[NLRS] 24 GHz snow scatter QSO

[W0ZQ at aol.com]

Mike, KM0T (EN13vc) and I worked on 24 GHz snow scatter at around noon  
today.  My grid was EN34fs, Scott County Towers, a distance of 175.5 miles,  or 
274.2 km.   Mike and I have been trying the EN34/EN13 path for  several months 
and had yet to hear each other until today.   After  months of listening to 
hiss, it sure was nice to hear Mikes CW signal !
 
There was snow between us, but no snow on my end.   Temperature  was 20 
degrees F with no wind.   We found each other on 10gigs with  good S9 signals which 
helped to line up dishes on 24 GHz.  The bearing  on 10 GHz was somewhat 
broad, sometimes typical of rain scattter.   I started to beacon on 24 GHz and 
Mike found me pretty quickly  ....  signals on 24 GHz were not strong, above the 
noise, and with no tone;  definitely scatter, much like aurora signals .... 
what I like to call a  very nice CW contact.   We did tried SSB and we could 
tell that there  was a signal there, but it could not be read.  FM resulted in no 
detection  at all.   

Following this I drove to EN25xb, the site by Howard  Lake, but by the time I 
got there the snow had moved on.   Although  EN25xb is actually a few miles 
closer, condx on 10 GHz to Mike's were not very  good with only S3 like signals 
and with nothing at all heard on 24  GHz.    We also tried a skewed path to a 
heavier area of snow  fall, but signals on 10 GHz were very weak.   
 
We have tried EN34 to EN13 on 24 GHz via rain scatter before with no  luck to 
date, but perhaps snow scatter has some advantages at 24  GHz.   Both Mike 
and I are running about 4 watts and 19" dishes
 

73, Jon
W0ZQ


Come and join us here in Bloomington,  Minnesota, home of the Mall of 
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