghz.  So we spent more time on 5.7 ghz chatting.
Signals there were 57 to 59.

The main reason Gene went to SD was to try 24 ghz from EN04.  The ridge is
in the 1980 ft ASL level and the projection of the path is great.

We spent the first 45 minutes looking for each other and thinking we were
hearing each other.  As we compared notes via 800 mhz, we both were coming
to the same conclusions as we thought we were hearing something at a
particular frequency on both ends.

Another 45+ minuntes at that frequency and some more fine tweeking of the
dishes elevation and azmiuth reveled smatterings of CW tone and assorted
dits and dahs, but it just could not be pulled out on each end.

It was dissapointing, but revealing as well.  We learned that the humidity
is indeed a factor.  This path should be doable in the future.  I spent the
whole morning monitoring both zip codes on www.noaa.org for local humidty
levels here in Sioux Center and Wessington Springs SD.  The humidty here
started at 79% around 10 AM and built to 100% after 12:00PM Noon.  It stayed
there most of the time while we operated.  Humdity at Genes location was in
the 75 to 85% range in the morning and started to drop a little bit in the
early afternoon.  A dull haze was evident all morning here and all
afternoon...  It could be told that the haze did get "thicker" here in Sioux
Center as the day went on.

So, from our earlier contacts last summer and fall, where the humidity was
40 to 60% most of the time, my guess if it could have been in that range,
then a QSO would have resulted.  Does anyone have a good and proven pathloss
calculator taking into account antenna gain, NF, humidy, etc.?  I know I saw
it somewhere but I dont have a clue where.  Would be intresting to crunch
the numbers and see if calculations come somewhere close to real operation.

So, thats about it.  Real busy here at KM0T, Colleen is due any day
now....the kids that are here now are taking over my life :)  Should be
really intresting here in a few weeks.  Nice to play radio for a day!

73

Mike - KM0T