Topband: Conditions this weekend

[Charles Bibb <zedkay@bellsouth.net>]

Hi, fellow Topbanders,

I?d like to hear some other opinions of 160M band conditions during the CQ 
WW CW contest.  I was not impressed here.

I had high hopes of snagging several new top band countries, but only 
managed one (on Friday night). Saturday night was even worse. It was 
terribly frustrating (i.e. hair pulling, teeth gnashing, etc.) listening to 
W1?s working stations in Europe that I could not even detect. Of course, W1 
to Europe is like W5 to the Caribbean. And, it was even more frustrating to 
see all the juicy DX spots posted by the guys in Europe of prefixes I had 
no hope of even hearing, let alone working!

I think others shared some of my frustrations, also. Time after time I 
heard big-name and big-signal, well-known US contesters and DXers 
struggling for QSO?s with garden variety Europeans (and a couple of EA8?s).

Or was all this just my imagination?

Eight years ago I endured a change of QTH. It was only across town, but the 
effects on my DXing were profound. The higher band antennas were quickly up 
and running fine, but I never did get the low band station back together in 
an effective way. Too, the hiatus gave me a convenient excuse to pursue my 
other big hobby ? collecting antique glass telegraph insulators. My 160M 
country total suffered.

However, in time, like all true-blue, right-minded DXers, I eventually 
gravitated back to Top Band! Now I?m ready to make trouble. The TX antenna 
is back up and working great, and after some negotiations with the 
neighbors, I have beverages (some temporary, seasonal) in place that cover 
four directions. I also have a new intermittent noise source and a much 
higher level of ambient noise over the old QTH. Odd how much difference 
half a mile in the wrong direction can make.

So, what irony! I spent all this time and effort (six month?s worth) 
getting things back in order just in time for the band to crap out on me. I 
didn?t have the RX antennas up until mid-November, so I missed the 
spectacular conditions of October. I could only drool as I read the posts 
you guys made to the reflector.

So, any other thoughts and opinions about this past contest weekend on 160?

My two cent?s worth?

73,
Charles Bibb
K5ZK 

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