[IRCA] 17 October 2015 TP Victoria B.C. Canada

["R. Colin Newell" <coffeecanuck@xxxxxxxxx>]

Listening from 1315 until 1410 --

As all of our regulars have pointed out, Saturday morning was pretty dry
going but not without the occasional surprise.

While DXing like Clint Eastwood (one furrowed brow on the Hall-Patch Fish
Barrel radar screen and one eye on
the dial), I noted regular (but not predictable nor very often...) surges
on various sections of the band.

For example, while regulars like 774 Japan, 972 Korea, 1053 Korean Jammer
and 1566 Korea held court without
fail for the entire duration, 2nds and 3rds would appear briefly for
moments at a time - Like 1323 CRI which would
raise its Meerkat head for a minute here and there... this happened on the
following frequencies almost at random
and sort of followed the Hall-patch radar; 558, 567, 594, 603, 702, 738,
792, 864, 1008, 1017, 1035, 1044, 1287, and
1593 to name quite a few. And so gopher like was the reception that by the
time you could focus on that channel
it would duck down and dissolve into the background noise. I can only
imagine that Dr. Salmaniw was having a field day
with this in Masset, Haida Gwaii - with all of this signals easily 15db or
more above my signals.

This was not what I would fall a fun morning - they are far and few between
in this, likely a solar peak time...
but one of more clinical and technical observations.

One domestic source of amusement was a station in the Phase null of KARI
550 Blaine running a seemingly endless
analysis of the up-coming Canadian election on Monday - including an
intimate dialogue on all the candidates with
an impressive degree of depth and analysis (assuming this was an American
station that is...)

Receiver: Drake R8 mated to a Misek/Lankford Ratslaff built Phaser.
input 1: W/NW Flag with VACTROL Fine Termination controller-  input 2:
Wellbrook ALA100 N/S

Project today: Put up a N/NE Flag weather permitting.

Note on the VACTROL: I am using an adaptation of the Mark Connelly Remote
Flag/KAZ/Conti Loop termination controller
using an Opti-Isolation circuit - I have built 4 sets of them so far and
will likely build them for whomever wants a set.
They include an in-shack control box with 10-turn potentiometer (with a 14
- turn calibrated vernier knob) the output heads
out a BNC connector to the outdoor termination box. My run to the
termination of the antenna is around 100' - but you could likely
stretch the connection to 300 to 500' and maybe beyond. It is perfect for
finding that termination sweet spot that is not always 900 ohms
(the typical termination value on a FLAG/KAZ/Conti loop) -- will put a full
article on my website soon.

Good DX everyone.

-- 

*Colin Newell is the Editor and creator of Coffeecrew.com
<http://www.Coffeecrew.com> - Coffee.bc.ca <http://Coffee.bc.ca> and
DXer.ca <http://www.DXer.ca> -| Amateur Radio VA7WWV |
Twitter.Com/CoffeeCrew | Victoria B.C. Canada*
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