[SECC] GQP conditions in Alabama

[Kt4zb at aol.com]

Thanks for posting this interesting note - I too noticed the fluttery sound 
 as I worked KJ4CC in AL on 20m.  He also had to wait until there was no 
one  else calling.
 
Best - Jere
 
 
In a message dated 4/16/2012 2:09:49 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
RadioIR at charter.net writes:

Here is a reply to a  private message from K4BAI.  Instead of sending a 
private reply, I  thought that the group might be interested in what the 
conditions on the high  bands were like during the GQP at my house in north 
Alabama.

Thanks  John.  I knew the GQP would be difficult from Alabama, but every 
now and  then I like a challenge.   When using scatter as the mode on the  
high bands, I was always at the bottom of the pile.  I had to wait until  the 
pile was worked down before I got thru.  I think I listened to you  going 
thru about 3 counties on 20 without a Q because the pile never got low  enough. 
 There were similar situations with some of the other  mobiles.  Signals 
were very weak from where you were located (about a 300  mile path), although 
I could still copy you, thanks to an almost zero noise  level.  And thanks 
for the 17 Q's.  I also discovered that I worked  WA4YG on 20 meters who was 
running QRP.  I don't think I ever remember  working a QRP station on 
scatter before.  I do remember he was pretty  weak.  (I did have a guy in Ohio 
call me on 40 meters once during a  contest with 13 milliwatts.)  N4ZZ, W1NN, 
and K4R all had good signals on  20 and they had good ears too.  They were 
responsible for many  counties.  The other mobiles were weaker but I could 
still copy most  of  them.  Getting them to hear me thru all the big signals 
was the  problem.   

I don't know what the scatter mode was.   Maybe a combination of many 
things.  The signal levels on 20 and 15 were  pretty constant with very little 
fading no matter the time of day, except  every now and then the level would 
jump up briefly, probably due to a plane  flying over.  All Georgia stations 
sounded like they were going thru the  aurora, but I know that was not the 
path. The mobile stations were stronger  when the antenna was pointed at them 
and most of the fixed stations were  stronger when the antenna was pointed 
at 90 degrees to them.  Those fixed  guys were probably using beams.  I 
didn't hear anyone on 10 meters but I  suspect that I could have worked stations 
on 10 also even though the band was  not open.

All contacts were CW.  I didn't even listen for  SSB.  I figured that was 
futile.

Equipment: 1500 watts to a 4  element SteppIR.

Jerry, K4SAV  

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