2021 Road Trip - Update 73: Summer 2021 EME Expedition Complete - September 28, 2021 2100UTC I have decided to head home to Florida in the next few days and will not do additional 2M EME activations during the trip. I don't have enough energy left for another week of activations that start at Midnight or 1:00AM local time and continue until dawn :-) This area of the Southeastern US is within a one day (long) drive of my home base and I plan to come back up to this area in the next few months to activate the additional rare grids in KY, TN, AL, MS. I will probably do the first trip in the first half of November. I have had a great trip and THANK-YOU to everyone who has called over the last three months. After I return home to Florida I will look at the logs, locations and statistics and publish an update. If you are missing any confirmations please send me an email. 73, Peter KA6U
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2021 Road Trip - Update 72: 222 EME Activations WV and KY - September 23, 2021 1300UTC The activations this weekend in West Virginia and Kentucky will be 222 EME only EM99dg West Virginia - 0300 - 0500UTC September 25 (Friday September 24 EDT) moon elevation will be 16 - 40 degrees EM88np Kentucky - 0330UTC - 0530UTC September 26 (Saturday September 25 EDT) moon elevation will be 16 - 40 degrees If required I will be QRV longer until callers complete
2021 Road Trip - Update 70: 222 EME Activation FN00 Complete Next Plans - September 22, 2021 1230UTC Thank-you everyone who called last night. There was constant rain last night sometimes heavy however RX conditions were good on my end. Quite RF location and strong signals at some times. 33 QSOs uploaded to LoTW Next plans are as follows: EM99 or EM98 in West Virginia - 0130UTC September 25 - I will operate on 2M EME and 222 EME EM88 Kentucky 0200UTC September 26 - I will operate on 2M EME and 222 EME
2021 Road Trip - Update 69: 222 EME Activation FN00 Update - September 21, 2021 21300UTC I have found the activation site in FN00 on the top of a hill with a circular concrete pad to setup on. Very convenient. The location is near an airport that closes at 5:00PM daily. The location is: FN00RB88: 40.0777N -78.5095W This is a mountainous area in Southern Pennsylvania. The geographical MR time is 0000UTC however because of a hill in the MR direction I estimate signals when the Moon reaches about 12 degrees elevation at 0100UTC. I plan to be on site and setup before 0000UTC. There will be rain during the activation tonight, however I am not expecting thunderstorms. The incoming storm includes lightning, however the lightning is supposed to subside before reaching my location. I normally don't have SWR problems with rain. I was told this was a needed grid. We will see tonight :-)
2021 Road Trip - Update 68: 222 EME Activation FN20 Project Dianna - September 21, 2021 1300UTC The visit to the Project Dianna site is complete. The facility was great with quite RF conditions. The ISEC Amateur Radio Club supported our operation and also operated the 23cm 60 foot dish EME station. Simultaneous 2M and 23cm EME at Moonrise last night. I am still planning the FN00 activation later today. I hope the time is not too late. FN00RA - Near Bedford, PA - Sept 22 0000UTC - 0500UTC (or all callers complete). 144.132 2nd JT65B, I will have Internet access 21 QSOs were completed on 2M EME and UA3PTW also completed an SSB contact on 1296 using the 60 foot diameter dish. Russ K2TXB joined me for the operation and also operated the 2M EME station. Contacts are updated to LoTW This is one of the first Amateur 1296 stations from the 1950's. On the right is a 2.5kw Klystron run at 1000 watts for Amateur use. The 60 foot dish was built in 1958. The dish was used to track th
2021 Road Trip - Update 67: 222 EME Activation FM29 Delaware - September 20, 2021 1200UTC Last night I activated FM29 in Delaware on 222 Mhz. Several operators needed Delaware on 222 for WAS. The plan for 2M EME Project Dianna activation today is on schedule: FN20 - ISEC (Project Diana Site) - Sept 20 2300UTC - Sept 21 0500UTC (or all callers complete). 144.132 2nd JT65B, I will have Internet access. Special QSL cards will be produced for this event If you would like to receive a QSL card from FN20 please send a request to Ian, W6TCP: Ian Parker, W6TCP 37 Mountain View Ave San Jose, CA 95127 USA The location in FM29 was on Delaware Bay looking in the direction of Moonrise at the Atlantic Ocean. This area is well known for it's Blue Crabs. There were many people catching Blue Crabs off a pier next to where I was set up. The bucket below includes a Blue Crab that was just caught. I had lunch at a local restaurant. This is what the Blue Crabs look like in the restaurant. This t
2021 Road Trip - Update 66: 222 EME Activations - September 19, 2021 1300UTC I am back on the East Coast of the US. One of the goals of this trip is to help several operators complete WAS for 222Mhz. During the trip I have had a number of 222 EME operations for this purpose. Two nights ago I activate EN71 in Indiana on 222. Last night I activated FM19 in Maryland and tonight I will activate FM29 in Delaware. In the next two weeks I will also activate Kentucky and West Virginia. These activations will include 2M and 222Mhz. After these operations plus others that have completed on the trip there will be several operators with 48 or 49 states confirmed. During the Project Diana operation on Monday the club that operates the site will also activate 1296 Mhz EME using the 60 foot dish at the site. They are planning to be QRV on 23cm from 2330UTC Sept 20 - 0400UTC Sept 21. I assume they will use the HB9Q logger. I will ask when I meet them at the site at 2100UTC on September 20. I
2021 Road Trip - Update 65: Next Activations Planned - September 17, 2021 1300UTC The next 2M EME activation will be from the Project Dianna first Moonbounce location: FN20 - ISEC (Project Diana Site) - Sept 20 2300UTC - Sept 21 0500UTC (or all callers complete). 144.132 2nd JT65B, I will have Internet access. Special QSL cards will be produced for this event If you would like to receive a QSL card from FN20 please send a request to Ian, W6TCP: Ian Parker, W6TCP 37 Mountain View Ave San Jose, CA 95127 USA On the return trip from FN20 to Ohio I will activate FN00: FN00RA - Near Bedford, PA - Sept 22 0000UTC - 0500UTC (or all callers complete). 144.132 2nd JT65B, I will have Internet access From Sept 24 - Sep 26 I plan to activate three grids in the area around EM87/EM88. I have not selected locations. I plan to activate additional grids in the Northern EM region until October 4th. I have not selected locations. Current plan is to return home to Florida on October 6/7. I hope to b
2021 Road Trip - Update 64: 2 Month Operations Summary - September 12, 2021 1200UTC I have been on the road for two months so far. I have visited 26 U.S. States and activated 26 unique grids. Some grids have been activated more than once. My log shows 1,288 QSOs. My current plan is to return to Florida around October 6th. Between now and October 6th I plan to visit 7 new additional U.S. States and activate 8 - 10 additional grids. I do not plan additional activations until at least September 16th. Between September 18 and October 6 I plan to visit Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and back to Florida. On September 20 starting at about 2300UTC I will be in FN20 to activate the site of the first Moonbounce communication: Project Diana Moonbounce that occurred in 1946. 1946 Newsreel: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nbppIBktn4E If you have previously confirmed FN20 you are invited to call during this activat
2021 Road Trip - Update 63: EN85 Activation Complete, September 11, 2021 2130UTC The activation of EN85 is complete. 31 QSOs uploaded to LoTW. It was a very nice breezy day at the top of Lake Huron. This is the log from today. If you see anything missing please send me an email. I tried to call stations in Eastern and Northern Europe first when I could see them. I know I missed some Eastern stations. There were a group of 10 signals on top of each other withn 100 hz. I decoded two of the eastern stations once but could not decode them again before their moonset. I couldn't decode all of the stations during this short window. When as many stations are so close it is probably because they have not adjusted their TX frequency. This is the view of the station just before Moonrise looking up from the edge of the water. This location was extremely quiet at RF and I had good RX quality today. Much better than recent days. I do not plan any additional activations until at least
2021 Road Trip - Update 62: EN75 Activation Complete, September 10, 2021 2000UTC The EN75 activation is complete. Murphy and Faraday teamed up to make this difficult. The antenna polarity switching failed today (now repaired) which limited me to HPOL only today. 27 QSOs are uploaded to LoTW. As you noticed I did not have cell coverage today. There will be no cell coverage tomorrow from EN85. If you believe you completed and are not on the list please send me an email. Thanks! There were a number of callers today who were calling even though they were not hearing me. I know they were not hearing me because I called them several times and they did not answer. There were also several cases today where I answered a station with OOO and they continued to call me (did not send RO). I would stop sending them OOO and move on to another station. Then a few minutes later they would start sending RO. This suggests that they were not watching their decoding and by the time they chec
2021 Road Trip - Update 61: EN75 EN85 Activation Plan - September 9, 2021 1827UTC I have decided to activate EN75 and EN85 instead of EN76 and EN86. I have found outstanding locations on beaches, on Lake Huron, with no power lines or other interference sources. EN75XX22 - Moonrise 1526UTC September 10, 2021. 2M EME 144.132 2nd JT65B. I plan to be QRV until at least 2000UTC (Short EU Window) EN85AX11 - Moonrise 1646UTC September 11, 2021. 2M EME 144.132 2nd JT65B. I plan to be QRV until at least 2100UTC (Short EU Window) EN75 Location in Moonrise direction EN85 Location in Moonrise direction Clear view to the horizon in both locations. These will be the last activations planned for Michigan on this trip.
2021 Road Trip - Update 60: EN66 Activation Complete - September 8, 2021 2030UTC The EN66 activation is complete. 43 QSOs uploaded to LoTW. Very difficult conditions today. Heavy rain and strong winds caused the antennas to move wildly. I had to tie down the antenna array with 3 one meter long circus tent stakes. The location was RF quiet however signals were very weak today with rapid and deep QSB. I tried all three types of preamps and it made no difference but I wanted to make sure it was not a system problem. Here is a close-up of the antennas tied down with the large stakes. First time I have had to use the stakes this trip. Here is today's log for EN66: Tomorrow is a rest day for the antennas. The next activations should be on schedule Friday and Saturday. I will arrive in EN76 early in the day on September 9 and will select final sites for the EN76 and EN86 activations at that time. I should be able to find locations with elevation clearance at moonrise to maximize
2021 Road Trip - Update 59: EN66 Activation Confirmed - September 8, 2021 2020UTC The weather forecast for tomorrow is rain and wind, however not too much of either to prevent the activation. There will be no thunderstorms. This morning there were heavy thunderstorms and close lightning strikes. No activation this morning was a good choice. EN66QJ80SM - Moonrise 1302UTC September 8, 2021. 2M EME 144.132 2nd JT65B. This is after the new moon I have a location in a field at the entrance to my campground at the yellow pin in the image below. 30 second drive from my campsite. I don't have to start setting up until 7:30 am local time, a luxury. The window to EU is at least 6 hours so should be plenty of time. Signals may be delayed a few minutes. Good Internet connection here. On September 9 I will drive to Loon's Point near Cedarville, Michigan at the Eastern tip of the Upper Penninsula. It is only a two hour drive, the shortest move of my trip so far. This time I wil
2021 Road Trip - Update 58: EN65 Activation Complete - September 6, 2021 1930UTC It was pouring rain in EN66 this morning so I drove down and activated the EN65 location on the top of Lake Michigan. The weather was excellent, maybe the best weather day ever for any activation I have done. Clear, light wind, 12C. See the blogspot page for photos later. The EN65 log is uploaded to LoTW. 55 QSOs were complete, however 7 hours were required. On a good day 4 - 5 hours are required for all callers. http://ka6u.blogspot.com I will activate EN66 on Wednesday, September 8: EN66QK12IW - Moonrise 1302UTC September 8, 2021. 2M EME 144.132 2nd JT65B. This is after the new moon Thank-you everyone for your patience today. As expected it was a difficult day with Sun noise. It took a lot of effort and I think most who wanted to complete a QSO were able to. On my end I estimate the Sun noise degraded my RX by 8db or so, based on what typical signal strengths are on a good day. The antennas
2021 Road Trip - Update 57: EN67 Activation Complete - September 5, 2021 2350UTC Today's operating location was amazing. See the photos below. I spent most of the 6 hours of activation time walking around outside, watching the stars before sunrise, watching the Ore Carriers on the lake and enjoying the cold wind on the Lake. Every minute I had to return to look in the truck door and do something. Another benefit of no Internet chat. The location was on the "wild coast" of Lake Superior. I will post photos on http://ka6u.blogspot.com The EN67 log is uploaded and confirmed in LoTW. Thank-you for the 62 QSOs completed. I noticed today that signals were spread out well and there were only 2 cases where I had to wait for Doppler's help. EN66 tomorrow morning is confirmed EN66QK12IW - Moonrise 1030UTC September 6, 2021. 2M EME 144.132 2nd JT65B. I plan to be QRV until at least 1600UTC if required. (New Moon) As you noticed I did not have an Internet connecti
2021 Road Trip - Update 56: EN67, EN66, EN65, EN76, EN86 Activation Plan - September 4, 2021 2031UTC Over the next 7 days I am planning 5 additional grid activations in the Michigan Upper Penninsula. The first is early tomorrow morning from EN67. EN66 and EN65 are during a new Moon. EN76 and EN86 have unfavorable southern declination for a shorter window to EU. I am willing to try these activations because I believe I will be in exceptionally quiet locations for all five of these grids. Sometimes I have had success during a new Moon I suggest it is worth trying. EN67AL54WV - Moonrise 0919UTC September 5, 2021. 2M EME 144.132 2nd JT65B. I plan to be QRV until at least 1600UTC if required. There may not be Internet access at this remote location EN66QK12IW - Moonrise 1030UTC September 6, 2021. 2M EME 144.132 2nd JT65B. I plan to be QRV until at least 1600UTC if required. (New Moon) EN65UV02IC - Moonrise 1145UTC September 7, 2021. 2M EME 144.132 2nd JT65B. I plan to be QRV
2021 Road Trip - Update EN56 Log Uploaded and Confirmed - September 2, 2021 1520UTC I have returned from the activation of EN56. This was the quietest RF location I have visited in a long time. Conditions for me were very good. I seemed to be hearing well. Many many strong signals. The next activation will be on Sunday morning. I know the EU VHF contest is running but this is the only day I can activate EN67. I plan to be QRV until about 1600UTC so there will be two hours of Moon window to EU after the contest ends. Had an antenna cable issue that delayed starting a few minutes. I will post photos of the location later. Here is the log with 66 entries. A number of stations who previously were operating with default TX frequency settings spread out today and I was able to find them quickly. This allowed me to call some of the smaller stations when conditions were excellent making it easier to complete with them. You never know what will happen. At 3:00 am I was visited by a
Operating Tip - Don't Get Lost - September 2, 2021 2303UTC So, do you wonder why you call in a pile-up for hours and I am not able to call you? Do you wonder why I tell you "This is the first time I have decoded you today" even though you have been calling for hours? The answer is on the screen below. From 400hz to 2500hz looking in high resolution on my screen I would think I see about 25 signals. From 400hz to 1400hz and from 2000 to 2400hz signals are spread out. From 1400 to 1600 and 1800 to 1950 it is very crowded. I counted 12 signals in the crowded range, though it can be hard to tell with everyone on top of each other. I guarantee that if you are in the spreadout sections I know you are there. When I know you are there I use an "approximate/non-rigorous" algorithm, in my head, that considers when I first saw your signal, historically do I have problems completing with you if I wait, are you patient (as possible), can I complete without having to sw
2021 Road Trip - Update 54: EN76 and EN86 Activations - September 10 and 11, 2021 This is the plan for the two most eastern grids in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. EN76ic - Moonrise 1532UTC September 10, 2021. EN76IC11 - Moonrise 1532UTC - 2M EME 144.132 2nd JT65B. I plan to be QRV until at least 2200UTC if required This is a satellite image of the location on the southern shore of the Upper Penninsula of Michigan EN86fa - Moonrise 1644UTC September 11, 2021. EN86FA52 - Moonrise 1644UTC - 2M EME 144.132 2nd JT65B. I plan to be QRV until at least 2300UTC if required This is a satellite image of the location at the eastern tip of the Upper Penninsula of Michigan
2021 Road Trip - Update 53: EN56 and EN67 Activations - September 3 and 5, 2021 EN56su - Moonrise 0705UTC September 3, 2021. I will activate EN56su on a cliff overlooking Lake Michigan on Friday morning September 3rd. The location is the "Baraga Cliff Roadside Park" which is a rest area US Highway 41 30 minutes South of my basecamp. This should be an exceptional location with very low noise. Here is a photo in the direction of Moonrise. Interesting note. This park is located on US Highway 41 in Northern Michigan. I live on the SAME U.S. Highway in Florida, US Highway 41 in Ruskin Florida. The distance between the two points is 1593 miles or 2563 km. I am also currently at the furthest point from my home in Florida. Starting on Sunday I will be gradually working my way south back to Florida. Activation specifics: EN56SU28UT - Moonrise 0705UTC September 3, 2021. 2M EME 144.132 2nd JT65B. I plan to be QRV until at least 1300UTC if required. I can also be available f
2021 Road Trip - Update 52: EN15 Log Uploaded and Confirmed, EN57 Activation Complete - September 2, 2021 1430UTC The EN15 log had an error in LoTW. I resubmitted the log and verified that the EN15 QSOs confirm as QSLs in LoTW. If you are still missing the confirmation please send me an email. This will probably be good for at least 100 emails.... EN57 Log uploaded to LoTW During the activation an LED street lamp turned on and degraded RX by 6 - 8db with the result I could hear no one for about an hour. The light turned off on a timer and signals returned. I managed to complete with 56 callers.
2021 Road Trip - Update 50: EN57, EN67, EN56 Activations I am planning to activate the following grids in Northern Michigan: EN57SD55BQ - Michigan UP - 0630UTC - 1200UTC September 2, 2021 EN67 - Michigan UP - 0730UTC - 1300UTC September 3, 2021 EN56 - Michigan UP - 0830UTC - 1400UTC September 4, 2021 I have arrived at my camp and will drive 15 minutes to the location now