[NLRS] 10 GHz Fun!

[N0HJZ at aol.com]

Hi All -

I needed to send out a message  to thank everyone for the fun this weekend in 
the 10 GHz Contest.  I was  only on the air part time due to some commitments 
and still managed to learn a  lot and have fun.

I had to work on Saturday but still managed to rove  later in the day.  I had 
relatives over on Sunday but managed to get to  Buck Hill early in the day.

Saturday I worked from home by pointing the  unit out my bedroom window.  I 
worked the Buck Hill crew with no  problem.  I then moved south.  I found spots 
south of Buck Hill and  worked the crew.  I found an OK spot, an excellent 
spot and a bad  spot.  I think my best shot to Buck was about 30 miles.  Not bad 
for  the small horn I had.  I stopped at Buck and worked W0ZQ at over 200 km  
with the small horn.  What fun!

Sunday I worked from Buck.   Gary, W0GHZ, loaned me a rig to work the rovers. 
 I worked them from  several spots and also caught, KM0T, K0MHC & K0AWU.  it 
was really  cool!

Thanks to Jon, W0ZQ, and Gary, W0GHZ, for the rigs and to the  entire crew on 
Buck Hill for their patience as I learned how to "point and  shoot" on 10 gig.

I need to tell you how far NLRS has come on 10  GHz.  My last experience with 
this band was the 10 GHz Contest about 13  years ago.  Here is how it went:

1995 (or so) - People at Flying  Cloud Airport on 10 GHz WBFM hoping to work 
across the river.  No one could  remember if their "A" rig would talk to 
someone else's "B" rig.  Low QSO  counts and low scores.

2008 - Contacts to 200 km are "easy" and people  complain that signals are 
not louder.  I go up on Buck Hill and work VUCC  in a couple hours.  The gear 
and the expertise have come a LONG  way!

CONGRATS to all who got on and had some fun this weekend!   We've come a long 
way baby!

73  Rich N0HJZ  




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