[NLRS] 2017 ARRL 10 GHz & Up Contest

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson]

I'm sure this will be a topic of discussion at Aurora.

I've heard from Gary that some are proposing to be in central Nebraska 
for 10 GHz and then other bands during the eclipse. I'm not aware of any 
microwave propagation effects of sunlight or lack of sunlight like 
happens on E or F layer HF propagation. Gary has proposed roving in 
western Iowa to work those station in Nebraska as well as the hill. The 
western edge of Iowa is called the Loess Hills from wind blown dust 
after the last major glacier that depositied a ridge east of the 
Missouri River. In western Iowa that is very rough and hard to find 
sites to see more than a short distance from the roads which tend to be 
near washes and the windblown dust did erode into many gullies. I 
havaen't checked on distances from there but in central Iowa about 175 
miles is beginning to stretch our range. With working equipment I've 
never failed to work the hill from EN32FG, a couple miles south west of 
my house. My GPS says its 167 miles from house to Buck Hill so 168 miles 
to EN32FG. When roving around here we often start at EN32FG and then go 
north east and south and then more east near US 20. EN32FG is at an 
overpass over I-35 two miles south of exit 133 at Ellsworth. The best 
route is to go west to Ubben Ave (R61) on IA-175 from the interestate 
exit, less than a half mile then south to 350th and east to the east 
side of the overpass. We also worked W0LGQ near Omaha from there the 
last time the rover group gathered here. Our best distance from around 
here was probably about 174 miles, still in this county. At EN32FG the 
heading for the hill is 3 degrees true. As we go east we get to EN32Ix 
and then the heading is due north. Then as we go east the paths from 
along US-20 get longer so we tend to warp north as we have had to do 
going west from I-35 parallel to US-20. It is 163 road miles on US-20 
from the intersection of I-35 and US-20 to Sioux City or the Nebraska 
border. I think that will put the working range from Buck Hill close to 
the Minnesota border. I do have good locations near I-35 from just south 
of Mason City to Ellsworth in my 10G notebook and can give more details. 
Most are a few miles away from I-35 and some have been messed up by the 
10 mile airline rule.

According to: http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/states/MO.htm the center 
of the eclipse totality path is through St. Joseph, and north Kansas 
City is on the edge of totality. It probably is a good idea to get a 
hotel reservation in the totality streak sooner than later.

73, Jerry, K0CQ

On 2/26/2017 3:56 PM, John Toscano wrote:
>
>
> Hello, NLRS!
>
> I've been doing some planning for this year's 10 GHz and Up Contest. My
> wife and I will be taking a vacation in Minnesota to visit with friends and
> family in August, and I arranged to have the vacation extend over the
> weekend of the August installment of the contest. I planned that I would
> borrow some equipment from one of y'all and join you on Buck Hill for
> Saturday and Sunday.
>
> As I got further into planning, I realized that on the Monday following the
> contest, there will be a total solar eclipse whose path crosses the
> continental US. That doesn't happen very often. In fact, there is likely to
> be only one more such total solar eclipse in the continental US in my
> lifetime after this one (and that future one happens to come right through
> Texas!). Well, if I am on Buck Hill Saturday and Sunday, I doubt that I
> would be able to get to Kansas City by the time the eclipse reaches there
> on Monday. (Driving south on Interstate 35, you cross the path of totality
> right around Kansas City.) So I thought perhaps a different plan might be
> in order.
>
> Now I'm thinking that I might be able to squeeze my own 10 GHz system plus
> the luggage we would need for the trip into my SUV, and I could operate as
> a rover driving down Interstate 35 so as to end up close to Kansas City by
> Sunday night to check into a hotel, and then be able to take in the eclipse
> on Monday.
>
> I don't know how far south on I35 I would be able to work the Buck Hill
> Gang so I'd probably want to stop as often as possible (within the
> constraints of the rules regarding minimum movement distances) along the
> way. And of course, I'd be willing to work anyone else anywhere else if
> possible.
>
> Any comments would be welcome.
>
> 73 de W0JT/5
>
> P.S., here is a link to NASA's eclipse information:
> https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/
>
> :jpt:
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