2018 ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest

Part deux of the ARRL's 10 GHz and Up Contest, September 15 and 16, doesn't always offer the best contest conditions.  Many of the uW ops up north contest along the Great Lakes, which leaves few of us in the "black hole" a lot of options.  This year, Herbert AF4JF and I decided to leapfrog each other, which meant a lot of traveling in a "shoot and scoot" strategy.  We made elaborate plans.  Debbie KC9ULA and I, KO0Z even scouted out a potential location near Mason City, IL for the contest.

Since Herbert wasn't available until after 3:00 pm on Saturday, we decided that he'd start off in St. Charles County in EM48rt near Red Lobster along I-70.  KO0Z went to the Aerie's winery in Grafton up on the bluffs and worked Herbert on cw with 599 signals for a path 20 km at 3:35 pm.  We even did SSB.  Next, Ron went to the Dow site, EM59ua and Herbert went to the YMCA in EM48sq.  We worked each other on cw for path of 40 km at 4:19 pm.  Ron packed up and proceeded to Edwardsville, EM58as and worked Herbert at 5:44 pm with 599 cw signals for a 44 km path.  Ron drove close to 200 miles round trip.

Sunday was to be the big travel day.  But the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray came into play.  KO0Z's daughter-in-law's mother passed away and the visitation was scheduled for Sunday from 11 to 2.  Ron wanted to contest but he also wanted to be there, but that meant cutting the contest day short.  It's about a 90 minute drive from Girard, IL to St. Peters, MO.   Ron would have to leave for St. Peters no later than 11:30 am to be in St. Peters by 2 pm with some time to spare. Originally, Herbert and Ron planned to end up at Zack, W9SZ's EN50rl hilltop location, but that will have to wait for another day.  Instead, Ron and Herbert decided to start their contest Sunday off by meeting for breakfast  at the Litchfield, IL Denny's at 5:30 am!  Ron actually made it!

A hearty breakfast and many cups of coffee later, Ron and Herbert were tooling down IL Route 16 by 6:30 am to Ohlman cemetery, EM59ji.  We were set up on the hill by 7:10 am.  We were unable to hear the St. Louis beacon, 125 km, 78 miles away, and we didn't have any luck hearing Ron W9ZIH's powerhouse signal from Malta, IL EN51nv, 176 miles (283 km) away.  Not to be skunked, KO0Z drove 5 km away and worked AF4JF.

Our next stop was the one we were most looking forward to visiting.  Ron secured permission to go on top of the gob nob from the old Crown 1 mine just east of the Farmersville and I-55 exit (exit 72) near Farmersville, IL, EM59ek.  Jim N9LQF had the key to open the gate and we drove to the top of the gob just below Ameren UE's huge wind turbine.  The view is awesome!  It is high and clear of any obstructions.  There was no detectable interference to our 10 GHz rigs.

We tried to work Ron W9ZIH and we could hear his signal, but it wasn't much above the noise and there was QSB a distance of 174 miles (280 km).  He was unable to hear us.  We were unable to hear the WB9PNU beacon from that location, 64 miles (102 km) to the southwest.

                         
                       Saturday afternoon   AF4JF set up in EM48 rt ready to work KO0Z in EM48sx

                         Herbert looking towards EM48sx (Grafton, IL) from EM48 rt (St. Peters, MO)

       AF4JF setup at the YMCA EM48sq (Bridgeton, MO ready to work KO0Z in EM49ua (Dow, IL)

                                                     Herbert's EM48sq location

                AF4JF's dish at Ohlman cemetery, EM58ji aiming towards KO0Z 5 km away in EM59jj

                                        AF4JF setup in Ohlman cemetery EM58ji

                                   KO0Z's view across the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers from EM48sx

                              KO0Z aiming from EM48sx (Grafton, IL) to St. Peters in EM48rt

                                               EM48sx above Grafton, IL on the bluffs

                                                            Dow, IL EM49ua

                    Ron KO0Z's view from Edwardsville, IL EM58sa west to EM48sq

The wind turbine at EM59ek just east of Farmersville, IL

                       
                            Herbert AF4JF getting ready at EM59ek on top of the gob.

                                                     View from EM59ek

                                         Looking north from the gob at EM59ek.

                                           
                                         AF4JF loves this uW site on the EM59ek gob.

                              KO0Z's view, 2 km westward towards the EM59ek wind turbine

Entrance to the EM59ek gob site near Farmersville, IL

Unfortunately, KO0Z needed to call it quits for the day.  Ron, Debbie KC9ULA and Roman KD9COA needed to leave in time for the visitation.  A big shout out to Herbert for his understanding and to Jim N9LQF for securing permission and the key to the gob site!

Potential uW Site in EN50ce

Debbie KC9ULA and myself KO0Z checked out a potential uW site in Mason County, IL in EN50ce on Tuesday, September 11 in advance of the upcoming 10 GHz and Up contest.  The site is in a high location in Mason county, IL.  There are some trees to the north that could offer blockage to in WI.  It may be possible to work Ron WZIH about 127 miles away.  Zack in EN50rl looks good at 69 miles away.  St. Louis is approximately 110 miles away to the southwest.  Here are some photos of the site.

               Looking west towards the tower site EN50ce along county road 850 N.

                                        I believe there is a packet node on this tower.

                                                              EN50ce:  Looking north.

                                                    EN50ce:     Looking northeast-east.

                                          EN50ce:  Looking southeast with Debbie KC9ULA.

                                        EN50ce looking southwest towards St. Louis

 

                                                             EN50ce radio shed.

                                         

                                             EN50ce is between Springfield and Peoria Illinois

July Meeting Postponed

We have a meeting scheduled for this Saturday, July 14 for Stone Hill Winery in Herman, MO.  Due to heat, busy schedules and the upcoming CSVHFS conference in a few weeks, we are going to postpone this month's meeting for December 15 at Stone Hill Winery.

June 10 BARS Meeting/Egyptian Hamfest/ARRL VHF Contest

Sunday, June 10, 2018 BARS members, Ron KO0Z, Herbert AF4JF, Mike N0OBI, Rich N0PQU and Bob N0IS converged on the Egyptianfest (Egyptian Radio Club W9AIU) also known as the Granite City Hamfest around 8:00 am.  It appeared to Ron KO0Z that the hamfest was a bit bigger this year.  This year a forum over APRS and High Altitude Ballooning was given, which proved to be quite interesting.

                                         Site of Egyptianfest 2018 in Granite City, IL
           

                                                                 W9AIU                                           
                   

                                        Ron KO0Z and a Raspberry Pi APRS tracker

                                                    Nicely attended hamfest

                                                              Herbert AF4JF

                                           Dan giving his APRS balloon presentation

                                   This is a sensor used for APRS, but it could work for beacons as well!

Unfortunately, this hamfest conflicts with the ARRL June VHF contest, but some of us made time to do both.  Ron KO0Z put in about 12 hours in the contest.  Ron made 56 Qs, 63 QSO pts, 43 mults for a claimed score of 2,709 from his EM59 QTH.  Most of the contacts were on 6 meters using FT8; however,  there were some CW and SSB contacts made as well.  While calling CQ on 2 meters, Sunday evening, Rob AA9MY from Pekin, IL, EN50 gave him a call.  It's been at least 10 years since they chatted last.  It was fun running the bands with him which included a 23 cm 76 mile CW and SSB QSO.  Ron also worked Craig, K9CT on 23 cm, CW.

Earlier in the evening KO0Z tried to work AF4JF from a St. Charles County park, but his antenna was aimed at 70cm RF absorbing tree leaves.  H was barely able to hear KO0Zs signals and Ron wasn't able to hear AFJF's transmissions.  H has tried transmitting from this park before and he feels that it is not a good spot for VHF+ unless EME is involved.  This park has an open view to the sky and an astronomical observatory dome.  Herbert plans to do some EME work on 2m and 70cm this summer using JT65.

                        The top picture is AF4JF's 70 cm in EM48 aimed towards KO0Z in EM59.  RF absorbing trees make two-way Qs a bit difficult.  The bottom photo depicts the dome used by the St. Louis Astronomy Society.

A big find at the hamfest was a Surecom combination digital wattmeter, SWR bridge and frequency counter for VHF and UHF bands for the low price of $40.00.

                                        Combination SWR bridge, wattmeter and frequency counter

At the hamfest, Mike N0OBI brought the finished 10 GHz slot antenna that he milled out of WR90 waveguide for Ron KO0Z to be used in a future beacon.  Tnx Mike for your craftmanship!

                                                  
                                                       Mike N0OBI 10 GHz slot antenna

After the hamfest, we gathered at Uncle Lennie's Restaurant in  nearby Pontoon Beach and enjoyed good food and good company before heading back to home and the ARRL June VHF contest.  Ron made a slight detour to his favorite watering hole, Starbucks for much needed venti coffee with extra cream in Edwardsville, IL!

After leaving Starbucks, KO0Z looked 50 miles to his north towards EM59 and his town of Girard and saw a line of thunderstorms.

                     Looking north from EM58 Edwardsville towards EM59 Girard fifty miles away

                              
                                                         RadarScope screen shot of the storms

  By the time KO0Z drove home, he had just missed the rain.  Upon arriving home, not in true contest fashion, he took a nap until AF4JF's phone call awoke him to remind him of their 70 cm sked.  This narrative now brings us full circle back to the beginning of this blog.  It was a fun, productive day.  Looking forward to the next BARS meeting in July 14th at Stone Hill Winery in Herman, MO.  After that there is the CSVHFS conference in Wichita, KS July 26-29th.

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 April Brunch 2018

Saturday, April 7, 2018, 9:30 am at Maverick's Steak and Spirits restaurant parking lot on a sunny and very cold day, Herbert AF4JF, Rich N0PQU, Zack W9SZ and Ron KO0Z gathered for a morning of 10 and 24 GHz beacon testing.

 Once again, Herbert and Rich set up behind what used to be the "B-52 restaurant" next to an open field to test their 10 and 24 GHz beacons. Meanwhile, Zack and Ron drove about a quarter of a mile away and set up their rigs.  Zack brought his 10 and 24 GHz rigs.

                                 Zack, W9SZ, and his rig, braving the cold, setting up his 24 GHz rig

       
                     Zack W9SZ almost ready to receive AF4JF's 24 GHz beacon from across the field

    The red roof building across the field is where H, AF4JF and Rich N0PQU set up the 10 and 24       GHz beacons

    Herbert, AF4JF getting ready to set up his beacons for testing. The grey box is the 24 GHz beacon

     A close up view of the 24 GHz beacon that Herbert AF4JF and Harry WA0CNS constructed

                                      The 24 GHz wave guide slot antenna for the beacon

        The 10 GHz beacon using a log periodic antenna. An arduino processor is working with the Elcomm synthesizer to produce the 10.368.875 GHz signal.  It tested out well in the extreme cold!

In spite of the bitter cold, both beacons 24.192 GHz and 10.368.875 both performed flawlessly.  Clean signals, no discernible spurs and little to no drifting.  Herbert' s testing of an Arduino processor in conjunction with a synthesizer worked out well in the field.  Herbert and Tomas OK1DXD plan to submit a paper to the CSVHF Proceedings for the upcoming conference in July at Wichita, KS.

Here are more pictures of Herbert's and Rich set up near the field:

 
                                10 GHz beacon with LP antenna for testing

                   Herbert picked up this battery booster (hooked up to the battery) on Ebay. It worked well

                                                 24 GHz beacon enclosure with slot antenna

                                     In position and getting ready to test

               The view from Herbert and Rich to Zack and Ron across the field


In addition to our field testing, Herbert brought along three  built-up 10 GHz, W1GHZ cheap transverters for us to see.  Harry, WA0CNS is keeping busy building, among other things, these boards so we can get more folks involved with microwave; especially, during contests!

                    W1GHZ cheap 10 GHz transverter built-up by Harry WA0CNS

                         W1GHZ 10 GHz transverter pipe cap filters


Although it was quite chilly, the morning proved to be a successful test of the arduino and the beacons.  The cold temps made this test even more valid.  Everyone braved the cold temperatures.  Perhaps knowing that a warm, hearty lunch awaited us back at Maverick's helped everyone's endurance.  Needless to say, Maverick's  and its lunch buffet was a very welcome sight!  Mike, N0OBI and his friend Bill joined us for lunch.  It was good seeing them.

All in all, a very fine day for our microwave activities. 


Here is a video of the 24 GHz beacon test:

Here is a video of Herbert's 10 GHz beacon:

BARS meeting on March 10, 2018

We have met in just two weeks after last BARS meeting ... it is not easy to schedule our regular meetings without collisions with other activities like hamfests, contests, mother's days etc. The yearly schedule passed several review ... and despite all this, we have picked the very same day and time with the local QCWA chapter meeting. Which influenced our attendance a little ... only 6 of us have met at Miss Sherri's on Manchester today: Rich N0PQU, Mike N0OBI, Ron KO0Z, Debbie KC9ULA, Roman KD9COA and Herbert AF4JF.

The location is very suitable for meetings, even for bigger groups. Plenty of tables of all sizes and excellent food. We certainly will return to this location in the future!

(Update on April 6th, 2018: Miss Sheri's went out of business today. Owner does not want to continue)

See you in Litchfield next month!

73 Herbert

AF4JF