KONG49 - Day Three

Conditions are gradually getting better. We received signals from the North American west coast and Asia until late afternoon today, though they were not extraordinary.

Today marked Loran D day. We installed 1040 metres of beverage antenna, primarily laid out on the ground for testing purposes. Our objective is to compare tonight's signal levels with those at the KONG HQ. We expect, or hope, Loran D to be significantly better. Should the results be positive, we plan to raise the antenna wire tomorrow.

Now, at 22 local, we do hear signals on 1230 from CBC, likely Iqaluit.

Attached are a few photos from the starting point; unfortunately, we neglected to document the opposite end.

A shadowy selfie including Ole in his red jacket. The Zarges case holds a PC, Perseus, battery, modem, and more.

Another photo of the starting point - antenna going towards the photographer

During our equipment testing, we encountered significant noise, reminiscent of our experience at Mount Loran, yet more intense. Regrettably, we suspect a nearby substation is the culprit, which may complicate the resolution. We plan to conduct overnight Jaguar recordings to assess the impact on DX.

For dinner, we've savored lamb and calf shanks in Barolo, and now it's time for reindeer shanks in the same rich wine. But let's begin with the appetizers:

Garlic-rubbed toasted bread, topped with a hearty spread of hummus and golden-brown fried artichokes, garnished with fresh parsley.

Main Course: Eight reindeer shanks pan-fried and then slow-cooked with two bottles of Barolo for three and a half hours. A handful of tomatoes were also required, as evident here: 

Reindeer shanks in Barolo

As you can see, the final result is here. It's remarkable – distinct from lamb and calf, reindeer meat possesses a unique "wild" flavor. It may come as no surprise that we paired the starters and main course with Barolo red wine.

We often feature a selection of cheeses for dessert, and today is one of those days. On the plate, we have Gruyère, Parmesan, Morbier, Epoisses, Brie, Papillon Roquefort, and Chèvre Sott. Additionally, you'll find Ole serving a Niepoort 2019 port wine..

Today's weather update: It's windier and cooler than yesterday, with temperatures around 5-6 degrees Celsius. The skies are dry and mostly clear. Surprisingly, at 22:00, the temperature has risen to nearly 11 degrees! It seems we can expect another dry and fairly warm day tomorrow, though some rain may arrive in the afternoon.

And don't forget to check out my 50 years with 40 receivers blogpost!