[NLRS] W0ZQ SDak 10GHz trip report

[W0ZQ at aol.com]

Thanks everyone for following me around for the last three days.   Here is a 
brief report.

Thursday (EN14QW, 44 degrees 55.760 minutes, 96 degrees 37.101 minutes, 
1,665' elevation).   I drove straight out Hwy 212 and operated at a site with a 
great horizon.   I found if I drove to far west it was indeed higher but I lost 
the horizon.  I worked N0UK, W0GHZ, WA2VOI, W0AUS, WB0LJC, N0KP, and K0KFC all 
on SSB.   The path length was about 180 miles, or 290 km.   The weather was 
great.

Friday (EN14QO, 44 degrees 36.975 minutes, 96 degrees 39.885 minutes, 2,025' 
elevation).   I was located a few miles north of Toronto, SD.   I had set-up, 
was parked on a Twin Cites heading, and catching up on paper work when I heard 
a beacon .... turned out to be K0KFC filling some dead time.   In addition to 
Jim I worked WA2VOI, N0KP, W0IR, W0AUS, WB0LJC, and W0UC operating VOIs rig, 
all on SSB.   I found signals peaked at 4 degees up and its thought that we 
were working on rain scatter on a pretty much direct path.   LJC was worked on a 
heading of 50 degrees rather than where I found the rest of the group on the 
direct heading of about 84 degees.   Again the weather was great but a bit 
windy.

Saturday (EN15KP, 45 degrees 39.728 minutes, 97 degrees 8.966 minutes, at 
1,795' elevation).   I was operating on a dirt road that leaves from the back of 
the Nicollet (tower) Center and heads NW up the hill some more.   The weather 
was just aweful with fog, rain, coolness, and wind.   The wind was from the 
ESE, exactly the direction that I needed to aim for the Twin Cities so I was not 
able to get any protection from the car .... it was a bit brutal.   I did 
work N0KP at 0854 AM and W9FZ at 0902 AM on SSB after we had exchanged CW beacons 
to peak.   After that I beaconed on the same heading +/- 10 degees until 
10:00 AM with no takes, so I packed it up and headed back home.   This was about a 
200 mile (323 km) path.   

I looked for K0AWU on schedule with no luck on any of the three days.   
Everyone that I heard I was able to worked.   

Again thanks for everyones help in trying out these longer paths.   I know 
that the weather on this end Sat. morning was poor with rain ... I got my yearly 
dose of wind. 

73, Jon
W0Z
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