[NLRS] Report: August 10GHz contest from Buck Hill

[w0zq at aol.com]

We had great weather atop Buck Hill this weekend.  Mostly sunny, temperatures into the mid 80's, with just enough of a south breeze to help keep us cool without being overly risky to our dishes.  The sun screen had a good work out on both days.  We noticed that the air continued to be fairly dry with at first a SE and then a S wind, so I think we were still on the dry air side of the weather system all weekend.  
 
Conditions on Saturday were very average - no better, no worse.  The rover pack started out in EN25da (194 km) with good S9+ signals, typical of early morning at that range.  From their first stop K9PW and I tried 24 GHz with nothing heard either way .... S9+ on 10 GHz, zippo on 24 GHz.  

By mid day the rover pack signals were down into the S1 to S4 range at increasing distance (220 - 270 km), but almost all Q's still being made with SSB.  We were able to work K0MHC at Summit with good S5 to S7 SSB signals about this time (305 km).  I think that may be our longest Q so far.  We did tried with W0LGQ in EN21dj (419 km) both Saturday morning and Sunday morning with no luck either day .... I had hoped that we could have made that Q.  

One interesting propagation observation on Saturday morning.  While aimed at the rover pack at 281 degrees, we worked K0MHC and W0LCP (EN35rj, 95 km @ 38 degrees) with a S7 to S9 signal.  Later in the day we tried to repeat that contact with K0MHC on that same heading with no signals heard.  Tropo backscatter ?

Sundays propagation was somewhat better than Saturdays with big signals from the rover pack at their first stop at 245 km.  Signals were generally good the whole day with some spots producing above average signals.  

Our best distance to the rover pack appears to be 278 km with W7XU/N0QJM and 271 km with the other rovers.   I did make one of these longer Q's, (265km) with N0UK using my 2 watt 17 dB horn system; that systems first QSO with SD.   Also, we did run with N8PUM in EN66 at some 400+ km with nothing heard either way.

A Murphy-like entity haunted the top of the hill for most of the weekend jumping unknowingly and unseen from spot to spot, but for the most part we were able to keep him at bay with lots of hill-top engineering, several back-up units, and good team support.

At one time or another the following stations were active from Buck Hill: W9FZ, KA9VVQ, W0ZQ, WA2VOI/0, N0KP, KC0P, KB0OZN, KC0IYT, NB0M, WB0EBG, W0JT, K0MHC, KA0CRO, KD0VWT.   My appologizes if I missed someone.

Thanks to rovers WB0LJC, K0HAC, N0UK, K9PW, K0CQ, W7XU, N0QJM, and W0JT for being out and about as well as N8PUM and W0LGQ for trying with us on those long pokes.

73, Jon
W0ZQ