[aprssig] Work still needed in NortheEast on New Paradigm

[Brian B. Riley]

This past weekend I traveled from Burlington, Vermont area to Newport , RI
staying overnight with relatives in Springfield, MA. The route was
essentially I-89 to I-91 to I-90, to MA/RI Rt 146, to I-295, I-95, RI Rt 4,
RI Rt 138.

I left my D700 set to WIDE2-2, 50 watts, at 3 minute rate for the whole
trip. The expected black holes were there (West Central VT, SW VT, N end of
I-91 in MA) but the areas around White River Junction and Brattleboro which
usually provide twenty or so miles of coverage each were totally
unresponsive.
   So it would seem that  "new paradigm black hole" here extends from just
below Montpelier, VT when you run out of range of K1UC-3 in Waterbury all
the way down to 25 miles above Springfield, MA, when you get in range of the
superb digi on Mt Tom, a distance of 140-150 miles or so. By far Western
standards that may not be much, but in the crowded closed in NE that's a big
gap. If either one of  the two newly unresponsive areas had been accessible
the greatest gap would have been 60 miles

Springfield coverage was, as usual superb even down to 5 watts, Mass Pike
was great out to Worcester and then down 146 towards Providence. Nearer
Providence the coverage was good., the coverage in Newport is spotty, its
there but very location sensitive.