DECEMBER 1975

      Hank Holbrook, 7211 Chestnut St., Chevy Chase, MD 20015 QSLed, GMT

      7-27: 1600, N223LH  122.8   Cambridge,MD(Crescent Seafood, Inc.;
                                  Aero Commander 500B;2-e,7-s; 2500 feet)
      8-20: 1640, N3000   121.1   vic Phila.(Swiftlite Aircraft Corp.; North
                                  Am. Saberliner;2-e,6-s; 10,000'; 25 watts)
        21: 0021, N578    134.0   ov Millville,NJ(Piedmont 53;B-737;28k';25w)
            2005, N9515T  133.95  (TWA 151;Boeing 727-31C; rte La Guardia-
                                  Columbus; 35,000 feet; 25 watts)
            2348, N8100H  134.0   ov Fire Is.,NY (State Street Corp.; Beech
                                  King Air 100; 2-engine,11-seat; 25 watts)
        22: 2050, N2043Q  128.15  15 mi se Wilmington, DE (Coble Funeral Ser-
                                  vice,Inc.;Cessna 177RG;1-e,4-s; 8000 feet)
            2348, HK-724  134.0   ov Phila.(Avianca 050; 25 watts)
        23: 2251, N77772  134.35  (National 98; MIA-JFK rte; 50 watts)
        24: 1547, N6205Y  134.0   nr Fair Haven,MD(Mulford K. Fisher, Jr.;
                                  Piper Aztec;1-e,4-s; 9000 feet)
            2139, N8732   134.0   (TWA 832;Boeing 7070331B;Dul.-JFK;17k';25w)
            2210, N9SG    134.0   ov Salisbury,MD(Wings North;Piper PA-31 Nav-
                                  ajo;2-engine, 6-seat; 9000 feet)
      9-14: 1717, N252AA  119.7   25 mi se Bal.(John E. Everett,MD; Beech
                                  Debonair 35A33;1-e,4-s; 4500 feet)

      Michael D. Schoenfuss, KWI9AT, PO Box 401, Abbotsford, WI 54405 has just
      recently started at this hobby and would like to have some suggestions
      for inexpensive but effective antenna systems; GMT, QSLed

       5-30: 2052, KRS 672  152.03  Wausau, WI (Presto Call; 38 miles)
        6-9: 0010, KSB 362  159.21  " (Marathon County Police)
         10: 1932, KSB 915   47.54  Colby, WI (Medford-Colby Veter.Clinic;1 mi)
         11: 0014, KTH 688  155.175 Marshfield, WI (Marshfield Clinic; 19 mi)
         23: 1658, KFK 710  161.73  Abbotsford, WI (WIGM AM/FM remote pickup)
      10-10: 2030, KSH 719   35.06  " (Abbotsford Oil Company)
         21: 0030, KVX 683  155.34  Marshfield, WI (St. Joseph's Hospital)

      Bob Cooper, Jr., Rt 5 - Box 782, Guthrie, OK 73044  has recently become
      very interested in the NOAA stations on 162.40/.55; superior correlation
      has been found with the Wichita (the closest on at this time) signal and
      VHF-UHF conditions; Kansas City (162.55) gives excellent warning of UHF
      into Iowa; some 60 new stations are planned for next year (and also a
      162.45 channel will be added in 1976-77). The stations run 200-1,000
      watts into omni-antennas with ERP's up to 6 kw (the local weather info
      they provide can also be useful in plotting favorable trop conditions).
      Bob would like to hear from others using these for trop or Es beacons.

      Solar flux/A-Index for      Oct 1975 -
      1: 76/6; 2: 78/3; 3: 78/7; 4: 76/6; 5: 76/5; 6: 75/20; 7: 74/25; 8: 74/29
      9: 76/28; 10: 75/21; 11: 74/6; 12: 74/13; 13: 79/7; 14: 80/12; 15: 81/5;
      16: 79/6; 17: 79/6; 18: 80/6; 19: 79/2; 20: 78/4; 21: 76/7; 22: 75/5;
      23: 75/6; 24: 74/4; 25: 73/3; 26: 73/4; 27: 73/4; 28: 73/4; 29: 72/12;
      30: 73/9; 31: 71/14

      avg:  75.8

      Nov 1975 -  1: 72/6; 2: 73/25; 3: 74/40; 4: 77/32; 5: 80/15; 6: 82/12;
      7: 82/8; 8: 83/5; 9: 80/18; 10: 80/10; 11: 80/12; 12: 81/9; 13: 81/4;
      14: 85/2; 15: 86/2; 16: 90/6   - the highest solar flux since early Sep
      and the most active magnetic field since a March storm
      VHF UTILITY DX                                         DECEMBER 1975

      Now, my own loggings. Allied A-2586, Hallicrafters SX-62; Hammarlund
      SP-600-JX-10 (with ICM BAX-1 tuned preamp); 30' long-wires at 12', run
      ne-sw and nw-se; peak F2 MUF noted, bs-backscatter; hi-band with Wards
      62-1 with 18-inch whip; GMT used; tr-tropo

      10-13: 1720, 35.28         24: 1600, 32.000        2: 2018, KFL 936 bs
         14: 2100, 36.90         25: 1650, 32.000           2025, KKI 445 bs
         15: 2017, 37.000        26: 1728, 32.000           2031, KMA 829 bs
         16: 2031, 37.000            2254, KKI 445 bs       2040, 40.000
         17: 1543, KIF 651 (Es)  27: 1810, 35.28         3: 1510, KHB 41 tr
             1634, KIE 953 (Es)  28: 1540, 32.000           1900, 40.000
             2057, 37.62             2350, 35.58 bs      4: 1735, 35.28
         18: 2130, 32.96         29: 1655, 35.28         5: 1935, 37.000
         19: 2215, 35.28             1700, 35.62 bs      6: 1615, 32.02
         20: 2023, 37.000            1738, KKJ 460 bs    7: 2135, 35.28
         21: 2130, 35.28         30: 1630, 35.28         8: 1545, 32.000
             2210, 35.62 bs      31: 2120, 35.22            1945, 35.58 bs
         22: 1915, 35.28       11-1: 0512, KME 438 (Es)  9: 2055, 38.85
         23: 1730, 35.28             1705, 32.000       10: 2130, 37.15
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      KFL 936  35.58  (west)                KKI 445  35.58  Houston, TX
      KHB 41  162.55  Cor. Christi, TX-w    KKJ 460  35.22  Ft. Worth, TX
      KIE 953  35.58  Atlanta, GA           KMA 829  35.58  San Diego, CA
      KIF 651  35.58  Ft. Lauderdale, FL    KME 438  35.22  Orange, CA.

      w-weather; rest are A2 (tone) paging stations
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------
      With the lack of solar flux, this fall might turn out to be the poorest
      for transcontinental F2 MUF's since 1964. In the past few days there
      has been signs of Canada on 30.02 and 30.42. Since these are probably
      around 1800-2000 miles, the maximum one-hop of about 2400 miles should
      be open a few MHz higher than that.

      It is for that reason that reports from the east and west coasts concern-
      ing the F2 MUF are earnestly desired. Exact station identifications
      are not required, just the states would do (e.g., the east coast hearing
      33-MHz fire departments from California etc.).

      The low end of 30-MHz is for government use, and activity (compared to
      30.5-32.0) is very sparse. However, this is the spot in which to look
      for some of those 15-MHz second harmonics (like WYFR on 30.22 here)
      from the VOA, AFRTS, etc. Often, the MUF will not go beyond 30.5 to
      bring in the pile of business stations.

      If the MUF does climb to 32.0 there is another MHz of government
      allocation before the medical paging stations on the low end of 33 MHz
      are reached. Then, with luck, it may spread to the fire departments.
      Then, still another 1-MHz chunk for government, until the business and
      paging 35-MHz segment is met. Since starting 30-50 MHz monitoring in
      1967, there hasn't yet been a fall when KCC 482 in NH wasn't  in at
      least once on F2. This may well be the year it wont.

      So, for those with the scanner receivers, getting a crystal or two for
      33.04, 33.70, etc. would provide a very easy way to catch what limited
      F2 there will be this fall (and perhaps even next).

      F2 MUF's can be incredibly sharp (unlike the often "fuzzy" Es MUF)
      with just a few 100 kHz being the dividing line, so the MUF might be
      stagnating just under the spot you're tuned to.


                                                     73,
                                                        WA5IYX