[3830] ARRL 10G+ K1RZ 10G Only LP

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                    ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest

Call: K1RZ
Operator(s): K1RZ
Station: K1RZ

Class: 10G Only LP
QTH: RI PA MD
Operating Time (hrs): 40

Summary:
 Band  Number of Calls  Tot Dist(km)
-------------------------------------
  10G:       4900           33353
  24G:                           
  47G:                           
  75G:                           
 123G:                           
 134G:                           
 241G:                           
Light:                           
-------------------------------------
Total:       4900           33353  Total Score = 38,253

Club: Mt Airy VHF Radio Club

Team: 

Comments:

My First Rove.  OK it was really my first Portable Operation on 10 GHz.  NOW I
appreciate so much more what so many of you do to-do-what-you-do - go portable
in the ARRL 10 GHz and up Contest.
  
For the August weekend I went northeast to join up with Dale AF1T and Mickie
W1MKY on one of their favorite spots on Block Island RI at FN41ee.  I have some
very fond memories with Dale and Mickie, with my wife Ruth and myself - enjoying
the Block Island experience – visiting the beach, the light houses, walking
the shore to see the seals sunning themselves up on the sand, flying the kite,
learning the history, plus some good local eateries, and “The Ice Cream
Place”.  We even had a visit from our good friend Jeff K1TEO who was visiting
the island for a few days too.   Jeff made a FB report on the
205morningreport.com with a picture of Dale and I  with our 10 GHz gear on
Tuesday before the contest.  I worked Ray N3RG FM29ki on Wednesday morning and
dubbed Ray “THE SNJ Beacon”.  Thanks Ray.  The weekend with we three
operating together was a special time.   On Saturday the Rainscatter (RS)
propagation provided a nice touch.  After a while I just expected every contact
to be via RS since rain storm fronts were sweeping across New England and the
Mid-Atlantic.  Early in the morning we worked Jack AB4CR and Steve K3WHC on
Camelback FN21hb for 314 km.  Later in the morning we worked Bill W2RMA at
FN00rg on tropo at 593 km.   Then Bill went to FN00sn and we worked on RS at 580
km. We worked Jimmy VE2JWH FN35qi at 470 km.  Our best DX from Block Island was
630 km with John N9ZL at Hogback Overlook in Virginia – we three worked John
on SSB at S8, on Rainscatter.  After working John, I looked at my “smart”
phone WX radar apps, and I could see the front slightly west of us and also
slightly west of my 10 GHz friends in Maryland at FM19.   I called each on the
phone and in half an hour we worked Maurice K3EJJ FM19of, Brian N3OC FM19le and
Ed W3EKT FM19lg on RS, all at about 500 km’s.  Brian later said he never
experienced rainscatter before that day, but now he is a believer.   Those four
stations went on to work each other, and 10368.080 MHz sounded like 20m for a
while – but all signals had the raspy “aurora like” sound, which is not
found on 20m too often.     But, of course, we also had a lot of off time due to
the same rain / storm front finally sweeping over Block Island.   But it was
worth it though for the 10 GHz enhancement the rain bought to the region.  The
50 gallon garbage bags came out to cover the gear.

Then on Sunday the day started with Bill W2RMA, this time on FM19aw at 554 km on
tropo. Followed soon by Joe WA3PTV, and then about noon by Steve K3WHC, all
still at “AW”.   Then Dave K2DH at FN02xu for 563 km.    Then our trio
worked the Mt. Washington Crew of Six at FN44ig consisting of Mike N1JEZ, Don
W1FKF, Lanette KA1NKD, Chip W1AIM, Tom W1EX and Paul W1IMD, for 344 km’s six
times.    It was good to get Paul WA3GFZ on both FM29hx (Saturday) and then
FN21hb on Sunday.  Paul - your trailer station really works!    During the
mid-evening we called Steve KB8VAO and Tony K8ZR at FN02xu, and after they
worked out the Canadians, we pointed at them and started hearing bits and pieces
of the signal.  We completed with them both after some time using what appeared
as airplane scatter, as judged by observing the signal come up out of the noise
quite strong for several seconds.  Over the previous weeks Dale constructed two
Red LED light transceivers using special optical lenses removed from old
projection TV sets.   He and Mickie worked on light over several kilometers, and
while he was out there in the dark Dale worked me on his other 10 GHz xcvr.     
 Nice.  And that’s how FN41ee came to an end for me.    

In retrospect, one special part of the Block Island experience for me was
working so many stations inland in New England, and in several grids, and other
new grids more than 16 km away from the last grid!  Thanks everyone for being so
agile.    From Maryland I rarely get that opportunity.   Being up here off Rhode
Island showed me what you have going on up here.   The NEWS Group Picnic is
obviously where it all gets started and tested, every year. Keep that going as
it makes for great activity and great fun.  Thanks everyone.

The September weekend was a special treat too.  I joined my Pittsburgh friend
Bill W2RMA for a Real Rove weekend. We met up in Tannersville PA Friday late
afternoon, surveyed the overlooks in a dense cloud, so we could start really
early on Camelback FN21hb on the Southeast through Northeast overlook.  As an
overview we moved three times to be able to overlook to the Southwest, and then
to the Northwest through Northeast overlook, and then finishing with a return to
the Southeast to Northeast overlook.   Our friend Lenny W2BVH visited us from
NNJ to try to understand what makes this 10 GHz work and what makes us do this. 
 Lenny may have some interesting observations.   While Lenny was with us we had
many contacts and each had their own stories.   Please Lenny, if you figured
anything out about us, let us know.   :)   And please also let me know when you
are ready to test your soon to be 10 GHz station.

Very early Saturday morning, after checking bearing of the strong W3CCX FM29jw
bcn, we worked Paul W1GHZ and Matt KB1VC at a place I knew well from last month
at FN41ee.  Easy SSB QSO’s at 316 km.   Then we worked Dale and Mickie who
were on FN41oi at Martha’s Vineyard, also SSB at 386 km.    And then Dave
K2DH, Rus K2UA, and Ken KA2LIM at a school yard in FN42ad for 310 km.    Nice
way to start with all these contacts between 1055 and 1200z.   Then we heard
from John K1OR, John AA1I and Fred N1DPM from a great location at the northern
tip of Cape Cod in FN42wb at 452 km.  We stayed at the first overlook until
1430z picking up WA3GFZ, K1IIG, and N3RG.  By 1600Z we stopped by the southwest
overlook and worked Roger W3SZ, but we tried with several others without
success.    We were working the list Roger!  Thanks.     Soon we went across the
parking lot to the Northerly overlook and worked Tom W1EX, Mark KA1OJ and Tom
WA1MBA on Mt. Wachusset.  Then John WB2BYP operating at Jud’s K2CBA station in
FN32hs for 252 km.  Jud mentioned to Bill that he remembered working Bills
father with W2RMA, the original owner of the W2RMA call.   And this touched off
some very special remembrances for them both.   Neat stuff.    We also worked
John N9ZL at FM08us (356 km) and Joe WA3PTV FM19aw (252 km) – both on a
reflection off a local commercial tower about a quarter mile to the west of the
main parking lot.  Lots of different propagation modes encountered on 10 GHz.   
 Then it was time to move back to the Northeast to Southeast overlook again, to
work Dale and Mickie in their 2nd grid at FN41ql for 401 km.  When we first got
back to this parking lot there were about 25 Toyota Pickup trucks, all of the
exact same model, having a meet up.  We learned that they all had come down from
Ontario Canada to meet at this site.   Needless to say we enjoyed meeting these
folks and they were interested in what we were doing too.   From here we worked
George W1JHR near New Haven, Paul WA3GFZ in FM29uo and Ron WZ1V at Hammonasett
Beach State Park CT.   Ron WZ1V had been in the sun for so long that day that it
seemed only natural to talk about Lobster Rolls.    Thanks Ron.  At this
point Bill and I were done, given no one else to work, plus suffering from extra
exertion, and hunger.  So we sat on lawn chairs for 45 minutes and talked about
the day, sharing a sub sandwich (grinder or hogie) I had in the cooler, plus
other great junk food – while we contemplated the 3 hour 30 minute drive to
our hotel near Blue Knob FN00rg.  
After packing up and cleaning up our area Bill and I transited (Roved) to near
Blue Knob PA FN00rg to be ready to get on again very early.   We arrived about
0230z after some caffeine breaks along the I80/I99 routes.  And we got up to the
mountain top before 1000z next morning. 
  
We set up in the dark and in the cloud – a “real” cloud.  Everything was
soaking wet before we could get ourselves turned on and on the air.   First
contact was Ray N3RG in SNJ followed by Paul K1GX in northern CT.  Soon after
our WPA Rover friend Kip N2XRE joined us, and brought the sun with him.  Kip was
there to enjoy Bill and me celebrating what became the BEST 10 GHz DX we Ever
worked as Bill W2RMA and I worked John K1OR, Fred N1DPM and John AA1I, still at
FN42wb, the northern tip of Cape Cod for 734 km – the farthest any of the five
of us had ever worked on 10 GHz.  This 15 minute event was best captured by Fred
N1DPM, who sent his report to Stan KA1ZE, who placed it on the
205morningreport.com webpage.  With pictures at both ends plus the Google Earth
map.  When Bill and I finished the 10 GHz QSOs we picked up the chat with the
Cape Cod team on the cellphone – and some discussion ensued as to which two of
the five of us were really the farthest apart.   But we can leave that for
another time.  HaHa. 

We then had Q5 signal exchanges with Paul W1GHZ and Matt KB1VC again on Block
Island for 593 km.  Amazing stuff.   Texting with Peter led to 10 GHz contracts
with VA3ELE and Hugh VA3TO, both in FN14ca at 421 km.   These northerly contacts
were made by both of us, with Bill and I separated by about 30 ft, east-to-west.
 But the path differences of the 30 ft were remarkable.  Bill had a direct path
contact at 008 degrees, while I had a reflection contact off a 25 foot higher
ski-lift machinery tower, about 100 ft away, at about 355 degrees. The
reflection path supported S8 SSB contacts while and direct path supported much
weaker CW contacts.  And neither Bill nor I had the other path.  Clearly there
is still more to be experienced with 10 GHz propagation – for me at least.    
Over the next few hours we worked Maurice K3EJJ FM19of, Steve K3WHC FM19aw, Joe
WA3PTV FN00wc, Mike WB2RVX FM29mt, Roger W3SZ FN00ag and Joe WA3PTV who had now
moved to FM19aw.   Thanks to each of you for making 10 GHz trips to Blueknob.   
 At this point, Bill and I enjoyed a late lunch, then packed up and went home.  

 
I got home about 2315z and made my first FM19jh contact at 2343z with Ray N3RG
FM29ki.   Thanks Ray – you provided a clean sweep for me in all four grids! 
Then worked my neighbor Ed W3EKT FM19lg, new to 10 GHz this year.   Glad you are
here Ed and thanks for testing my tri-pod station before both weekends.  Then
AF1T and W1MKY at 609 km on SSB at S9.   The band was enhanced all day to some
degree.  Followed up with Mike W3IP FM19bb who just got the 10 GHz xvtr out of
storage after several years.  Folks – these new folks coming on the band /
back on the band – what a Great Trend. Finished, DX-wise, by working Paul
W1GHZ and Matt KB1VC on Block Island, with FB signals at 519 km.    And finally
finished with Mike WB2RVX and Janet KA2NYF in FM29mt.  Janet was a new call in
my log.  Thanks to you both.   And thanks to everyone who worked me, and to my
Grid Team Partners Dale, Mickie and Bill for guiding me.   You three made this
2018 10 GHz contest operation so amazing.    73,   Dave   K1RZ


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