May 6 BARS Brunch

Sunday, May 6 at 11:30 am found Herbert AF4JF, Rich N0PQU, Debbie KC9ULA and Ron KO0Z gathered for lunch at Aerie's Winery perched high above Grafton, IL.  Although the NWS forecast called for intermittent thunderstorms, the weather outside couldn't have been more pleasant.  Blue skies dotted with sporadic, puffy white clouds, a steady breeze and temps in the lower 80s made for a fine setting for our May BARS gathering!

Not much was discussed in terms of microwave, but we are beginning to make plans for a possible gulf coast uW DXpedition in September for the second half of the ARRL 10 GHz contest.   Recently, Herbert posted about the positive performance of 13.8 VDC, 8 amp battery booster he bought from Ebay.  It worked well. Saturday's MAD outing discovered that his old MFJ booster wouldn't work at all.  When last powered up, it worked well. 

Herbert AF4JF and Harry WA0CNS had some success on 24 GHz during MAD, last Saturday, but I didn't bring a notebook to jot down details, so rather than trust my memory, I'll defer to Herbert to supply them.

All-in-all, it was a great day to gather and Debbie and I had fun making the two hour trek back to Girard taking scenic, country routes which included a stop at a farm for fresh asparagus and ice-cream cones along the way!

Our next meeting will be after the Egyptian ARC Hamfest in Granite City on Sunday, May 10 at Uncle Lennie's Restaurant in Pontoon Beach, IL.

                                 Rich N0PQU and Herbert AF4JF enjoying lunch

                                            Debbie KC9ULA and Rich N0PQU

                             Looking southwest, high above the Mississippi River and Grafton, IL

                                     Looking south across the Mississippi River

                                          The view looking southeast from Aeries Winery

BARS, Wine & Microwaves - A great mix!

Today, Saturday, April 8, 2017 around 11:30 am, Herbert, AF4JF; Zack, W9SZ; Rich, N0PQU and myself, KO0Z meet at Aerie's Winery overlooking Grafton, IL in grid square EM48sx.  The WX was spectacular and the sun abundant.  Herbert, picked up a little too much sun and went home with a headache and reddened skin.  It was great seeing everyone after a winter of microwave inactivity.  Zack and I brought our 10 GHz rigs and we were able to copy the WB9PNU beacon very well from the winery parking lot and from the Dow AT&T site in EM49ua.  In fact, at the winery parking lot, no matter where I turned my dish, the beacon was very clear.  A great second meeting for BARS!  Next time, I won't be so late arriving for the meeting ( I was 90 minutes late....ouch!). 

             Thanks Herbert for suggesting this winery!  It's a wonderful place with fantastic scenery.

 Zack, W9SZ; Herbert, AF4JF and Rich, N0PQU enjoying lunch high above Grafton, IL in EM48sx.  In the background is the Mississippi River and St. Charles County, MO also in EM48.  Temp was around 72 degrees, sunny and windy.

Looking south along the Mississippi River with a tow boat and barge.  The Ameren UE Portgage Des Sioux power plant is in the background.

                                             Zack, W9SZ setting up at Dow, IL in EM49ua.

                      Ron, KO0Z with his rig at the Dow site receiving the WB9PNU beacon.

                           S-9 signal report for the WB9PNU/b at Dow, EM49ua.

            AM broadcast station WJBM, 1480 near Jerseyville, IL on my way back home to Girard, IL

                                                      WJBM broadcast tower.

                                              Some more WJBM broadcast towers.

                                     Sometimes, wild weeds provide the prettiest ground cover!