[IRCA] Last Morning at Grayland: October 10

["John H. Bryant" <bjohnorcas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yesterday, I was still having trouble believing that I'd heard KFQD 
in Anchorage on the barefooted T615, right over the top of 50 kW 
KXL-750 in nearby Portland, OR. Whilke I was at the local Library and 
firmly hooked to the internet, I checked to see if the University of 
South Carolina even HAD a hockey team (I'd heard them skating against 
somebody on what I was certain was KFQD, hearing local Anchorage 
commercials, etc.).  According to the South Carolina web-site, they 
DO have an ice hockey team, but their season does not start until 24 
October. There was no indication of any earlier hockey games on their 
schedule.  I then checked the KFQD schedule on their website... an 
all newstalk format and I looked at the U of Alaska, Anchorage for 
their hockey season. KFQD showed the Beck show on at the time that I 
thought I'd heard hockey from Anchorage and the University hockey 
team also had not started their season.  After mulling things over, I 
decided to take the KFQD logging outta my list for both the Unlimited 
and the Barefoot  Classes... I had not recorded it and there was just 
NO evidence.... I must have imagined it.

So, Thursday evening I made up a thorough hit list for Alaska and 
went to work at 9:15PM local time.  The Wellbrook Array, being able 
to swap directions, made things fairly easy.  I soon had evidence of 
a number of Alaskans on frequencies shared with stations in the 
Pacific Northwest.  As I clicked through 750, THERE WAS A HOCKEY 
GAME, coming in quite loudly.  I tested it with the array.... Sure 
enough I could hear KXL to my Southeast and the hockey seemed to be 
coming from the Northwest!  I listened a few minutes and darned if 
one of the teams wasn't that crazy buncha Southerners, the South 
Carolina Gamecocks!!!  Later, there were plenty of local Anchorage 
commercials, a name of the Anchorage municipal area where the 
Pre-Season Tournament was taking place, etc.  The boys from South 
Carolina were well ahead, too.

I'm counting that one for sure.... I got several other Alaskans on 
the E100 and then hit the sack, looking forward to my last dawn for a 
while at Grayland.

Since I'd been so fortunate the previous three mornings that I 
decided not to approach this last morning with any kind of strategy 
other than a target list for Unlimited Class and a list of my current 
Barefoot loggings.

The early burst around 1200 netted me a new Mayak Unlimited logging 
on 549 (Okinawa was nowhere to be found) and an excellent 720 Russian 
JJ Service logging, first on the E100 and then BAREFOOT on the 
t615.... KDWN in Las Vegas was just clobbered!  After that, things 
slowed down, so with 45 minutes before dawn enhancement, I had 
breakfast and packed up all of my non-essentials. (I needed to leave 
as early as possible to drive four hours and then catch an 
over-crowded ferry back to my home QTH on weekend tourist-magnet, Orcas Island.

I was back in the hunt at 1345 (LSR around 1420). I soon noticed the 
North Korean on 657... as noted by others, they musta worked on that 
thing, 'cause its a LOT louder!  Well, it was coming in so well that 
I decided to try for a new Barefoot Country.  Sure enough, the T615 
snagged it easily... it was just booming in. So, I started going up 
the dial with the WinRadio, looking for really loud ones and then 
jumping up, changing headphones and running around the room with the 
T615 trying to escape the computer QRM, the refrigerator buzz, etc, 
and snag another Barefoot catch. I was really getting my exercise, 
jumping up and down like a demented Jack in the Box!!!

Fairly soon, I just abandoned using a spotting receiver, things were 
really coming in on the T615. I found the Sweat Spot in the room 
(equi-distant between the computer and the refrigerator) and just 
DXed dawn with the T615 by itself... I ended up with nine new 
Barefoot TP loggings and a VERY wide smile.

I closed out the morning with a strange logging on 944.99, running 
with the normal CNR1 on 945.00... REALLY weird music, etc... I'll 
have more to say about that logging after I've analyzed the recording.

So.... here are my Unlimited and Barefoot Class Loggings for October 10.

UNLIMITED CLASS LOGGINGS OCTOBER 10: E100+ Wellbrook Phased Array

549 Radio Mayak //576 Synchros. Probably from Magadan RR Discussion 
and some popular music 1215 UTC
640 KYUK Bethel, Alaska, NPR News at 1435
670 KDLG Dillingham, Alaska, NPR News at 1434
890 KBBI Homer, Alaska, NPR News at 1436
720 V of Russia JJ Service, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (heard also Barefoot) 1230 UTC

BAREFOOT CLASS LOGGINGS OCTOBER 10: T615 Barefoot
567  JOIK NHK1 Sapporo 1409
648 VoR, Ussuriysk, Russia in RR 1411
657 Pyongyang Bangsong, Kangnam, North Korea 1351
720 V of Russia JJ Service, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk 1230 UTC
738 Taiwan Fisheries, Penghu 1413
747 JOIB, NHK2 Sapporo1415
963 CRI Russian Service Loc. Unknown 1400 UTC
981 CNR1 Synchros 1417
1134 JOQR, Tokyo 1420
1260 JOIR, Sendai 1422
1287 JOHR Sapporo at 1425

Well, I'll try to publish a composite list tomorrow.... It is great 
to see Walt and Guy with major new Conti Loops... and Guy with 
decently DXable TP signals at home for the first time in many a 
moon..... This stuff is just too much fun not tyo have everyone in on it.

Also really nice to see Mark C. discovering the joy of hearing DX on 
these little marvels...

I swear that hearing almost a dozen TPs in one morning on a T615 
Barefoot is the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on.... well, 
except for Easter Island, anyway.... Hey, I could have been nude 
there and only the horses would have known!!!  Talk aboutr Barefoot Class......


Have a great`weekend everyone!

John B.
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