[IRCA] Grayland DU's for 7-31 and 8-1.. Sizzle Yesterday, Fizzle Today

[D1028Gary@xxxxxxx]

Hello Guys,
 
     Thanks for all the reports of TP and DU activity  from Walt, John, 
Dennis and others the past two days, which made the comparison  with ocean beach 
conditions really interesting.
 
     Our compact Toyota Corolla had three adults  and two children making the 
drive to Cottage 1A of the Grayland Motel, and  was fully loaded for the 
trip... meaning that only smallish portables could be  accommodated. The 
ostensible purpose of the trip was to allow my Chinese wife  and her sister to save 
money shopping in sales-tax-free Oregon... (despite  the inconvenient fact that 
the cost of gas would more than make up the  difference). 
 
     A very compact Sony ICF-SW7600GR portable was  urgently modified by 
adding a 7.5" Amidon loopstick prior to this trip, to act  as a somewhat sensitive 
SSB spotting receiver for the Ultralights.  It  performed well, but frankly 
could not keep up with the modified E100 in 9 kHz  split selectivity, which was 
critical in logging multiple new Ultralight DU  countries yesterday.
 
     Arriving at the Grayland Beach Road picnic  table at 1205 yesterday, I 
apparently missed the fine conditions to Asia  that John had noted.  But the 
usual 567-2YA "propagation beacon" for  the southern Pacific islands was 
unusually strong on the modified E100,  making it worthwhile to go after a couple of 
targets that had never before been  received on the "slider loopstick" 
E100's...  Fiji and Tonga.   639-Fiji had weak audio on the E100 around 1217, so I 
made a quick check on  1017, and was thrilled to find Tonga also putting in a 
clear signal on the  modified Ultralight.  639-Fiji quickly came up in strength 
dramatically,  providing strong choral music audio for an mp3 around 1227, 
peaking over  KFI slop.  At the peak, it was audible on both the modified  
ICF-SW7600GR and stock SRF-T615, despite the KFI slop on these relatively  
un-selective units. A check back on 1017 found Tonga somewhat weaker, so it was  time 
to check some other DU frequencies for targets.
 
     The Aussies seemed weaker than the Kiwis  yesterday, and after Tonga and 
Fiji, Newstalk-1035 provided the  third new Ultralight DU logging on the 
modified E100, around 1242.  Many of  the previously-logged Aussies (like 612, 
702, 738, 774 etc.) were in evidence  yesterday, but not especially strong on the 
modified  ICF-SW7600GR, like the Kiwis were.  Sunrise enhancement at  
Grayland seemed to be fading on the DU's around 1300 yesterday, so a check  was made 
on 670 for KPUA in Hawaii, which was very easily logged for a new  Ultralight 
"country" on the E100.
 
     In comparison to yesterday, this morning at the  beach was somewhat of a 
disappointment.  Finding almost no DU's  in evidence around 1200 on the 
portables (only the 567 "beacon" at a very weak  level), the E100 was set on 657, 
to wait for the Southern Star Kiwi  station to come up in audio.  Around 1235 
it finally did, providing a new  Ultralight logging that had previously been 
made on modified ICF-2010's  many times.  Finally, at 1300 the E100 managed 
another Hawaiian logging  with KGU-760, a rather quiet frequency after San Diego 
fades out.   Thus ended a very forgettable morning.
 
     One of the bonus points of this trip was a visit  to Patrick's shack 
while he welcomed John Callarman, providing an opportunity to  see the EWE's and 
beverage that have logged so much Pacific DX.  Patrick  not only has a QSL 
collection that would be the envy of any DXer, but  having the opportunity to 
hear Patrick and John discuss IRCA and NRC  history was lots of fun for me, an 
IRCA teenage member in 1969.   Between John and Patrick (both superb in their 
memory of AM-DX history), almost  any question about past events, QSL's, etc. 
could be answered.  It was  a great excuse to get away from the all-day shopping 
by the ladies at the  Seaside outlet stores, hi.
 
                                               73,  Gary
 
      



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