[HCDX] Rockport, MA DXpedition ("DX Clams 2002") comments

[MarkWA1ION@xxxxxxx]

Even though the 2002 version of the annual "DX Clams"
gathering was held on one of the two or three rainy
nights of the entire summer and, to boot, the DX was
sub-par, I still enjoyed the outing in the company of
Boston Area DXers including Tom Walsh, Bruce Conti, Paul
McDonough, Gary Thorburn, Andy Wallace, and Paul Graveline.

I didn't get out of work early enough for the seafood
dinner part of the activity, but went straight over to
the DXing site at Granite Pier in Rockport, MA instead,
arriving there just before 7 p.m. EDT / 2300 UTC (22 AUG).

Transatlantics were very limited, mostly those from the Canary
Islands and northwestern mainland Africa: among the better ones
were Mauritania-783 (the first one to fade in around 2300 UTC),
and Canaries stations on 621, 747, 837, and 882.  High band TA's
didn't perk up until well after sunset when France-1206, Spain-
1521, and a few others made a showing.  Bruce said that the A-
index had been around 30, so the lack of more northerly Europeans
was not a total surprise.  Only a weak signal from Holland-675
represented Europe north of France.

With somewhat auroral conditions, in theory, one could turn
the sights to Latin America and the Caribbean.  Well before
sunset, the eastern Venezuelan on 1140 was putting in a good
signal, way over CBI/WRVA.  Numerous other LA's did show,
though the opening was slow to start and the aurora was not
deep enough to suppress domestic short-skip QRM.  One of
my better catches was the Brazilian on 1100, decisively
atop Antigua and a couple of Spanish-language stations with
WTAM Cleveland in a 100% null off the back of the phased
loop/whip cardioid array on the roof of the car.  Some of the
fun (though, at times, frusrating) channels were 640, 840,
and 860 where numerous Caribbean and South American stations
were duking it out.  The three common Caribbean splits (535,
555, and 895) were all easily heard.  Many of the islands
were well represented and Venezuelans were good, too.  Still,
I would have gone for a more butt-kickin' aurora to sweep
away the skip domestics.  An aurora that still allows the
Montreal stations on 690 and 940 to be pests isn't a very
impressive one.

Some of the guys at the outing were doing shortwave broadcast
and ham activities; I'm not sure how many others were into
serious medium wave DXing.  I do know that Bruce Conti got
some good "unidentifieds" on tape for later analysis.

Even though this year's outing was somewhat of a "bust"
compared to last summer's hugely-successful Rockport
DXpedition, it was still a good get-together.  I was
interested in looking at the Elecraft K1 transceiver
that Andy Wallace had assembled from a kit.  Elecraft
are to be commended for picking up where Heathkit left
off.

My loggings will be sent out soon in a separate e-mail.

73 / good DX ... Mark

Mark Connelly, WA1ION - Billerica, MA, USA
<MarkWA1ION@xxxxxxx>

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