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Re: [VHFcontesting] [NEWSVHF] [222Activity] 222 Nite Summary

To: "jrusgrove@comcast.net" <jrusgrove@comcast.net>, Al W9KXI <aoldfiel@stny.rr.com>, "222Activity@groups.io" <222Activity@groups.io>, "newsVHF@mailman.qth.net" <newsVHF@mailman.qth.net>, "vhfcontesting@contesting.com" <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] [NEWSVHF] [222Activity] 222 Nite Summary
From: David Olean <k1whs@metrocast.net>
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2022 11:39:51 -0400
List-post: <mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Hi Jay

The APRS map was what got everyone in a panic as it showed red (good) from  Syracuse NY and Ottawa down to Florida in a long thin line.  New England was out of it.  I suspect it was only showing locally enhanced propagation along the front line.  I wish I had a good way to determine tropo inversions. It was great when Don Kent was the WBZ weatherman. He had real weather maps with isobars. Today the weather people tell us what to wear and to get out your galoshes or umbrellas.  The Hepburn maps are good but do miss things. Still it is a good guide for places to watch, as the weather patterns are very evident with his data.  I also look at the NWS site, but it can get quite confusing if you do it casually.  TMI!

Thanks for the report. Your results coincide with my observations. A 500 mile path is very different from a 125 mile path!!

73

Dave K1WHS

(Who still has no 144 yagi up in the air!)

On 10/26/2022 10:29 AM, jrusgrove@comcast.net wrote:
Dave
K2CKA FM06 was only about 6 dB stronger than normal 'flat condx' on 2 meter SSB last night. Nothing else of interest noted. Either APRS map was optomistic or there was no southern activity.
Jay W1VD

    *----- Original Message -----*
    *From:* David Olean <k1whs@metrocast.net>
    *To:* Al W9KXI <aoldfiel@stny.rr.com>, <222Activity@groups.io>,
    <newsVHF@mailman.qth.net>, vhfcontesting@contesting.com
    <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
    *Sent:* 10/26/2022 10:16:18 AM
    *Subject:* Re: [NEWSVHF] [222Activity] 222 Nite Summary
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Hi Al & vhfers

    The 10 GHz guys are all excited about the red blob this morning, but
    there is no activity. When I quit last night just before 02:00,
    the red
    blob was looking quite impressive. It went from VE3 down to
    Florida in a
    thin line.  It is there this AM but not as pronounced.  It would be
    really nice to hear reports from others who were inside the "blob" to
    see how it related to their experience with typical CW and SSB paths.
    The APRS map is generated by (obviously)  APRS signals that are
    typically low power small gain antennas so their coverage is quite
    small. Such signals are heavily influenced by local conditions where
    inversion layers will provide huge improvements within say 200
    miles but
    no farther.  Our situation, with higher power and bigger antennas
    already provides the gain needed to extend coverage well beyond those
    short ranges.

     I am reminded of the experience of Ross Hull back in the early
    1930's
    on the 5 meter band. Modulated oscillators and whips were the typical
    setup. Coverage was 15-20 miles.  Ross had been to Brandt Rock,
    South of
    Boston and saw a telephone company radio link that used a high gain
    array to cross Cape Cod Bay. He duplicated that array on his 5 meter
    station located on Selden Hill in West Hartford and immediately
    started
    contacting hams in the Boston area all the time. They all thought
    he was
    a bootlegger as no one had ever heard signals from so far away. All
    because he put up a big antenna!  His coverage went from LOS
    paths  to
    diffraction and tropo scatter range immediately.  This revelation got
    him on the road to discovering the mechanism of tropospheric
    refraction.

    I was well out of the path of the big red blob but did note some
    slight
    enhancement on WA3EOQ. We are talking about maybe 5 dB on average.
    On a
    500 mile path a 5 dB improvement sure comes in handy as signals
    are very
    weak. Path loss is around 240 dB +/-.   I did work N2SLO on Long
    Island
    in New York and his signal might have been a bit weaker than normal.
    Not sure how to explain that. Maybe a case of path QSB alone.
    Maybe we
    worked on a QSB trough!

    So did anyone note any anomalous long haul contacts during the
    evening?
    Inquiring minds want to know.

    Dave K1WHS

    On 10/26/2022 9:13 AM, Al W9KXI wrote:
    >
    > I got on later than usual last night and was rewarded by
    numerous good
    > contacts, culminating with Bob K8TQK.  There was little to no
    > enhancement between the two of us as his CW signal was quite weak,
    > almost as if he was running without the amplifier. Regardless…we
    > managed.
    >
    > WA3EOQ, KO4YC and W1XR had their usual Nice signals here. Always
    nice
    > to get them in my log.
    >
    > Re the Red Blob.  I didn't see much enhancement here but we were on
    > the edge of it.  Having said that, I did point the beam South
    for FT8,
    > called CQ and worked Phil off the side of the bam and Dave off the
    > back corner.
    >
    > VE3KG.  Nice to work Dave for the first time and have FN24 (new
    grid
    > on 222) in my log.  With the hills here in FN12ne, FN24 is a tough
    > direction for me.
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > DISTANCE (KM)
    >
    >
    >
    > GRIDSQUARE
    >
    >
    >
    > MODE
    >
    > Jeff
    >
    >
    >
    > K1TEO
    >
    >
    >
    > 330
    >
    >
    >
    > FN31
    >
    >
    >
    > SSB
    >
    > Ron
    >
    >
    >
    > WZ1V
    >
    >
    >
    > 373
    >
    >
    >
    > FN31
    >
    >
    >
    > SSB
    >
    > Howard
    >
    >
    >
    > WA3EOQ
    >
    >
    >
    > 348
    >
    >
    >
    > FM09
    >
    >
    >
    > SSB
    >
    > Dave
    >
    >
    >
    > K1WHS
    >
    >
    >
    > 500
    >
    >
    >
    > FN43mumbojumbo
    >
    >
    >
    > SSB
    >
    > Cornell
    >
    >
    >
    > KO4YC
    >
    >
    >
    > 477
    >
    >
    >
    > FM17
    >
    >
    >
    > SSB
    >
    > Jim
    >
    >
    >
    > W1XR
    >
    >
    >
    > 706
    >
    >
    >
    > FM19
    >
    >
    >
    > SSB
    >
    > Chip
    >
    >
    >
    > W1AIM
    >
    >
    >
    > 447
    >
    >
    >
    > FN34
    >
    >
    >
    > CW
    >
    > Phil
    >
    >
    >
    > WA3NUF
    >
    >
    >
    > 267
    >
    >
    >
    > FN20
    >
    >
    >
    > FT8
    >
    > Dave
    >
    >
    >
    > K1WHS
    >
    >
    >
    > 500
    >
    >
    >
    > FN43
    >
    >
    >
    > FT8
    >
    > Dave
    >
    >
    >
    > VE3KG
    >
    >
    >
    > 311
    >
    >
    >
    > FN24
    >
    >
    >
    > CW
    >
    > Bob
    >
    >
    >
    > K8TQK
    >
    >
    >
    > 630
    >
    >
    >
    > EM89
    >
    >
    >
    > CW
    >
    > 73,
    >
    > Al - W9KXI
    >
    > FN12ne
    >
    > _._,_._,_
    >
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