Duct morning 16.02.05

Wow, two openings in one month! Gee spoilt. Interesting to note that this is virtually the
same date last year that the week of major conditions occured in the south.

On the Tuesday afternoon (15th), I noted the MSLP and cloud map. Actually looked similar
to the Boxing Day duct chart with the elongated High Press cell coming into the Bight from
the SW. Differences were center pressure in the Bight was higher this time and cloud along
the cell was in a different spot.
There was also Red and Brown wind direction and temp arrows along the top of the Cell
(North side).

I could not see Brian VK5UBC on Propagation Logger in the afternoon, so I sent him and
email specifically mentioning for him to check to the west this evening. While it was just
an educated guess, turned out to be right, could have just as easily been wrong.

After about 9pm Tues night, Brian copied both Albany and Esperance 2m beacons. Albany only
on Spectran and Esperance in and out of the noise.

I considered this to be a good sign, but would depend upon the weather at my end of the
path. I had a weak front pass through that afternoon, we had a few spots of rain and that
was all. The front kept moving east and by 9pm there was a clear sky with only a slight
breeze. Good sign.

Basically now its fingers crossed and lights out 11pm. As a rule, summer time, early
morning is the time things happen here.

Sure enough, things started happening around 3 am. Before I went to sleep, I set up my
radio's, one on Adelaide beacon 144.450 cw with squelch set to S1 and the other monitoring
Renmark TV 143.760 with the squelch set to 40dB. I think I had a signal over the sql from
Adelaide beacon first, then Renmark TV periodically over 40dB woke me up, Hard to remember
at that time of the morning.

Beacon was there and Renmark TV was reasonably solid. Was looking like the best opening in
a while. Adelaide beacon got to 5/5 and I could just get to the Crafers (Adelaide)
repeater 147.000. VK5THA and VK5MM came back to me. Was looking good.

Around 4.15am I checked for VK6 beacons on Spectran. Nothing from Perth or Albany (cloulds
coming across that area), but had a weak trace on Esperance 144.567.1 cw. I could not
confirm that this was Esperance till about 5.50am when I could deffinately see the FSK
keying. Esperance is 2313 Km from here. Only another 10 mins to 6am and I had lost it.
Though it did come back about half hour later until about 9am.

During the morning I worked - 144.100 SSB -

VK5PO - 5/9
VK5UBC - 5/9+10
VK5ZK - 5/5
VK5USB - 5/9+10
Adelaide beacon 144.450 about 5/7 peak; Esperance 144.567.1 Spectran only.

432.100 SSB -

VK5UBC - 5/5
VK5USB - partial contact only up to about 4/1 with QSB
432.450 Adelaide beacon not seen or heard.

Furthest repeater accessed was Port Augusta at 913 Km. Also got Port Pirie at 867 Km.
Central North 833 Km. Heard Cowell at 961 Km and Port Lincoln at 1019 Km.
No 70cm repeaters were heard from VK5.

Worked VK5UBC on 146.500 FM.

VK5UBC was able to copy a good signal from the Wagga repeater. But noted not a great deal
heard from VK3.

Was good to make the contact with VK5UBC on 432.100 as my longest SSB 70cm contact.

Renmark TV peaked to 5/9+60dB, did not make it to 60dB+ that I saw.

Last two repeaters standing were the two highest in VK5, being Port Pirie at 730m & Port
Augusta at 845m.

When I last heard VK5UBC and VK5USB, they were 5/9, I then checked for the Adelaide beacon
and could not hear it.

Cheers

Leigh VK2KRR

15Feb, 22:12 VK2KRR VK5UBC 432.100 5/5; partial with VK5USB 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 21:46 VK5UBC Listening Wagga Rpt 139.168.197.25
15Feb, 21:45 VK2KRR Now on Pirie, Central North faded 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 21:43 VK2KRR VK5LL on Central north now 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 21:41 VK5UBC Can't break in 139.168.197.25
15Feb, 21:40 VK2KRR Yes, just got Port Augusta @ 913 Km, so it does still work 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 21:39 VK2KRR Yes there is people on Wagga 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 21:37 VK5UBC Wagga Rpt up to s7 139.168.197.25
15Feb, 21:35 VK5UBC Is there anybody on the Wagga rpt 139.168.197.25
15Feb, 21:33 VK5UBC Not much in the way of rpts here Leigh, only Mt William 139.168.197.25
15Feb, 21:31 VK2KRR Just hear ID of Cowell repeater 146.800 @ 961 Km & Central North voice ID 146.925 @ 833 Km 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 21:27 VK2KRR Very strong signal from Canberra repeater here off back of beam, unusual 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 21:20 VK2KRR Still getting a very weak signal from Esperance beacon here, Spectran only 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 21:11 VK2KRR Adelaide beacon only 5/2 - 144.450 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 21:10 VK2KRR VK5UBC and VK5PO up to 5/9 144 MHz 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 21:04 VK2KRR VK5ZK up to 5/5 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 20:56 VK5ZK VK2KRR 5/2 144.12 144.137.204.86
15Feb, 20:56 VK2KRR VK5UBC 5/7 144.120 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 20:56 VK2KRR VK5PO up to 5/5 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 20:52 VK2KRR Working VK5PO 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 20:48 VK2KRR Well I think I heard you Brian but you didn't hear me? 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 20:47 VK5UBC Listening 146.5 fm Leigh 139.168.197.25
15Feb, 20:41 VK2KRR Port Pirie in here at the moment I think, about 3 repeaters 146.700, VK5RMN is 867 km 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 18:49 VK2KRR Just confirmed reception of Esperance beacon here now 144.568 MHz 2313 Km 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 18:26 VK2KRR Becoming more consistant now, but just need a bit more............ 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 18:23 VK2KRR Just had a bit more of the main carrier from what I thin is Esperance, need about 1 dB more to work it out for sure 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 18:03 VK2KRR Adelaid ebeacon 5/5 but not hearing much from the repeaters 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 17:50 VK2KRR Just done a switch from Spectran to Spectrogram, see if that helps 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 17:39 VK2KRR Just hearing Lobethal 146.775 audible 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 17:36 VK2KRR Think I just saw a fade in with FSK shift then, but so weak its not funny 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 17:26 VK2KRR Just zoomed in the yagi, definitely have a trace QSBing on Esperance freq, very weak. Still cant confirm unless I see FSK shift 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 17:21 VK2KRR Hope it gets stronger, I'll be able to confirm it 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 17:20 VK2KRR Just saw a slight trace on Esperance beacon freq on Spectran, though looks a bit lower than the last time I spotted it 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 17:13 VK2KRR Beacon is also building back to S3 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 17:12 VK2KRR Renmark TV has just reached 60dB....YES! 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 17:08 VK5MM 12C Here 203.26.206.129
15Feb, 17:07 VK2KRR Just went outside, air virtually dead calm, bit cold though 11.5 degC 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 17:03 VK2KRR Adelaide beacon dropped to S1 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 17:03 VK2KRR Renmark TV hitting S9+50 right now 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 16:59 VK2KRR Renmark TV has been up to S9+50 QSB 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 16:56 VK2KRR Been working VK5THA and VK5MM via Crafers rptr up to S4 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 16:50 VK2KRR Adelaide beacon 5/4 203.134.94.74
15Feb, 16:47 VK2KRR Things are starting to happen 203.134.94.74